False Alarm.......

[Trimmen]

I received a voice mail from the recruiter on Wed Nov 7 informing me that there may be a position as a DEO Infantry officer. By the time that I replied to his message (about 3 hours later), the position had been filled. Talk about competitive.....mind you it was for only one position and who knows how many people are above me on the "list".
It does strike me as quite odd that nobody seems to know who is where on this Merritt "list". I was told that I may or may not be selected depending on my position on the list.  I also understand that this position can be changed either for the better or worse. Why can't we, the recruits who have lives to live, families to provide for, places to move to, and other career opportunities presented to us, be left in the dark regarding our placement on the list. There would seem to be a need for this type of logistical redundancy to be corrected. This just doesn't seem to make any logical sense to me, Does anyone out there know why everyone is in the dark?

 

[MedTechStudent]

Well, as far as I'm informed, the "list" is very hard to put in order because there are a lot of broad factors involved in it.  Like your spot on the list and your acceptance time is based on not only your CFAT scored and transcript, but also your interview, your question sheet, and how consice and in order your answers are.  That being said, I assume its very hard to say where one stands out of hundreds.  I agree with you it is frustrating absolutely, but unfortunately I just don't think there is a way to sort us out specifically.  If it was simply a case of test scores, it would be easy, but there are just too many factors involved to give everyone a number.  Again this is just based somewhat on what I was told, and just my assumption when I asked the same question.

That being said, Good luck I wish you all the best

Cheers, Kyle

 

[Trimmen]

Thanks Kyle,
And don't get me wrong I appreciate that the military has to consider a plethora of factors prior to selection. But isn't that what basic training is for?
Academic institutions and private sector civilian companies, and they deal with 10s of thousands of applicants.
The application, aptitude, and interview, in my opinion, should be scored out of 1000. This will take into account everyones personal circumstances. At the conclusion of the process you get your mark...the closer one scores to 1000, the higher on the list they should go. Factor in the number of candidates, and their specific trait selection and Abra cadabra you have your place on the list. A proactive candidate can call their recruiter bi monthly and check their status on the list.
And there youhave it, nobody is left in the dark. 

 

[MedTechStudent]

Oh ya, I totally see where your coming from, and I think that a system like that would be really helpful and convenient for applicants, especially when you have life to lead and things to plan out.  Out of curiosity, since I know nothing about your officer program, how competitive is that program?  Because what I have been seeing a lot so far, is that a lot of the Arm, Arti, Infantry guys are getting called and put on BMQ VERY soon after the application, but you know, that's because those trades are in high demand and its good that people are answering the call.  I'm in a similar position to you cause my trade in competitive, and I totally can relate to the nervousness and frustration.  Especially when you invest the time and just have to hope you get it.  That being said, I'm sure if you got one offer already and it was just a case of you didn't return the call in time (which I thought was very odd that they would give it away after three hours!) then you will probally get it again so "not to worry" is all i can offer in terms of reassurance lol  This is why I keep my cell on me 24 hours a day, so that when they call I'll be here  

Anyways like I said, good luck to you!

Cheers, Kyle

 

[CFR FCS]

The REG Force Merit List is a national level living document. It changes evertime another person is added or removed. It does have a score for ever applicant who is merit listed. The way it works is that the person making the selections (either at the CFRC or nationally) can only assign a job to an applicant if there is an open vacancy to put the name against. INF DEO has been full for awhile, hence it is very competitive. There was one INF DEO vacancy open up briefly, likely because of a refusal (people do change their minds) and it is up to the person making selections to fill the spot. There are ten CFRCs that can selection people for Open Selection List (OSL) occupations. National selections are boards that sit to select the best (using the score) candidates for some occupations. These boards usually meet ever 5 - 6 weeks but can include secondary testing ( NOAB and MPAC, MPOAC come to mind). BMQs (Reg F NCM) are starting a couple times a month but Officer training is more cyclical. There were no BMO (Officer) Q openings for January as of late last week, the next one is expected in April. When more spots are available selections for DEO officers will start again.

Needless to say the merit list is a fluid, ever changing list. The most important thing to remember is to do the very best on all your testing. The better your score the better your chance and before you ask CFRCs cannot give you your actual score. Job offers are time sensitive so have your response prepared, there is always some else on the national list looking for that job.