In my opinion this is THE MOST IMPORTANT document of your application. I believe this is the document which the board actually reviews (along with the other documents in the “app” “packet”), and the board only uses the other “packets” you submitted for reference. I could be wrong, but I think it is hard to argue the importance of this document regardless of how it is used.
I think of applying for OTS as a really long and in-depth job interview, and I think of the OTS Applicant Profile as the resume. No-one wants to sift through all of your EPRs to decipher your career. The board wants to see your ability to present yourself, and will judge your record based on how and what is presented. Their perception of you will largely be determined by the impression they receive from this document.
Attachment 9 of the BOT Guide provides an example of the BOT Applicant Profile. When I did mine I tried to keep the appearance as close to this example as possible because I considered it a test of my ability to follow instructions, (not to mention my Microsoft Word skills.) There were no word examples out there, so I assumed the board wanted to test my skills at making something new based on a PDF.
The BOT Applicant Profile is a tangible document which represents how well you fit into the board’s perception of the “whole person concept.” If you look through the subheadings on the document, it tells the board everything they would want to know.
I went ahead and included screenshots of my actual BOT Applicant Profile, but I changed all of the details to protect my identity. I am extremely proud of my work and am apprehensive of sharing it with you all, but in the end it does nothing for me anymore and it can help you polish your own application. If you are proactive enough to be here and read my posts, I suppose you deserve a look at my application 🙂
Personal Information
- Self explanatory. Make sure it matches your AF Form 56 and what you put into SharePoint.
AFOQT & PCSM Scores
- The only weird part about this for me was the ABM score. I mentioned in another post that the ABM score was not on my AFOQT score sheet so seeing this on the example should have tipped me off on the fact I would need to include this. In short, get your CSO and ABM score from the web site provided and submit it even if you are applying for a Non-Rated board.
- I deleted the PCSM and Flying Hours blocks.
Academic Education
- I had my B.S., then two A.A.S degrees (CCAFs). B.S. first, then most recent CCAF, then previous CCAF. I put NA for GPA on my CCAFs.
Professional Military Education
- PME is official military education only, so I put Course 15, SEJEPME, and ALS from most recent to oldest.
- In my opinion, certifications do not apply and should not be included here.
Career Achievements
I listed all of my awards or recognitions from my entire career from most recent to oldest. I put the year on the far left of each line to reiterate that I was consistently recognized throughout my career.
- Instead of:
- 2014 80 CS NCO of the Year, Peterson AFB, CO I put:
- 2014 – NCO of the Year (Squadron), 80 CS, Peterson AFB, CO.
- Instead of:
- 2009 20 AF Airman of the Year, I put
- 2009 – Airman of the Year, (NAF), 20 AF, Malmstrom AFB, MT.
Do you see the difference? Remember it is all about presentation. If you do it this way the board can easily scan this section and see you won multiple awards at multiple levels.
Take note of the awards I included, and I also included other achievements such as BTZ and Outstanding Performers. Think outside the box. Include anything that made you stand out in your career.
Personal Achievements
I think I did this section different than most other applicants. Even if I did volunteer work and did not have an “achievement” per se, I listed it in this section to emphasize I was consistently involved in the community and was often recognized. I also liked this approach because it told my full story (whole person concept).
For example, I had no personal achievements listed from 2006 – 2009 but if you look at my career achievements, that section was filled with multiple Air Force awards.
For my career achievements there are no major awards from 2006 – 2009 but if you look at my personal achievements you will see I did a lot more volunteer work during this time period. Again, whole person concept. NOTE: Dates changed so my point isn’t exactly made by the images, but you get the idea.
For this section I included any volunteer work with organization name, graduating with cum laude honors for my bachelor’s, my AFAM for volunteer work (similar to honor guard), and volunteer work as an Airman. Basically anything that made my personal life stand out.
If you notice I omitted the “Professional Affiliations” section from the template. To be honest it was because I didn’t have much to put there, but whatever I could have put there (AFSA, 5/6) I went ahead and incorporated them into my “Personal Achievements” section. I think this painted a better big picture of my off duty time which still met the intent of both sections combined. I also figured this section was likely more tailored to civilians.
Work Experience
This is your opportunity to make your daily (perhaps boring) job shine like a diamond. The biggest mistake people make here in my opinion is copying your bullets from your EPR and pasting them here. This is exactly what you SHOULD NOT do because the language on EPRs is so cryptic to an O-6, and they can read if on your EPR if they really wanted to.
The concepts I used for this section I actually learned during the resume portion of the TAP class. TAP is the transition assistance class the Department of Labor offers to all military who are separating. A few years ago that was me so I took the class. Even though I am still in I have incorporated every concept I learned in that class even into my military life. It drastically improved my 1206s for troops, EPR bullets, decoration, basically all AF writing.
Make good use of your space in this section and avoid huge blocks of “white space”. Each duty position on your vMPF print out should be included on here with 3-4 bullets under each. For the bullets, review your EPR and pick the top 3-4 things you did where you actually made an impact to the mission. Tell the board what you did and how you did it (at the O-6 level), and tell the board what the mission impact was. Take a look at mine to get a feel for it.
I had a hard time with this for some of my jobs because I did always have a grasp of how my job impacted the mission. I did two things to overcome this obstacle:
- Reach out to SNCO’s or people who have been around your mission for a LONG TIME. Ask them to explain the overall mission of your unit, and then consider how you fit into it.
- Think to yourself what would have happened if you DID NOT do your job. For one of my Security Forces ones, if I did not do my job someone may have stolen a plane, and if they stole the plane it would have detracted from combat ops.
Be sure all of the dates match up correctly, and put your current job on top and first job at the bottom.
There are no rules here. Say what you need to say in a way an O-6 can understand it. If you need to do a short fragment sentence to get your point across do it.
Remember, this section is ALL ABOUT THE MISSION. Did you impact the mission or did you just go with the flow and do as you were told.
Enlistments of the Uniformed Services, Law Violations
Be sure the dates you put here match both your AF56 and vMPF print out. In my opinion a normal active duty person should only have one entry here even if your career field is crazy and you technically went through three AFSCs. Unless your job dramatically changed, it probably isn’t relevant to the board.
I was a retrainee so I had two entries. I put my latest duty title for both.
Law Violations
I had a lot. My offenses are accurate but I of course changed the dates and places. I considered addressing these violations in my PS but I did not want to point them out to the board, and I thought it was fairly obvious I was a crazy teenager but grew up.
Air Force Specialty Choices
I listed my top five choices here exactly how they were shown in the AFSC attachment (Attachment 7 of BOT Guide).
Personal Statement
Copy/Paste from AF Form 56. I did not do paragraphs on this one either, just one block of text.
Signature, Initials, and Date
Sign, date, and don’t forget to initial each page. O-6s will probably see your signature so I would make sure it looks professional.
Final Notes
- Make sure the overall formatting of the entire document is consistent. Font, spaces between lines, margins, everything. Find someone for an eye for this to proof your work. Luckily I had an eye for it so it made the review much easier.
- Make good use of both white space and text. If there is a giant block of text, use bold or underlines to break it up.
- Use page breaks to group all of the sections together as much as possible. For mine Page 1 was academic through career, page 2 was personal achievements through three duty assignments, page 3 was three duty assignments through law violations, and page 4 were my AFSC choices and personal statement. It was beautiful.
Leave Comments!
If you like my posts, leave a comment! I am putting a lot of work into these posts and would love to hear back from you.
Jax Smash
Thank you for the work you have put forth to share this with everyone, as it is exactly what I am looking for and I am certain others will benefit as well.
I will continue to read your other posts and reply as needed.
airforceotsguy
Thanks for your comment! Feel free to post any questions you have, I am running out of ideas. As of now I was going to update the AFSC page based on the new form but that's about it. I am glad people are finding this information useful! Hopefully it stays relevant.
Ron Freshnezzz
Thankyou for your posts! I am currently applying and have found your post VERY useful! One topic you could mention is commanders bullets.
airforceotsguy
Thanks for your comment. I don't go into a lot of detail on the commander's bullets for two reasons. One, I did zero work on mine because my supervisor was a retired O-5 and wrote them for my commander. Two, if you truly have the support of your chain of command I believe those in your chain will work with you and help you piece the bullets together. My advice to everyone who is writing bullets for themselves is to reach out to officers you know and at the very least, have them show you some examples of OPRs. At the most, they should be able to help you piece together your bullets from your EPRs. I may do a post on this in the future.
Unknown
Any tips for cilivilians looking to attend BOT, with no prior military experience?
airforceotsguy
Are you looking for advice on your application, or have you been accepted and are looking for advice for when you show up? The OTS applicant profile is very important because it is how you sell yourself to the board. You will want to focus on leadership and diversified experience. Other important aspects are your personal statement, the commander's interview/bullets, and your stratification. Beyond that is just a matter of how you rank with your peers who apply and compete during your board.
Anonymous
I have several traffic violations also so I just wanted to say that you alleviated some of my fears with this post! I've been really worrying about how negatively that may impact my chances of selection, but I'm in the same boat as you were I was a crazy teenager but have grown up since then. Thanks for sharing your profile!
airforceotsguy
Yeah I was worried at first too. I think a lot of it is about learning from your mistakes and demonstrating maturity. Good luck!
Anonymous
Did you have to submit all previous EPRs? I was knocked to a 4 in the professionalism section only (5 overall) on one of mine, all others were firewall 5s. This was due to an LOC for someone in the unit telling leadership that I had too close of a friendship with an officer. Overall, I'd consider it a minor violation, but I hate having my professionalism in question on an OTS package.
1. How would you recommend wording this?
2. What do you think this does to my chances? This was back in 2012, and I was 20 at the time, so perhaps they'd view it as a youthful mistake.
Raymond Smith
Thanks. This is very helpful. I'm currently putting my package together for 8 Feb 16 deadline. Anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time.
airforceotsguy
Thanks for the feedback. I know how you feel. My emotions evolved throughout the entire process from beginning to end. Good luck on your application!
Anonymous
I am a civilian preparing my application for the June 13 OTS rated selection board. I am a commercial pilot and will be finishing my BS in Space Studies in May of this year with a 3.9 GPA. I have already talked with a recruiter and am in the application process. Do you know much about the rated boards? I am going for a pilot slot first and a CSO slot second. I am not planning on applying as a ABM or Drone Pilot. Do you think they will frown upon that if I only apply for two positions? Also, do you know roughly how many OTS rated selectees are pilots? Thanks a lot for the application info.
airforceotsguy
I do not know a ton about rated positions but the selection process is almost identical. I think you'll be fine with only choosing those two positions but you will want to be careful of the following. Selling yourself as a good candidate for OTS is about convincing the board you will be an asset to the AF not the other way around. You will want to be careful to not give the impression that I only want these two positions and if I don't get those, I'm out. Tell the board how proud you are of the opportunity to serve, how your experience as a pilot directly ties into your identity as a person, and how you want to combine it all to be an asset to the AF. The only way the board will know this about you is in your personal statement (PS) and perhaps some ofy our LORs. Sorry I do not have any info on the pilot quotas but do know the Air Force Academy usually gets first dibs. Check the airforceOTS forums to see if anyone has current info on this. As for the “big picture” on quotas, they are constantly changing so they are almost impossible to predict. Good luck on your application. Feel free to email me if you would like some more specific or one-on-one advice.
ES
I am a SrA in the Air Force attempting to apply this year. I only have a little over 2 years worth of experience in the air force and I only have 3 to 4 bullets in each section. I feel like my Air Force career only isn't enough to be competitive with those who have been in longer than me. Do you happen to know if I'm able to put in Personal Achievements/Professional Affiliations that occurred outside of the Air Force into my application? How far back can I go? Can I go as far as my high school years?
airforceotsguy
Read every line in the BOT guide because I can't remember for sure, but I would say yes off the top of my head. I can't remember if the App profile was limited to only active service but I don't think so. You may even be able to do bullets for your civilian jobs in the experience section. It isn't so much about experience as perspective. They get perspective of your perspective from your PS and from your CC and LOR author.
Now that I think about it there was some requirement of X years back or no earlier than 16… I don't remember where though.
Raymond Smith
Just want to thank you for assisting me with my applicant profile. I found out yesterday I am a select for 65f, financial management officer.
airforceotsguy
Congratulations! I'm glad the effort paid off.
Chad Shinn
Hey sir, I am starting the process of gathering all my info. I am enlisted and I was wondering on the work experience section how far back should I go. I thought I had read somewhere to go back seven years, but I don't think my part time job before I joined would be that great, and some of my old employers are permanently closed. I worked for a lot of mom and pop shops. Do you suggest that I separate all the jobs I have had in the Air Force?
airforceotsguy
Yeah I remember reading something like that. Look at the exact wording in the BOT guide but I don't think it matters one way or the other if they are just high school gigs. Of course list all you can if it seems like it is required by the wording, but I think it is more just a matter of showing consistency of employment.
ianmessier
I like how you bolded the important parts of your career achievements. I think I may do the same for mine because it looks so cluttered with 20 or so bullets stacked on top of one another. Initially, I was afraid to do anything that wasn't in the BOT guide (i.e. bolding anything) because I was worried they'd think I couldn't follow directions. However, after seeing a coworker select's app with minor modifications and then seeing this, I'm more comfortable with doing things to make it look nicer/easier to read. Thanks!
airforceotsguy
Yeah I tried to get creative because I had a similar problem. There is a big difference between doing something blatantly against the guidance vs. getting creative within the freedom of non-specified areas in the BOT guide. I know things have changed a little bit because I even omitted a section on my applicant profile but I think the BOT guide says not to do that now. Generally as long as something makes sense when you exercise your freedoms and you have a reason behind your decisions, you will be okay. Don't get crazy but make it look good. Thanks for the comment!
Chad Shinn
Sir, I am trying to gather information for the Law Violations. I know I received a ticket about 13 years ago and when I called the state I got it in they said it has been purged from my records. The problem is I do not have a record of the ticket so I am not clear on the date. Did you run into this issue? If so how did you find the dates?
airforceotsguy
That was a long time ago so use your best judgement. I can't remember if the BOT guide stipulated the time period for law violations but I think the main thing is that they want to get a good picture of who you are. Use the BOT guidance first, but if it says nothing either estimate the time period or leave it off completely. One speeding or similar ticket 13 years ago doesn't really add or take away anything from your application IMO.
Shaun Wheldon
This definitely was helpful. Do you know how strongly the AFOQT scores and EPR scores are weighted? I got a 3.93 gpa for my bachelor's but had a poor supervisor who tried to sink my career giving me two 3 EPRs in the beginning and now I have 2 5 EPRs on top with another 5 EPR about to be added. Also my AFOQT scores weren't so hot. I am hoping my gpa offsets those scores because I am a horrible test taker when it comes to SATs, ASVABs, AFOQTs, GREs etc…
airforceotsguy
Thanks for the feedback. Read my 'Board Feedback' posts because I think I address a little about how applications are graded. I would guess AFOQT and GPA would be academic while EPR mark downs may be under ability to adapt or leadership. I have heard of lots of people being selected with low AFOQT scores so it really is about being as good as you can over all categories. A good GPA like your also helps your case. My GPA was 3.7 but AA was 63 I think.
ianmessier
I could be wrong about this, but I don't think the board sees your EPRs at all. They are only included in the source document packet for AFRS to review before the board looks at your application profile. Again, could be wrong but that's the impression I got.
airforceotsguy
I forgot about that, you are probably right. I would think that the source packet is easy for the board to reference though if they have questions.
Anonymous
Airforceotsguy, this is entire blog is awesome. Thank you so much for doing this. Got a question and not sure who to ask so I'll try you. I have to get my police record using DD FORM 369. A lot of states use online systems now, so this form seems kind of antiquated IMO. It requires a digital signature from the police officer providing the report.
Do you have any words of wisdom on how I show proceed? What would you do if you had to provide this form to the board?
airforceotsguy
That's interesting, I have never heard of that form. Do you have any major items in your police record which concern you? Do you have to use the form to request your police report for your record or to prove documentation of something which occurred in your past?
I am not sure you absolutely have to submit that specific form to the board, just the results via AF56. It sounds like your situation may be a bit unique though. If you have to submit something I would worry more about what you did vs. how you have to submit it. Such a form would probably go in a different packet so you may have an opportunity to frame your situation in the best light in your application.
Feel free to email me if you don't want to go in depth here.
anthony2183
It's alright, it really wasn't a big deal. I broke a door at a bar about 5 months before I joined the Air Force and the cops were called. I spent the night in jail and my recruiter got the charges dropped.
I probably should have mentioned that I need the form for a morale waiver.
In the AFRS publication, there's a sentence that basically says I need a morale waiver even though the charges were dropped. Further on it mentions the DD FORM 369 (Police Record) needs to be provided, along with a personal statement and so on.
It's possible that the board doesn't need the DD FORM 369, but the agency providing the waiver does. Either way, I really don't know how to get this form filled out by a police department.
airforceotsguy
Can you send me the line which references the DD Form 369? It may just be talking about the military equivalent. Since it happened off base in civilian jurisdiction, I would think a copy of the civilian police report would suffice. This is what I found in one of the governing AFIs.
Who approves the moral waiver, is it the OTS board or a separate board which convenes before to discuss and approve/disapprove your situation?
AFI36-2013 23 OCTOBER 2008
1.10. Waivers of Moral Disqualifications. ECP applicants who require waivers of convictions or adverse adjudication of offenses, as indicated in paragraph 1.4.3. of AFI 36-2002, Regular Air Force and Special Category Accessions, must refer to Attachment 3 and
http://www.afoats.af.mil/AFROTC/EnlistedComm/EnlistedCommissioning.asp. OTS applicants refer to Chapter 4 of AFRSI 36-2001, Recruiting Procedures for the Air Force.
1.10.1. Submit a waiver request including the following documentation:
1.10.1.1. Copies of any relevant police reports.
1.10.1.2. Copies of any charging documents.
1.10.1.3. If the case resulted in conviction, a certified copy of the criminal judgment, including the sentence.
1.10.1.4. If the case resulted in deferred judgment, suspended judgment, or diversion, a certified copy of the court order and a copy of any diversion agreement.
1.10.1.5. If official court documentation is not available or adequate, a letter from the court or from a prosecutor, explaining the disposition of all charges.
1.10.1.6. Active duty Airmen must have their unit commander’s recommendation.1.10.1.7. United States Air Force Reserve (USAFR) Airmen or civilians applying for OTS to fill an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) quota must have their servicing USAF Reserve Military Personnel Flight (USAFR/MPF) or Recruiting Squadron
Commander’s recommendation.
1.10.2. Unit Commanders, USAF Recruiting Squadron or Group Commanders, and USAFR/MPF Commanders may disapprove waivers. Do not forward waiver requests if approving official disapproved the applicant’s waiver.
airforceotsguy
http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-2013/afi36-2013.pdf
anthony2183
3.17. Processing Moral Waivers, EDs, and ETPs.
Requests will be processed using the
appropriate AFRISS workflow. It is critical to correctly describe the applicant’s circumstances in
a factual and descriptive “word picture” in AFRISS because this is the approving authority’s
AFRSI36-2001 1 AUGUST 2012 83
main source of information. Omitting important facts will delay the waiver process.
At a
minimum, the request package should include the following forms, IMTs, and documents:
3.17.1. AFRS Form 1356, Applicant Waiver Worksheet; AFRS Form 1415, Waiver
Request/Authorization; DD Form 369, Police Record Check; or AFRS Form 1419, Request
for Evaluation and Information; as applicable (for law violations); copies of applicable court
documents; Department of Motor Vehicles or Public Safety check (may be used for Category
5 waivers); and AF IMT 2030 (for unlawful use or possession of marijuana). (DD Form 369
is prescribed in DoDI 1304.2. Refer to that publication for guidance on filling out the form.)
anthony2183
Looking at it now, I thing the “or” means only one of those forms is required.
airforceotsguy
I agree. It sounds like you are to submit all encompassing documents but not necessarily in the rigid format. Your recruiter should know for sure. Good luck! Keep me posted I am interested to know.
Ariel Echevarria
Did you need to send official transcripts in for the package?
airforceotsguy
I can't remember what the TFOT guide says officially, but the answer I have seen time and time again is quasi official is fine. What I did for mine was order my own person “official” copy transcript and submitted that vs. having official transcripts sent directly to AFRS, as they aren't equipped for this.
Anonymous
Hey Airforceotsguy, I saw this and wanted to clarify because I am confused on how to submit the transcripts. Do I just get the official transcripts emailed to me directly from the school and submit them with my package. Then I know I need to have a sealed official transcript when I get to OTS if accepted. The manual is not very descriptive on how to send transcripts. A few years ago when I was going to apply they required them to be send directly through the mail so I want to make sure I do do anything wrong.
airforceotsguy
If you are Active Duty I think you have to request them and have them sent to your squadron's official address (see TFOT guide). You can them get them from your sq and include them in your application. For OTS when I went a few years ago they didn't really care how official they were, I got the issued to student one and just gave them a copy. Now they may be more strict, not sure.
TFOT Guide:
6.3. Transcripts
6.3.1 Refer to AFI 36-2013, paragraph 3.2.2 for educational requirements. Official electronic transcripts
are acceptable in black and white. The cover page of the E-transcript must be included.
6.3.2 Applicants with conferred degree. Application requires official copy of qualifying conferred
degree transcript. Ensure transcript is requested to be sent to your Commander or supervisor at your
squadron’s address so “Issued to Student” transcripts are not received.
Unknown
Hi. I'm applying for OTS and I'm an A1C and I'm about to hit my 1 yr time on station. So my EPR isn't due yet because I haven't hit my 20 month mark. What AFI directs you about what document you send if you have no EPR? Mine won't be ready by the application cut off date. Do I send an LOE or just nothing?
airforceotsguy
Check the TFOT questionnaires, I think questionnaire 1 addresses this. I'm pretty sure there is a hard requirement in there about having an EPR.
Mac
You don’t happen to know where I can find a copy of these questionnaires? I’ve been to the guides but Questionnaire one is not included.
Thanks!
airforceotsguy
I just did a post with the general procedure. You said you didn’t see Q1 included? I just downloaded it fresh for the post and I saw both in the attached files.
Chris
Can you apply for rated only? I am looking at the application profile that was just released (August, 2018) and it does not give this option under the Rated/Non-Rated Preference section. Thanks.
airforceotsguy
I think if you apply for rated you are automatically considered for both. I think they do this because the requirements are more stringent for rated than non-rated so a rated application makes you automatically eligible for non-rated.
Brandon
Aye another Bellevue University Grad! Thanks for this great article.
Jess
Hi there, I have traffic violations from 10 years ago and can’t remember all of them or how much I paid. When I paid for my official driving record, there are only 3 offenses listed. I know I had more than that and I made sure that I got my complete record and not the one that only shows the last 3 years. Should I only put the ones on my driving record in my package?
airforceotsguy
I would just be as complete as you reasonably can. 10 years ago was a long time so your biggest goal should just to be honest, don’t be misleading. Since 10 years is so long ago it is reasonable to me to only list the three you have all of the facts on. If you have all details but the dollar amount or something just list what you know. One other thing to think about is completely filling the blocks on the AF56 with tickets is the same perception as 13 tickets. Listing only two when you have six is misleading. I don’t know if any of that makes sense…
Kat
If you’re like me and have moved around a lot, you’ll need to make sure you call the DMV for the state you got the citations in. My license is from NC, but my tickets were in HI. Also, you don’t need to purchase a driving record–you can just call the DMV and ask for the information you need. They will pull up your record and can just tell you over the phone.
airforceotsguy
Good info, thanks Kat!
Brock
I know this was written a couple years ago, but I am definitely going to be using the information you put forth in my package. Thank you so much for all the advice and tips!
airforceotsguy
No problem!