Military Analyst Interview Questions & Answers

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This question hones in on your ambition: an interviewer who asks this wants to know what you're attempting to achieve. Discuss your plans for the future so that your personal ambition benefits the company.

Don't just answer this question by saying, "because I'm awesome," or a wordy, detailed version thereof. This is an opportunity to talk about what makes you the right candidate for the position. This requires knowing what the employer is looking for, and then matching your skills and experience to it.

-“If hired, I plan to staying here as long as possible. I can’t predict the future, but I can tell you that when you hire me, that no matter how long my tenure is here, you’re going to get a great employee who works hard for you.“

Professional, but there’s still fun here or there between you and you battles. It is serious, though. Everything you’re doing is preparing for combat, so you need to take it seriously.

I’m sure you would agree that it’s an employer’s market. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to move up on the career ladder. I’ve taken all of my experiences in the places I’ve lived and apply them to every facet of my career and being so mobile has definitely improved my ability to adapt and learn quickly.

Try to postpone this question until you receive a job offer. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area. A good resource is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you don’t know the range and the interviewer persists, reply, What salary range are you working with? The interviewer may very well tell you.

Whilst this question should be generally easy to answer, it does end up throwing many applicants. Most people who apply to join the Army will do little or no preparation for Officer Initial Training until they have received confirmation that they have passed the AOSB. However, if you can show the Army Careers Advisor that you are already preparing for training then this will impress them. Here is a sample response to assist you.

All services have overseas opportunities. Overseas service is often considered a "square to fill" for advancement. Ask your recruiter.

I was a 19 Kilo Armored Crewman. Primary duties when I got into the job was preventive maintenance on the vehicle, cleanliness, loading the main gun, and being the gunner for the crew served 240 Bravo.

This is a reverse invitation to promote your skills. Do it with an answer that puts you in a good light. For example, I tend to be too detail-oriented, but I work hard to control that. Keep it simple — and smile.

If you left on unfriendly terms with your previous employer, your gut reaction might to be to pick apart every single thing that was wrong with them. Do not, at any time for any reason, do this. Unless you were laid off, focus on your inspired need to find new opportunities. You might want to focus on a different kind of work, or perhaps there wasn't any room to grow at your old company. Whatever the reason, the best answers to this question will focus on personal and professional growth.

I would say my favorite part was the camaraderie, the band of brothers you had. You could always look to them to be at your side. And probably the weapons – the weapons were a lot of fun.

Stress and pressure are ubiquitous in the working world. No matter how easy-going your workplace might be, there are always problems, snags, and emergencies that interrupt plans. They key to answering this question is acknowledging how you overcome personal feelings and solve problems. Whether your first response is to take 60 seconds to breathe and clear your head or write down solutions on a scrap of paper, emphasize your ability to focus on solutions, self-motivate through adversity, and sidestep panic.

Show you are adaptable and tech-savvy. Provide specific examples of projects you’ve done that required computer skills, computer programs you know, and your familiarity with social media. Emphasize any training you’ve had to keep your skills up to date.

Most recruiters have videos and literature about their branch and particular jobs. In most cases you can either check the videos out or watch them at the recruiting station. Remember these are promotional materials.

The FBI is always looking for analysts with varied backgrounds. Social sciences are always good: history, political science and social studies degrees abound. But, the FBI also looks for people with hard sciences, business degrees, etc. The FBI is the largest investigative agency for the Department of Justice; it has a lot of different programs that it is responsible for. We have FBI IAA members that are working criminal matters such as, violent crime, crimes against children, financial fraud, political corruption, etc. We have scientists with PhDs in hard sciences who work on weapons of mass destruction intelligence issues. The FBI can be an option for more people than some other intel agencies. So the answer is that a lot of people should be able to consider an FBI analyst career and have a chance to succeed.

While base pay and veteran benefits are the same across services; travel opportunities, job availability and promotion rates vary greatly. If you are considering more than one branch of the military, ask the recruiters the same questions and compare the answers.

When you are asked questions related to your current or previous positions, it’s important to be specific and to be positive about what you did in your previous position(s). The best way to respond is to describe your responsibilities in detail and to connect them to the job you are interviewing for. Try to tie your responsibilities in with those listed in the job description for the new position. That way, the employer will see that you have the qualifications necessary to do the job. Focus most on your responsibilities that are directly related to the new job’s requirement. It’s also important to be honest. Don’t embellish your job, because you don’t know who the hiring manager will be checking with when they check your references. Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to discuss what they do while they are working in detail. Before you answer, consider the position you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the more successful you will be at answering the questions.

The Association is primarily a professional association dedicated to furthering the interests and priority issues of its members, who are all FBI Intelligence Analysts. We serve as a voice for our members concerns with external audiences and internal audiences as much as we can, much the same way that other groups of employees have professional associations. We look to build events or partner with other organizations for the benefit of our membership. We’ll be having our annual conference this year as an example, but we also work to notify our members of interesting speakers through our relationship with intelligence organizations/universities etc. One specific benefit we provide is legal representation for our members. Members who need legal advice for an issue arising through the course of their work are eligible for a legal benefit and then discounted rates through our law firm. Unfortunately, that is something that has become necessary, and it was a gap we sought to address for our analyst membership. Our membership is open only to FBI Intelligence Analysts of all grades and responsibility.

Even though overqualified can be shorthand for "old" or "expensive", it’s important to stay positive. Express your enthusiasm for the job and pride in your qualifications. Explain what makes you interested in this position at this point in your career — such as wanting to apply your skills to a new field, not wanting any management responsibilities, or to achieve more flexibility and work-life balance.

Military promotions are based on performance, time in grade and job knowledge. While the system is objective, certain specialties seem to fare better in promotion rates. Ask your recruiter how the promotion rates are in your chosen field and compare them to several other fields you may choose from.

The minimum score varies annually based on need and candidate availability. Some specialties also require a particular score. Your recruiter should have the latest information on qualifying scores. Make sure you know what you need to score to qualify for the job you want.

☛ Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
☛ What would you do if you won the lottery?
☛ Can you describe a time when your work was criticized?
☛ Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
☛ What is your personal mission statement?
☛ Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
☛ What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
☛ What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
☛ What is your greatest fear?
☛ Who has impacted you most in your career, and how?
☛ What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
☛ What's the most important thing you've learned in school?
☛ What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
☛ What will you miss about your present/last job?
☛ If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
☛ List five words that describe your character.
☛ What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
☛ Sell me this pencil.
☛ If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
☛ Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?
☛ What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years?
☛ What do you like to do for fun?
☛ Why are you leaving your present job?
☛ What do you do in your spare time?
☛ How do you feel about taking no for an answer?

☛ What do you think about your educational exam results? Were they what you expected?
☛ Where is the Army operating in the world right now?
☛ What parts of Officer Initial Training do you expect to find the hardest?
☛ What are you currently doing to improve on your weak areas?
☛ What is your 1st choice Regiment and why?
☛ Tell me about your 1st choice Regiment. What do they do and where are they operating right now?
☛ What are the qualities of an Army Officer?
☛ What is the role of an Army Officer?

☛ Were you drafted or did you enlist?
☛ Where were you living at the time?
☛ Why did you join?
☛ Why did you pick the service branch you joined?
☛ Do you recall your first days in service?
☛ What did it feel like?
☛ Tell me about your boot camp/training experience(s).
☛ Do you remember your instructors?
☛ How did you get through it?