{"id":36863,"date":"2018-07-25T16:27:45","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T16:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/25\/7-tips-to-help-you-get-that-next-army-promotion-from-a-guy-who-knows\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:08:48","slug":"7-tips-to-help-you-get-that-next-army-promotion-from-a-guy-who-knows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/25\/7-tips-to-help-you-get-that-next-army-promotion-from-a-guy-who-knows\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips to help you get that next Army promotion, from a guy who knows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Were you up for a promotion<\/a> this year? How did you do? Good or bad, a recent promotion board member has the inside scoop on what the boards<\/a> are looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Col. Eric McCoy, now a student at the Army War College, took to Facebook on July 19 with a long list of lessons learned from this year\u2019s board process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of it was just wanting to be able to share that with the soldiers I mentor, so they can prepare their soldiers for next year\u2019s boards,\u201d McCoy told Army Times on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heading into the board process, he said, officers and NCOs he mentored asked him to look into some conventional wisdom about promotions. To his surprise, a lot of them were true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t believe it until seeing it for myself,\u201d he said. \u201cThings like making sure that record briefs are updated, the importance of a good photo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on preparing for promotion boards, Army Human Resources Command<\/a> keeps guides online to preparation checklists, writing a letter to the board and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are McCoy\u2019s pointers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Check your work<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incomplete or out-of-date paperwork made the top of the list in make-or-breaks when it comes to moving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board saw discrepancies in information like assignments, combat tour credit, education and awards, McCoy wrote, as well as missing or incorrectly calculated PT test scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is the individual responsibility of every soldier to review and ensure the accuracy of their records,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMoreover, it is highly encouraged that soldiers seek a mentor to review their records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Fix your face<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure there\u2019s a recent, regulation-friendly photo attached to your promotion packet. Some soldiers the board looked at had old or missing photos, while others were out of regs (hair, make-up, mustaches) in the ones available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIll-fitting uniforms (both tight and loose fitting) gave the impression that NCOs were not in compliance with AR 600-9,\u201d McCoy wrote. \u201cWrinkled pants and jackets detracted from professional appearance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2019t forget to take a photo with the most current version of your uniform, with everything in its proper place. Some soldiers were missing awards that were in their Soldier Record Brief, while others were wearing ribbons in the wrong order or improperly aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers should \u201censure that someone else with knowledge of the regulations inspects them prior to DA Photos and attendance at formal events,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Write a letter<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers should include a letter to the president of the board with their packets, McCoy said, but only if it contains some kind of information not already reflected in their records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLetters to the board were considered favorably when they highlighted recent achievement or unusual circumstances that the SRB did not reflect (i.e., impact awards, degree completion, or prolonged periods of medical issues),\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if your letter would only summarize what the board can read in your paperwork, skip it, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re going to include a letter, he added, make sure it\u2019s formatted according to AR 25-50, and make sure there are no grammar errors, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Get the story straight<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If comments from your rater and senior rater don\u2019t support one another, or they don\u2019t reflect your records, that\u2019s going to look bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDisconnects between rater and senior rater assessment sends a mixed message to the board,\u201d McCoy wrote. \u201cIn some situations, the assessment of \u2018far exceeded standards\u2019 was not supported by quantitative data in the bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officer and NCO evaluation reports that came online in recent years require more of a narrative from raters and senior raters on a soldier\u2019s performance, so it\u2019s important that the comments are consistent and expand on what\u2019s in the records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the nuance of that is, making sure that raters are talking to senior raters in terms of the picture that they want to paint,\u201d McCoy told Army Times. \u201cA difference in profile assessment from the rater to the senior rater, to some board members, may send a mixed message.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Go for a run<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No soldier would be surprised to hear that a top PT score looks good to a promotion board, but a noted lack of physical fitness could also be a black mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were a number of NCOs with physical profiles and\/or low Army Physical Fitness Test scores that limited their ability to lead by example within their respective formations (i.e., PT, field duty) along with access to career enhancing professional opportunities (i.e. drill sergeants),\u201d McCoy wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, raters’ comments often glossed over how detrimental a lack of fitness is to a solider and a unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis sends an inconsistent message about soldier comprehensive readiness,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\t