Standing Out From the UPT Applicant Crowd

[blueingreen]

Hi all,

I joined this forum a little over a year ago after making the decision to pursue a UPT slot with ANG / AFR fighter squadrons. Not only is this forum a great resource for learning about the ins and outs of military aviation; It's also been a lot of fun getting to know people here. Several of you have taken the time to personally help me on my journey, which I'm very grateful for. So far, I haven't had much success across the 11 applications I've submitted. I have attended one rush event which was a very positive experience, but have yet to be invited to an interview. It's hard to get direct and specific feedback from these UPT boards (I don't blame them, fighter squadrons are being inundated with 250 - 300 applications per board), so I wanted to solicit the opinions, experiences, and expertise of the entire forum to see if there's anything I can do to stand out from the crowd of applicants and improve my hiring chances. Here are my stats:

Age: 25

M / F: Male

Education: Bachelor's in Political Science, 3.4 / 4.0 GPA. I currently have offers to attend either a one-year or two-year master's program, which I'm considering given the Air Force's years-long training and hiring backlog.

Military Experience: None / Civilian

AFOQT: 99 Pilot, 91 CSO, 99 ABM, 93 Verbal, 90 Academic Aptitude, 75 Quantitative

PCSM / TBAS: 93

Flight Experience: Student Pilot Certificate, 75 Hours (working on scheduling a PPL checkride ASAP)

Extracurriculars: Grappling Sports (Judo, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Ice Hockey, Linguistics (I speak 3 languages, working on a 4th), Photography, Music Production and Recording

Accomplishments: National and Collegiate Champion in Judo, Various Accolades in Music (e.g. performing at the Newport Jazz Festival), Founder of a small business

Is this a respectable applicant profile? Do members of a hiring board even care if I can, for instance, speak three languages? Is it pointless information, or potentially even seen as a negative foreign influence? I know I can't compete with the likes of an Aerobatics instructor pilot or Border Patrol helicopter pilot (both real applicants I've seen) when it comes to flight time, so I'm trying to leverage my unique strengths to demonstrate the depth and breadth of my character and ability. 

All constructive criticism and feedback is welcome!

Thanks,

blueingreen

[wikz]

I first off wanna say that I am not a pilot and in the process like you. I can't speak on the specific questions you asked since ive never been on the board, but FWIW dont be too intimidated by people with a lot of hours. For example, we have a fighter guy who was hired with no flying hours but he had family connections in the fighter squadron. YMMV, but for the Hawaiian raptors, seeing if you mesh with the bros is definitely a piece of the pie as to whether you get hired or not. Is their a reason you've only rushed once? 

 Hoping this reply will revive this thread so someone who's an actual pilot can help you. 🙂

Edited 6 hours ago by wikz

[blueingreen]

3 hours ago, wikz said:

I first off wanna say that I am not a pilot and in the process like you. I can't speak on the specific questions you asked since ive never been on the board, but FWIW dont be too intimidated by people with a lot of hours. For example, we have a fighter guy who was hired with no flying hours but he had family connections in the fighter squadron. YMMV, but for the Hawaiian raptors, seeing if you mesh with the bros is definitely a piece of the pie as to whether you get hired or not. Is their a reason you've only rushed once? 

 Hoping this reply will revive this thread so someone who's an actual pilot can help you. 🙂

Thanks for your comment bro, and best of luck with your own pilot journey. How's life in Hawaii? Rushing squadrons seems to have become a more exclusive process. Many squadrons now state that they can't accommodate rushing / visits unless it's during a hiring board. When the hiring board comes around and the applications are in, you either make the cut and are invited to rush, or you're not. I'm sure you can circumvent this policy if you have some connections to the squadron, which is why I'm doing my best to network. I was invited to a rush event with the 144th FW last summer, but unfortunately they canceled their UPT board. I'm hoping the positive interactions I had during that rush event will help me stand out during their next UPT board!