HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington, D.C. -- The Calendar Year-2001 Staff Noncommissioned Officer Active Duty Selection Boards are on the horizon and the Enlisted Career Counselors routinely come across Marines with incomplete records.
This may affect them in the selection process. The individual Marine is fully responsible for his or her own records and for the most part, having an incomplete record will not provide any grounds for remedial consideration.
We advise Marines to look at their official records in the same way they would look at a resume for a much sought-after job. Your record is similar to a resume.
As your personal representative to the Selection Board, it portrays you completely. Therefore, you should review it periodically to ensure accuracy.
The Career Counseling Unit publishes a quarterly newsletter called "Career Newsflash." Two issues have been published to date. These newsletters are very informative.
In the previous issues, you can find useful checklists for promotion, a detailed understanding of the contents of your official records, and ways to improve individual competitiveness for promotion.
Marines can download the current and previous issues of the newsletters from the website by first going to the Marine Corps homepage, then by clicking on the career link and following the pull down menu to click on Enlisted Career Counseling.
The next newsletter will be released in January 2002 and will highlight several important issues to include Staff NCO Promotions, Understanding Promotion Allocations and Promotion Zones, B-Billets and Special Duty Assignments, and changes that pertain to Enlisted Staff NCO Careers.
We recommend Marines be proactive and call the counselors for a review of their performance at least a year before they come in zone. There is relatively little that can be done after the board adjourns due to the time allowed before the next year's board. We also recommend that Career Marines call us before speaking with their Military Occupational Specialty monitor for assignments to discuss career choices that will be most beneficial.
All active duty Career Marines in the rank of sergeant and above can request Career Counseling by calling toll free (800) 833-2320 or DSN 278-9241. Appointments are usually given three to four working days after the initial request.