Best ways to get promoted faster?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 May 2014 17:41:30 -0400

Response by SPC Christopher Smith made May 24 at 2014 5:50 PM

SPC Christopher Smith — Sat, 24 May 2014 17:50:59 -0400

Complete SSD1 as soon as possible, volunteer for as many boards as possible, study your basic soldier skills and unit history, volunteer for the details that no one wants to do. Learn not only your job but that of your team leader and squad leader. During down time do correspondence courses, max your pt test, max your range score. Ask for schools (cbrn defense, fork lift, bus driver, etc). After your first year use TA for civilian ed and complete your degree as soon as possible. Do well at WLC when you go as a SPC.

Just remember, getting promoted is great, but don't spend your whole military career chasing rank. That does not help you develop into a good leader.

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made May 25 at 2014 3:52 AM

SSG Ed Mikus — Sun, 25 May 2014 03:52:33 -0400

be better than your peers, seek mentor-ship from leaders you wish to emulate, and have everything complete that makes you eligible for the next grade (SSD's, schools, enough promotion points ext)

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2014 7:57 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 May 2014 07:57:23 -0400

Here are some questions for you to ponder.
Why do I want to get promoted faster?
Have I EARNED the promotion or will it just be given to me?
Do I feel that I am ready for the increased responsibility at that level?
Do I just want more pay and the ability to tell others what to do?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself because far too often people are promoted based on some of the things others have suggested such as SSD courses, correspondence courses, etc...
Once you are promoted you are expected to have a certain level of knowledge that younger soldiers will seek and leaders will depend on, do you feel you have that? As the wars and deployments come to an end the wartime promotion rates will drop significantly and many of those promoted too quickly merely based on wartime vacancies will be filling our ranks. Many have the tactical knowledge but lack the technical knowledge needed to lead and mentor soldiers.
Pick up a copy of an NCOER and read the back and rate yourself in those areas, then go back and answer those questions again.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 25 at 2014 11:00 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 May 2014 11:00:33 -0400

PFC Holland, wanting to get promoted is a great goal, and I commend you for that goal. Make sure that you are wanting a promotion for the right reasons. Don't try to rush it, there are numerous people who have rushed their promotions and became stuck at a certain rank and because of that ended up retiring after being the same rank for 5-10 years. My suggestion to you is that you learn everything that you can, and do everything that is right, then when it is your time it will come. From the comments that I have read, you are already on the right track, keep it up.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2014 12:07 AM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 May 2014 00:07:56 -0400

PFC Holland, here is the key lesson that I learned from the greatest NCO's and Officers that have mentored me thus far: Don't worry about the promotions.

Focus your energy on learning your job and mastering your craft because your team will depend on you to do your job and that you do your job well. When you excel, immediately train those to your left and right so that the peers in your section are able to perform on your level. Do it with the understanding that their successes will directly impact the success of your section and platoon as a whole. Your goal should be about assisting in making your section an asset, not a liability.

Contribute ideas, not complaints and always be willing to learn from your mistakes; during your career you ARE going to fail more than once, what will matter is how you bounce back from those failures. Do you shrink and give up or will you improvise, adapt and overcome? Don't ever let discipline be an issue in or out of uniform. There will always be opportunities to learn regardless of rank, so always keep an open mind and never stop striving for knowledge. Finally, always listen to your NCO's- they want you to succeed, especially since you will be in their shoes one day.

Do the right things for the right reasons and the promotions will come by themselves.

Best of luck.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2014 1:57 AM

GySgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 May 2014 01:57:30 -0400

For Marines...
Run your heart out until you can run 3 miles in less than 18 minutes
Do 20 pull ups
Max out your sit ups
Shoot like a sniper
Do your required PME plus 7 MCI
Look good and take charge
Demonstrate the leadership principles and traits
Volunteer for everything

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2021 6:23 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 06:23:47 -0400

There are so many things that go into getting promoted in the military. There are straight cut regulatory guidance on timelines and processes but then there are also many parts left to timing and opportunity as it becomes available to you that greatly affect your promotions the further you go. If you don’t have as much choice in the positions that you want to serve in then you may be at a loss compared to your peers who were able to select their desired positions based on their opportunity. Four big topics to discus are education, schools and courses, records (SRB), and the board you can read more on the Soldier’s Spot. There is guidance for all NCO ranks there. https://www.soldiersspot.com/post/part-1-education-how-to-get-promoted-to-sfc-in-the-army

Part 1 Education How to get promoted to SFC in the Army

If you don't have an Associates degree as a Sergeant First Class, you are below 51.7% of your peer group. If you don't have a Bachelors, you

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2021 6:25 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 06:25:04 -0400

There are so many things that go into getting promoted in the military. There are straight cut regulatory guidance on timelines and processes but then there are also many parts left to timing and opportunity as it becomes available to you that greatly affect your promotions the further you go. If you don’t have as much choice in the positions that you want to serve in then you may be at a loss compared to your peers who were able to select their desired positions based on their opportunity. Four big topics to discus are education, schools and courses, records (SRB), and the board. Here is a pretty good series you can read on the Soldier’s Spot. There is guidance for all NCO ranks there. https://www.soldiersspot.com/post/part-1-education-how-to-get-promoted-to-sfc-in-the-army

Part 1 Education How to get promoted to SFC in the Army

If you don't have an Associates degree as a Sergeant First Class, you are below 51.7% of your peer group. If you don't have a Bachelors, you