New in 2017: Army rolls out new program that allows you to pick your next job

It's always the same. You're up for new orders, so your assignment officer does some digging and calls you up with a few options. But what if you could search for open billets yourself and tell him where you'd like to go? Soon, you'll be able to.

In December, the Army talent management task force launched the Assignment Interactive Module pilot, the first iteration of an assignment system that looks at a broader range of a soldier's experience and expertise to line them up with the right jobs.

"We want to know what they've done outside the Army," Maj. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, head of the task force, told Army Times in November. "We want to know what they're passionate about, what their hobbies are."

For now, nuclear and cyber officers, Army dietitians and students at the Command and General Staff College are the test groups.

"We want those different populations to make sure the system works for different parts of the Army," Shoffner said.
They were asked to complete their electronic resumes in December, in anticipation of a permanent change-of-station move in the summer of 2017. In addition to their professional history and special skills, they can add assignment preferences.

In January, assignment officers will be able to look at the available pool to start comparing candidates, and in the spring, units will begin filling out profiles for the jobs they're looking to fill.

The pilot will continue through 2017, followed by the roll-out of the Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army, first in with the Pennsylvania National Guard, in 2018.