R 051619Z JAN 98 ZYB
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC//MM//
TO ALMAR
BT
UNCLAS //N01040//
ALMAR 016/98
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC MMEA-6//
SUBJ/ENLISTED CAREER COUNSELING PROCEDURES//
REF/A/DOC/CMC/11APR97//
AMPN/REF A IS ALMAR 123/97.//
POC/LTCOL T B FERRIS AND MGYSGT D J POWELL/MMEA-6/TEL: DSN 224-3718//
RMKS/1.  ALMAR 123/97, RELEASED IN APRIL, DETAILED PROCEDURES FOR
PERFORMANCE COUNSELING BY THE ENLISTED CAREER COUNSELORS.
MISCONCEPTIONS CONTINUE, HOWEVER, CONCERNING WHAT THE COUNSELORS CAN
PROVIDE TO MARINES WHO HAVE FAILED SELECTION FOR PROMOTION.  THIS
ALMAR PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE CAPABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE
ENLISTED CAREER COUNSELORS AND THE SERVICE THEY PROVIDE TO THE
SERGEANTS AND STAFF NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF OUR CORPS.
2.  THE MISSION OF THE ENLISTED CAREER COUNSELING AND EVALUATION UNIT
IS TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR CORPS BY ASSISTING ENLISTED CAREER
MARINES IN IMPROVING THEIR PERFORMANCE FOR RETENTION AND THEIR
COMPETITIVENESS FOR PROMOTION THROUGH PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND
CAREER COUNSELING.
3.  A COMMON MISCONCEPTION ABOUT THE CAREER COUNSELING SERVICE IS
THAT THE COUNSELORS WILL PROVIDE REASONS FOR NONSELECTION TO MARINES
WHO HAVE BEEN PASSED OVER FOR PROMOTION.  THIS IS NOT THE CASE.  DUE
TO THE INVIOLATE CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OF THE PROMOTION PROCESS, SUCH
INFORMATION IS NOT RECORDED OR REPORTED IN ANY MANNER AND IS NOT
AVAILABLE TO ANYONE OUTSIDE THE PROMOTION BOARD.  COUNSELORS CANNOT
AND WILL NOT SPECULATE ON POSSIBLE REASONS FOR NONSELECTION.  TO
DATE, CY97 STATISTICS SHOW THAT 82 PERCENT OF THE INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED HAVE BEEN FOR MARINES WHO FAILED SELECTION.  ANALYSIS OF
THE COUNSELING SESSIONS THAT COMPRISE THAT 82 PERCENT IDENTIFIES THE
FOLLOWING TRENDS:
   A.  MANY LACK UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE AND PURPOSE OF A
CAREER COUNSELING SESSION.
   B.  IN MANY CASES, CAREER COUNSELING IS NOT BEING UTILIZED IN THE
MANNER INTENDED FOR MAXIMUM, POSITIVE IMPACT.
   C.  MANY MARINES ARE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES
AVAILABLE WHICH MIGHT HELP IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES FOR PROMOTION.
   D.  MARINES WHO HAVE FAILED SELECTION FULLY EXPECT THE COUNSELOR
OR SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN, IN SPECIFIC TERMS, WHY.
4.  THE PERFORMANCE COUNSELING PROCESS IS CONTINUOUS AND PRIMARILY
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMMANDER.  THE ENLISTED CAREER COUNSELORS
ARE A RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO REINFORCE COMMANDERS IN TAKING CARE OF
THEIR MARINES.  IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PROCESS EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE ALL AVAILABLE COUNSELING RESOURCES IN THE
MANNER INTENDED.  IN THIS REGARD, COMMANDERS SHOULD ENCOURAGE THEIR
MARINES TO CONTACT THE CAREER COUNSELORS AT LEAST TWO YEARS BEFORE
THEY COME INTO ZONE FOR PROMOTION.  ALMAR 123/97 PROVIDES PHONE
NUMBERS, E-MAIL ADDRESS AND A SIMPLE FORMULA TO HELP MAKE THE IN ZONE
FORECAST.  THE MMEA HOMEPAGE (WWW.HQMC.USMC.MIL\MMEA1.NSF) CONTAINS
CONTACT INFORMATION AS WELL.  COUNSELING AT IN ZONE MINUS 2 YEARS
AVAILS THE MARINE OF THE FULL COUNSELING BENEFITS:
   A.  A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLETE RECORD.
   B.  INSIGHT INTO STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
   C.  OPPORTUNITY TO ACT IN A TIMELY MANNER ON ANY RECOMMENDATIONS
THE COUNSELOR MAY PROVIDE.
5.  THE OFFICIAL MILITARY PERSONNEL FILE (OMPF) AND THE MASTER BRIEF
SHEET (MBS) ARE THE PRINCIPAL TOOLS USED BY A PROMOTION SELECTION
BOARD TO SELECT MARINES FOR THE NEXT HIGHER GRADE.  EACH MARINE HAS
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OF HIS OR HER RECORD.
CONTRARY TO PREVALENT MISCONCEPTION, MISSING INFORMATION IS NOT
NECESSARILY GROUNDS FOR REQUESTING CONSIDERATION BY A REMEDIAL
PROMOTION BOARD.  THEREFORE, IT REMAINS IMPERATIVE THAT THE MARINE'S
RECORD IS COMPLETE BEFORE THE BOARD CONVENES.  A CAREER COUNSELOR CAN
CONTRIBUTE THE FOLLOWING TOWARD A FAIR AND ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF THE
MARINE'S QUALIFICATIONS:
   A.  AN ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF THE OMPF AND MBS TO ENSURE
COMPLETENESS AND ACCURACY.
   B.  A SOURCE OF INFORMATION TO DISPEL MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM, THE PROMOTION PROCESS AND
RELATED VITAL ISSUES, SUCH AS PME.
6.  IN ADDITION TO TELEPHONIC INTERVIEWS, CAREER COUNSELORS ARE
AVAILABLE:
   A.  FOR WALK-IN SESSIONS AT HQMC.
   B.  AT MAJOR COMMANDS DURING THE ANNUAL MMEA COMMAND VISIT.
   C.  TO VISIT COMMANDS (AT UNIT REQUEST AND FUNDING).
   D.  AT EVERY CONUS SNCO AND SERGEANT PME CLASS.
7.  THROUGH THE ABOVE OPPORTUNITIES, REINFORCED BY THE MMEA COMMAND
BRIEF PROVIDED IN OUR ANNUAL VISITS, A MAJOR EFFORT HAS BEEN
UNDERWAY, FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS, TO DEBUNK THE MYTH THAT HQMC CAREER
COUNSELORS CAN GIVE A REASON FOR NONSELECTION.  THE MOST COUNSELORS
CAN DO AFTER THE FACT IS TO CONDUCT THE SAME REVIEW THAT COUNSELORS
DO FOR THOSE WHO REQUEST IN ADVANCE --- PREFERABLY TWO YEARS PRIOR TO
BEING "IN ZONE."  FOR COUNSELING TO BE EFFECTIVE, TIMING IS EVERY-
THING.  MARINES WHO ARE CONSIDERED BUT NOT SELECTED FOR PROMOTION
FACE THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT REALITY THAT A BOARD OF CAREFULLY
CHOSEN, HIGHLY EXPERIENCED MARINE LEADERS, ENLISTED AND OFFICER, HAVE
MADE THE OFTEN EQUALLY WRENCHING ASSESSMENT THAT THE PERFORMANCE
RECORDS OF THOSE NOT SELECTED WERE NOT AS COMPETITIVE AS THOSE WHO
WERE.  TOTAL SECRECY PROTECTS THE INTEGRITY OF OUR BOARD DECISIONS.
THE PROCESS INCIDENTALLY DENIES ANYONE OUTSIDE THE PROCEEDING A
REASON FOR NONSELECTION; THAT IS, A REASON WITH GREATER SPECIFICITY
THAN BEING A MATTER OF THE KEEN COMPETITION THAT KEEPS OUR CORPS
LEADERSHIP VITAL.
8.  COMMANDERS AND SERGEANTS MAJOR ARE THE KEY TO CORRECTING THE
MISCONCEPTIONS SURROUNDING POST-SELECTION BOARD COUNSELING.  THE
CAREER COUNSELING UNIT WILL CONTINUE TO FUNCTION AS A RESOURCE FOR
ALL CAREER ENLISTED MARINES REGARDLESS OF THEIR PROMOTION STATUS.
MARINES USING THIS POTENTIALLY VITAL RESOURCE SHOULD UNDERSTAND WHEN
AND HOW TO GET THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM A COUNSELING SESSION.
FURTHER, MARINES WHO SEEK COUNSELING AFTER NOT BEING SELECTED FOR
PROMOTION MUST BE AWARE THAT SUCH COUNSELING WILL NOT ADDRESS THE
REASON FOR NONSELECTION, BUT WILL PROVIDE A FULL REVIEW OF THE RECORD
TOWARD INCREASING THE MARINE'S APPRECIATION FOR STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES AS THE COUNSELOR SEES, BASED ON THE COUNSELOR'S
EXPERIENCE IN REVIEWING MANY RECORDS.  IN ADDITION, COUNSELORS CAN
ACCESS STATISTICAL INFORMATION WHICH MAY GIVE THE MARINE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CLOSELY COMPETITIVE THE PROMOTION SELECTIONS
WERE.
9.  COMMANDERS ARE ASKED TO ENSURE ALL ENLISTED CAREER MARINES AND
SUBORDINATE COMMANDERS READ AND UNDERSTAND THE CONTENTS OF THIS
ALMAR.//
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