In most cases, I always found myself within an hour or so from a major airport, and there were more things to do in the area than I anticipated. In my humble opinion location is important but not as important as the job. I have always tried venturing somewhere in the middle like Forts Benning, Bragg, and Gordon. In fact, HRC has statistics on the most and least requested assignments. Yes, everyone (including most spouses) wants Hawaii, Italy, and Germany. they will appreciate your effort and it will make their job easier when it’s time to rack and stack candidates for their open positions. Seek multiple perspectives to find the right job for you and your family and reach out to those leaders who are responsible for selecting applicants for an interview.

Lastly, you should seek advice from your mentors, the incumbents, and anyone else willing to share their experiences in the positions that peak your interest But don’t just rely on one person’s perspective. They align your interests with your goals (perceived and realistic) and provide you with the best options for career progression. I didn’t appreciate my career advisors’ level of knowledge when I was a junior officer, but I’ve learned the value of these trusted agents over the years and rely on them now more than ever. Then, you should seek advice from your HRC career advisor. This publication outlines Soldiers’ career maps by MOS and offers an understanding of what types of assignments you should select (key developmental (KD), broadening, joint). Before selecting an assignment, you should first open DA PAM 600-3. The first consideration is the job selection. In my personal experience, you have three main considerations in choosing assignments. Also, Soldiers must be willing to seek tough assignments in less than ideal locations in preparation for future leadership responsibilities, as they did under the legacy system. In an effort to improve AIM 2.0 efficacy, leaders must educate officers and NCOs on the criteria for effective assignment selection which includes career goals, location, and family consideration. However, in my experience, AIM 2.0 is an effective tool to align skills, behaviors, and interest to the needs of the Army. These Soldiers feel inadequately prepared to navigate the market, relying heavily on career counselors and mentors to assist them in balancing job assignments that facilitate upward mobility while optimizing location considerations for their families. Despite this autonomy, some Soldiers have expressed skepticism for this process. This web-based system was designed to match Soldiers’ skills, knowledge, and behaviors to pin-point Army assignments that complement their previous experience and personal interests. In recent years, the Army transitioned to a new talent management model called the Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP) hosted on a web-based system known as Assignment Interactive Module (AIM2).

Each day, we will publish new insights into the Army’s various broadening assignments, starting March 15th, 2021 with an overview of AIM 2.0 and a discussion on how to educate others on assignment selection criteria. Editor’s Note: This post is part of the FTGN Army Broadening Series that we are running from March 15-30, 2021.

Army aim 2 portal