10 Professional Development Writing to a Selection …

1 Writing to a Selection BoardThe FY06 Selection board season isgetting underway, and as always, itprompts a flurry of last-minutecorrespondence. Here is guidance on howto write effective letters to a may ask, does Writing a letter to aboard improve one s chances for promotion?Possibly, but only if it provides importantmissing information. In most cases, thebest letter to a board is no letter at who review and correct theiroff icial records in advance do not needletters. Nonetheless, there are times whena letter is correspondence to only thoseitems that are relevant to the promotiondecision, such as missing fitness reports(FITREPs), awards, photographs, NavalReserve Qualification Questionnaires(NRQQs), etc. Third-party correspondence( , a letter of recommendation) ispermitted, but only if the officer submits itas an enclosure and requests it be reviewed(third parties may not communicate directlywith boards, by law.)

2 Do not includecopies of AT orders, travel claims, lettersof designation as assistant wardroom messtreasurer, etc. Briefers are required to viewevery page in a letter to a board. To myknowledge, the record is 121 pages. Thatofficer probably didn t fare very well inthe there are unusual circumstances inone s career, or if the OSR/PSR doesn tlook right, or there are gaps in service,write a letter of explanation. Keep it brief,and to the point. For example, I was inthe IRR from 1999 to 2001 while providingfull-time care to my aged parents, is areasonable explanation of a gap in service. I did not request a command assignmentas a CDR because I supervise 500 peoplein my civilian job, and could not devotethe necessary time (might help, mightnot.)

3 My performance decreased in 2002because we had quintuplets. Don t blameanything on the dog, however. Anexperienced mentor can help identifywhat can be explained in a letter, and whatis simply a matter of a cover letter in proper Navyformat (some board members are sticklersfor this) with appropriate every page contains the correctsocial security number preferably inthe upper margin. Do not staplec o r respondence or put sheets in fancyplastic folders recorders have to scaneach page, and this just slows them the cover letter, include birth date inyyyymmdd format the customer servicecenter (CSC) uses this to activate thepersonal page on the Stay Navy Web that any correspondence sentto a board does not update the officialrecord.

4 After the board adjourns, allcorrespondence is destroyed. Therefore, donot send original documents. Moreover,send copies of board correspondence tothe appropriate address to ensure updatesare made to the official must arrive by theboard convening date. See Get Thee to aSelection Board (November 2004) forFY06 reserve board dates, or find them at< > by clicking on Selection Board, then Reserve OfficerPromotions. For those who like to mailtax returns at 23:59 on 15 April, note thatlast-minute correspondence may not reacha board in time. Additional securitymeasures at BUPERS result in mailroomdelays of up to two days. Sending lettersby certified or registered mail may incuradditional delays. Even FedEx packageshave to route through the mailroom.

5 Thus,if mailing at least ten days before theboard, the most cost-effective means isfirst class mail. Although not welladvertised, BUPERS will accept last-minute faxes for board fax number is that the line may be quite busyin the last few hours before a correspondence to:President, FY-06 Reserve (Grade)(Competitive Category) Promotion Selection BoardBoard #xxxNavy Personnel Command (NPC) Customer Service Center PERS-00R5720 Integrity DriveMillington TN 38055-3130 Because there are nearly 90 boards eachyear, it s extremely important to includethe correct board number on the envelopeand the cover letter. Board numbers arelisted on the Web page mentioned receipt of letters by contacting theCustomer Service Center at 866-827-5672(DSN 882-5672) or letters to boards can make adifference.

6 Be brief; write to the point. Avoid redundant orsuperfluous information. Mail daily. Ensure your record can bepresented in the best possible light. Anddon t forget to invite me to your wettingdown party. Good luck!Next month:How to update and requestcopies of your official record. 10 NRA NEWS/JANUARY 2005 Professional Development CAPT G. Mark Hardy III, USNRN ational VP for Professional DevelopmentDo We Have Your Current E-Mail Address?We take pride in our ability to provide our members with up-to-date legislative, promotional, and retirementinformation affecting you. With our mass e-mail broadcast, we can immediately keep you informed. In order toreceive these updates, please send us your e-mail address to