Hiring Goes Virtual at NETCOM

By Amanda Pearson, NETCOM Command Business OfficeOctober 27, 2020

Virtual Hiring Event
The U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command NETCOM, hosted a Virtual Hiring Event for field grade officers on October 16, 2020 for the Command and General Staff College, located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The event allowed for more than 50 candidates to listen and engage with NETCOM commanders from across the command, as they gave briefs on capabilities and resources available for their respective organizations. (Photo Credit: (Graphic Representation) by Amanda Pearson, NETCOM Multi-Media Officer) VIEW ORIGINAL

The U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command hosted a Virtual Hiring Event for field grade officers, facilitated by Lt. Col. Claudia Daniel NETCOM G-1, October 16, allowing more than 50 candidates to listen and engage with NETCOM commanders from across the command, as they give briefs on capabilities and resources available for their respective commands.

This event is held every year and is usually conducted at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This is a recruiting effort to identify officers interested in being assigned to units throughout NETCOM. This year, because of the pandemic, the event was held virtually for the ILE students for the upcoming Assignment Cycle.

Each command presented their unique mission and focus to the potential candidates. The motivation and pride in each command was evident as the commanders explained their command’s capabilities. They also briefed on other aspects, such as family opportunities and career opportunities within the commands. It was evident briefers were diligent in understanding what candidates might be concerned with.

The commanders, from all over the world, Korea, Kuwait, Germany, and Hawaii, gave insights to entice potential candidates with updates on money spent upgrading equipment, technology, and IT infrastructures. Each was focused on getting the right match. “Bringing the right people to the right jobs,” said Col. Tia Benning, 106th Signal Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas.

Once the presentations were complete, candidate questions came rolling in. Several asked questions focused on what the commanders are looking for in a candidate or any hard skills that are required to be successful in their organization. And the candidates were not disappointed as the command representatives went into detail as they said they were looking for candidates who lean forward into problems and bring the team together to work on those problems. As well as candidates who possess the ability to coordinate outside the immediate chain of command when troubleshooting network issues, as sometimes issues do not ‘rest’ at the Tier I or Tier II level and being able to take the initiative to reach out and seek those answers.

The one answer that seemed to have the many representatives in complete agreeance “… to come to work fired up every day, passionate about the job, and wanting to solve problems,” one of the battalion representatives said.  Commanders were also in agreement that their responsibility is building leaders of the future. And they do that by bringing in unique experiences and refining that experience so they project forward into the Battalion Command or G-6 Level.

“The virtual event was challenging to put together since most coordination had to occur within a large geographically dispersed area,” said Lt. Col. Daniels. “However, the event allowed the commanders to participate personally, and not rely on funding or time to travel.”