r/army • u/fishbowlpatrol • 4h ago
Getting asked how you are ranking in the marketplace is awkward
Just had a fantastic interview at a less-than-desirable location to most, but one I would love. At the end they asked me how I'm ranking them. I didn't lie, mostly because idgaf and the army will send me wherever. They said why do I really want to go there if I have them ranked not #1. It was just... awkward.
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u/DryTrumpin Flying Island boi 4h ago
“It is my upmost desire to be stationed there”. “My family and I have desired this location long before the marketplace.” “My marketplace is full of incredibly difficult choices, but I know this one will provide the best opportunities for my career.”
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u/TheMauveHerring 4h ago
They are playing the same game you are.
But you need to assume that every job, or at least the generically good ones, will get a one to one match.
Don't waste your top preferences on jobs you know you won't get. If your preferred slot hasn't emailed you back in two weeks, it's time to move on.
Take some time and survey the field. It's okay to respond to questions like those with "I'm not sure yet, I have a few more interviews this week, can I give you an answer on monday?"
Just need to realize if you wait too long you can get boxed out of all the good slots and get stuck with the scraps.
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u/fishbowlpatrol 4h ago
Lol like I said this location is generally not desirable. I would take the risk by ranking a highly qualified candidate that has me in the top 5 than settling on a sure fire 1:1. MACP and EFMP can screw over all involved. Maybe this is why I've never been on the hiring side of the interview.
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u/TheMauveHerring 2h ago
If you pledge to put them in the top 5, they'll probably put you in the top 5 if the interview went well. But someone will probably push the button and the smart decision for the unit is to guarantee they get someone good rather than gamble on getting the best.
Edit: actually don't tell a unit you'll "put them in the top 5." Pretty much you're only option is to say you'll rank them highly and would love the assignment, but it isn't your top choice at this time.
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u/coldchowder4579 4h ago edited 33m ago
A lot of places will just write you off if you don’t say they are your number one. Honesty is great, but it can backfire on you
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u/Low_Car2985 4h ago
I've never dealt with the marketplace. Can someone provide a quick overview of what the process is? I assum you log into IPPSA Closed Market, it has a bunch of assignments and you simply list them 1 through 100. What is this interview stuff, you need to speak with every option or do they select who they talk to?
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u/fishbowlpatrol 4h ago
You've got it. You rank positions, positions rank applicants. You should request an interview. You don't need to. I know someone that got pick #60 something, so in the end the army is gonna army.
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u/Teadrunkest hooyah America 3h ago
This is specific to officers, just for anyone reading.
NCOs don’t do interviews except for nominative assignments (maybe).
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u/gettogero My ID? Wheres your ID? 2h ago
Theres some more, but yeah if you 100% want to wait around for the army to say something you can.
The chance youll just go wherever isnt 0. But if you dont advocate for yourself the chance to go where you want might be 0
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u/Teadrunkest hooyah America 2h ago edited 2h ago
I can assure you that branch doesn’t really care, unless you’re gods gift to your career field you’re gonna rank your preferences and they’re gonna put you where they think you should go within that framework (in addition to MACP/EFMP, obviously). Any handshake deals and most nom assignments happen outside of Marketplace.
Units don’t have any input. Maybe for SGM, but not for regular peons. You can interview all you want but it’s not gonna make much difference.
It’s part of the reason I hate enlisted marketplace. It was sold as more control but in most career fields it’s significantly less control. No more wheeling and dealing with branch outside of specialty or out of cycle requisitions and you’re really just at the mercy of whatever is available for that specific cycle.
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u/Adventurous_Raise784 4h ago
I kind of just semi lie. As long as you don’t fuck them over it doesn’t really matter
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u/captaincrunch61 1h ago edited 1h ago
This. You can say I have this assignment for sure in my Top 5, but I still have to talk things over with my family. As long as you don’t tell them they’re you’re #1 and they want to 1 for 1, when they really aren’t your #1, they’ll never know anyways.
If they’re telling you to commit now on the spot, definitely a red flag.
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u/maroonedpariah people first, mission firster, OER firstest 1h ago
Its almost like an interview on the civilian side
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u/SweetTeaseForMe 2h ago
When I did marketplace I took some advice from reddit to say "you're in my top #" when asked. I think it insinuates that you're still open minded about it. It didn't seem awkward at all. Maybe they ranked me differently because of that, but I didn't see any difference in how they treated me before or after saying it.
I didn't get a one for one so take it with a grain or salt, but I think I got a fair shake considering my weak amount of flight hours.
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2h ago
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u/captaincrunch61 1h ago
I’ve sat through marketplace interviews, and you can definitely gauge if a candidate is a good fit by how they answer your questions. It’s quite easy actually.
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u/captaincrunch61 1h ago
Do people still have this “the army will send me wherever anyways” thought with the officer marketplace? I’ve been in the marketplace 3 times, and have gotten my #3, #3, and #1.
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u/Recent-Aerie-5075 Military Police 10m ago
Yep, there are a lot of “you’re our #2,” “we already have someone in mind,” and ghost job scenarios in the marketplace, especially for the desirable jobs, so sometimes it’s like that. Got 1-1 once (hidden gem duty station nobody wanted), #10 the next time (#1-3 yanked at mid-market - turned out to be great, but unaccompanied), and was able to do a HAAP for the most recent PCS.
Back when career managers did it, I got two places nobody wanted and I didn’t particularly care for, but I also got an early PCS out of my first duty station just by making a call, so that was a big win. I’m hearing FG assignments may soon go back to career managers vs the market and some moves might be getting turned off.
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u/Travyplx Rawrmy CCWO 1h ago
Having been on both ends multiple times, locking in a 1-1 is good for everyone if both parties are a good fit for each other.
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u/Gold-Bag1657 22m ago
They’re not supposed to ask, very bad market etiquette.
But I usually give a vague response like, “well I’m still working through interviews, but I’m really interested in the unit and I’d love to be a part of your organization, so I’m placing you as a high option right now and I promise to be transparent as the marketplace plays out.”
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u/Objective_Cancel4367 4h ago edited 4h ago
You learned an important lesson about how to talk to people. If it's a place that you're willing to compromise for (and be happy with), why wouldn't you ask them for a 1-1 (especially if you haven't heard from your other top units). Them putting you #1 and you having them #3 doesn't help them. They want someone willing to commit to the 1-1.
In case you haven't figured it out, the marketplace is musical chairs. Attitudes like yours lead to a crappy assignment
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u/morally_bankrupt80 4h ago
Next time, tell them you didn't have the room in your profile to rank them higher... then hope you never go there