Identification and Accessioning of Individuals for Officer Candidate School: Developing Realistic Job Previews

The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences has been conducting research on the ?Identification and Accessioning of Individuals for Officer Candidate School,? or AccessOCS, to (a) identify and describe OCS applicants in terms of motivations, backgrounds, and incentives; (b) consolidate information on the OCS selection and application process, and (c) develop recommendations for improving the OCS accessions process. Phase I of the project aimed to identify application and accessioning issues related to the OCS selection process (Oliver, Ardison, Russell, & Babin, 2010). The purpose of AccessOCS Phase II was to develop and evaluate a tool, a realistic job preview (RJP), designed to address some of the issues candidates and stakeholders reported in the accessioning process. Separate RJPs were developed for in-service and enlistment-option candidates. OCS candidates (n = 142) completed a survey to evaluate the RJPs. The final RJPs provide a tool for recruiting OCS candidates. Evaluations of the RJPs were generally positive, with 89% of candidates indicating that the RJP would have been useful to them before they applied to OCS, and 86% of candidates saying they would refer someone else to the RJP.