Do any past or present recruiters have any tips, tricks, or advice for an upcoming recruiter?

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:38:52 -0500

I am set in my recruiting orders and am ready to take this job head on. Are there any difficulties in the school? How is life as a recruiter? I would like to know as much as possible to become the most successful recruiter I can be.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 9 at 2015 6:41 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:41:37 -0500

You can say stuff like being a Tank Mechanic is easy as it is all computerized.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 6:41 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:41:47 -0500

Tricks?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 6:50 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:50:26 -0500

Well as a Drill Sergeant, I will beg you not to send me turds that will take all my time, just to get him to scrap by the minimum standard. There is basically no height and weight standard for trainees. Don't send me 200lbs of chewed bubblegum. Think can this kid be molded to become Soldier? I work with a great bunch of NCOs, but even I say his squad leader is going to ask him who his Drill Sergeant is. I will point at the minimum standard and shrug. Don't send me a guy and know that his Drill Sergeant is going to ask "who is your recruiter!". Other than that I have no experience.

Response by 1SG Jeffrey Bergeron made Dec 9 at 2015 6:56 PM

1SG Jeffrey Bergeron — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:56:38 -0500

Build a relationship with your high school. Conduct class proesentation for 9th , 10th and 11th grade becuase they will become your GRAD contracts when they graduate. Feed your educational professionals in your footprint it will happen build that relationship. Recruiting command should be able to pay for the food and give some type for presentations so school counselors know the benefits of joining the Army. Hope this helps.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 7:00 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:00:57 -0500

As both a recruiter for USAREC and Az National guard....best thing I can tell you is always use the leads you get. Don't be afraid to talk to EVERYBODY! Even if they can't join, they may have family who can. Be cordial. Your gunna get heckled. Use the school. Earn you way in if they give you a hard time. Some only let you sit in the career center for an hour. Be there. Build relationships with the counselors and staff that are veterans and veteran friendly. Wrote quite a few off referrals from them. Call your high school lists! Every recruiter complains about P1 but it does work. And last but not least....be the army. You are what they see. If you look like an ass bag...the army is full of ass bags. Use your "Paratrooper" mentality and tackle it as you would any mission! Good luck and hope you are successful!!

Response by SFC Michael Whipple made Dec 9 at 2015 7:11 PM

SFC Michael Whipple — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:11:34 -0500

Don't tell them stories they want to hear, tell them your Army Story. Follow 601-201 and get you a copy of the 40-501 as well. Both ARs, the 210 you will learn about in the school house. Listen to the recruiters at the station, look for the shady ones and stay away from them. No tricks, everything is done correctly, no shortcuts in recruiting. Get in them high schools!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 7:41 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:41:12 -0500

Keep your pants on.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 8:39 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 20:39:55 -0500

Just don't be that recruiter that everybody has a story about how they screwed over by.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 9:34 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 21:34:02 -0500

Never sacrifice your integrity for the sake of the mission.

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Dec 9 at 2015 9:49 PM

SSgt Dan Montague — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 21:49:34 -0500

I was a recruiter back in 99-02. There was service rivalry between us while fighting over a kid to enlist. Be honest and truthful with them. If you screw them over they will tell others. The last thing you need is to have a bad reputation as a representative of your service. That will make your life as a recruiter more difficult and give the other services ammo to use against you.
Most important of all.....DON'T DIP IN THE DEP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck

Response by GySgt Moses Lozano made Dec 9 at 2015 10:39 PM

GySgt Moses Lozano — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 22:39:43 -0500

It will be the hardest and best job you will ever have! Most importantly keep your family involved as much as you can because you will rarely see them. What I mean is make time to spend with your family regardless of how busy you get. Example: If you are scouting at the mall for recruits then you should also meet your spouse and kids while you are there.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 12:31 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 00:31:02 -0500

SGT Blevins,

I will give you the secret what everyone always asks when they first get there. It's all about PRODUCTION! You want to develop a great school program you have to produce. Why? Because the more kids you talk to from that school the more your base will grow. The more you engage with the school board, the HS's themselves and the parents the more productive you will be. So notice I said PRODUCTION is power. Be aware that if done right, your 1st year will be ridiculously busy. You'll work more than 8hrs a day. However, you can not get their without 1) Treating everyone with dignity and respect. 2) Don't look at people as a number or asset look at them for who and what they are. I believe if you do those 2 things as a minimum then you've effectively mastered what is considered the ART of Recruiting. Then all you need to learn is the Science, which is knowing your demographic market, what areas in Data normally produce most recruits, so on and so forth. I enjoyed my time and I fought it in the beginning. Continue with your open mind and we'll see you back in FORCOM when you're done. Unless you convert and then good luck to you.

P.S.
I was very successful because I applied those 2 main principle I discussed with you.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 5:49 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 17:49:53 -0500

I was an Infantryman that got DA selected back in 2010 for recruiting. I wanted to hit the job with everything I had and get it done. 2 months pass and I haven't recruited anyone. My motivation turned into disdain for the organization, that phase lasted a couple more months. Then I started to accept things and I built some good contacts out in the schools and they made my life better. Don't ignore people that don't make it in, but be honest with them. Some people just want a friend, even if they can't get in their friends might be able to. Be open, honest, and caring- don't ever lie, ever! I never lied to any of my recruits and they still talk to me to this day. You'll meet the absolute bottom of the barrel when it comes to NCOs in USAREC, don't let them slow you down- there's no training, no leadership, no mentorship, just the blame when your office doesn't make mission. If you don't have college already, start! You'll have the time to knock out classes, I recommend Post University. That's all for now. :)

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2015 2:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 14:05:08 -0500

Choose your applicants wisely. Don't send garbage downrange, and manage your time wisely. Speaking as a prior Drill Sergeant and a current Recruiter, you are in for a very demanding but gratifying job.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 12:49 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 12:49:54 -0500

I just couldn't do it. Good luck Airborne.

Response by PO1 Edward Spencer made Jan 7 at 2016 2:46 PM

PO1 Edward Spencer — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 14:46:53 -0500

Remember that your applicants need the service more than the service needs them. Never be afraid of rejection, don't chase them if it seems like they're really not interested or have any hesitations, and never, EVER lie to them about anything. For me, I remembered the folks I'd served alongside, and especially in my job field, I'd only really pursue if it was somebody I wouldn't feel ashamed working alongside.

Document EVERYTHING that you do, that happens, or that goes on in your office or outside of it while you're on recruiting duty. Know the recruiting manual inside and out, both for regulations concerning recruits and recruiters. In the Navy, the Career Recruiting Force community has a... reputation. I'm not sure if it's the same way in the Army, but listen to the folks who've been on duty longer than you, but make sure you qualify what they'll tell you. Figure out as quickly as you can who you can truly trust, and who you need to watch your back around. Don't give the backstabbers any ammunition on you. Take care of the folks under you. Once again, document EVERYTHING; the recruiter in charge of my office was court martialed about a year after I left the service because of things he'd done when I'd worked for him, and because I'd kept records of everything (I'd planned on frying him anyway after the last of the folks I'd worked with got back to the fleet), he was successfully charged and sent to prison, where he belonged. Hopefully you won't have that experience yourself.

In terms of your time, be jealous of your time off. Guard it and fight for it. Keep PT-ing, and fight for that, even if your bosses tell you that you don't have time for it. Don't get into the habit of living out of your Gov and grabbing fast food based on where you are. Make sure your family knows that recruiting duty can often be longer hours than when you're getting ready for a deployment.

Talk to everybody. Ask their stories, learn their backgrounds. Everybody knows somebody who would benefit from being in the service, even if they've never thought about it. Develop and maintain personal contacts. Develop and maintain a positive reputation in your community. Take care of your applicants and recruits. The majority of recruiting is "planting seeds"- just because somebody says no this month, doesn't mean they will three months from now.

Best of luck, and message me if you have any other questions!

Response by PO1 Cameron Rhyne made Jan 11 at 2016 12:45 PM

PO1 Cameron Rhyne — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:45:48 -0500

A couple things from a former Navy Recruiter.

1.Keep your integrity. Your career isn't worth lying to get another contract, no matter how much your boss might pressure you(and believe me, you will be pressured at times to find another contract ASAP). Not making mission/goal for the month is shitty. Getting punished for fraud is far more painful and could end your time in service early.

2.The new recruits are OFF LIMITS. This will be stressed a million times and they'll still be someone you work with(maybe not in your office but someone in recruiting) who decides that a 17 year old high schooler is just what they need. It's a one way ticket to being a civilian, possibly to prison. Just don't do it. It never ends well and believe me that everyone suffers for it. The entire community will be poisoned for recruiters for years afterwards.

3. Be honest. Kids have access to google on their phone. If they think for a moment you are BSing them, they can find the answer easily and if they feel you've lied to them, it'll be hard if not impossible to get them to speak to you again.

4. Build good relationships with everyone. Get to know your community and the recruiters around you. If you have other branches nearby, talk to them too. A lot of people will visit several branches around the same time and from talking to other service recruiters, I was able to find out a couple times when people were lying to me(claiming to commit to us and someone else at the same time). We even got to the point that we would give each other leads of people we knew we couldn't take but others could(and visa versa).

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2016 12:56 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:56:30 -0500

Make sure you buy Powerball tickets before Wednesday so you can escape.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2020 12:28 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 12:28:03 -0400

Yes! Recruiting is simple in the respect that you must ensure that your interactions are genuine and truthful not because you say they are but because you can show the individual how it aligns with the Army Values and it’s regulations. That approach made me a very successful recruiter when I was on number. It is the same the approach I utilize to this day as an ARCC when talking to Soldiers in the IRR.