I am considering becoming a recruiter, what have your experiences been?

2013-12-31T00:00:06-05:00

I have recently been looking into special assignments and recruiter caught my eye. However, everyone that I ask says the experience was horrible. What are your thoughts/opinions on being a recruiter?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2013 12:03 AM

2013-12-31T00:03:59-05:00

Listen it's what you make of it. If you can talk to anyone about anything and can take rejection then you will do fine. My advice I give all my troops. Make your own expirences. Cause listen to someone else expirences isn't yours. Negative people always going to hv negative thought they could b in heaven and still tell you don't come cause of there negative expirences.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2013 12:05 AM

2013-12-31T00:05:30-05:00

My dad was an Air Force Recruiter and got called a baby killer by one boy and I kicked his butt for saying that.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2013 8:51 AM

2013-12-31T08:51:31-05:00

So those three years where are you going to be if you don't do it... Still in the army right??? So what are we talking about. In this day and age of the army you must be willing to take the hard jobs and set yourself apart from your peers. Where back to garrison army people can't hide behind deployments and everyone think there squared away just cause they deployed. Everyone has done that and let me tell you I was in in the early 90's and all you could do is soldier. The caliber of leaders that only know post 9/11 army I see a lot of them that don't hv people, personal or leadership skills beyond tactical and now they can't lead or maintain back in garrison. If your scared of hard jobs that may suck for a while then maybe being a leader isn't your forte. You can't motivate anyone under you if u only want the easy job that you love and want to stay put forever cause your content and there's no growth. Adversity hard jobs build leaders not comfy Cush environment. BE GREAT!!! And that doesn't happen being apart of the crowd BEING GREAT Happens by taking that leap of faith and pushing your self. Have a good one and hope this helps with whatever choice you make. 

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2013 10:28 AM

2013-12-31T10:28:46-05:00

There have been several cycles of recruiters over the past 20 years ranging from "car salesmen" of the 1980's to the leaders of today's recruiting force. First, let me quantify my position within recruiting command. I have 12 years of recruiting experience which began during the "toxic" era. As a new recruiter, I endured some of the crazy horror stories that you may have heard about. Those times have past, fortunately, but the mission and hard work remain. But I chose to stay in the recruiting command because a) I contributed to filling the ranks with quality Soldiers, b) I was proficient at the skills required for recruiting, and c) I have helped thousands of people and shaped many lives during my time, while improving the recruiting environment with thorough effective leadership. I believe I have made a difference. Yes, I have faced the negative stigma of being a recruiter from many unknowing Soldiers, civilians and family members who only believed the recurring rumors of how bad recruiting is and how terrible a recruiter must be to do this type of work. And I faced each instance with proven facts of how the Army really is, the truth of what actually happens in our profession as Soldiers, and left each conversation with mutual respect for Soldiers and Recruiters. Today, there is no tougher assignment that sets one apart from their peers than that of being a Recruiter. This is not to take away from any other MOS but a true statement of fact. Being a Recruiter means being a self starter, without living on a military installation with its patterns and support structure (px, commissary, ranges, etc), facing people who know virtually nothing of what we do (aside from playing Call of Duty) and representing the entire military to the unwelcoming public. I say entire military because most people will confuse you with every other branch, even though we clearly dress differently and our branch is written on our uniforms.  Recruiting takes effort and determination, planning and execution, and daily focus to be successful. Anyone who had a horrible experience clearly has had a personal experience that may or may not ever happen to you. But I challenge you to question yourself. Do you like making your own work plan? Can you operate as an NCO with little or no supervision and achieve results? Can you take responsibility for your own actions while achieving the mission assigned to you? Can you live the Army Values in a civilian environment and uphold all that our uniform means? If you answered "YES" to these questions, then you will excel in recruiting and three years will literally fly by. After your recruiting tour, you will have clearly placed yourself for success ahead your peers.  In my opinion, I have found recruiting completely worth the effort and would take the opportunity again if given the chance to do it over. Good Luck on your decision, GO ARMY!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2014 11:22 AM

2014-01-01T11:22:59-05:00

I've been in recruiting for almost 8yrs now and I can tell you that it's perhaps the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs the Army has to offer. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Just like SFC Bethea said, you have to expect the rejection, and understand that you aren't dealing with soldiers. You have to develop (if you already don't have it) a thick skin, and introverts have a really hard time on recruiting duty (for the most part). If you choose to become a recruiter, just know that it truly IS what YOU make it. If you give it your all, you will be successful. If you come out and immediately become disgruntled, it'll be a long three years for you I assure you. Don't listen to the barracks lawyers, make your own legacy! Hope this helps you.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 2 at 2014 12:59 AM

2014-01-02T00:59:38-05:00

I think SFC Foster summed up being a Recruiter perfectly and SFC Bethea has a few good points especially about taking a hard assignment. No question about any assignment out of your MOS, it will be a challenge! Challenges are often great learning tools. Think of the experience you can gain from an assignment like this but more importantly how that assignment will mold you into a well rounded NCO. Everyone has an opinion good or bad that will assist you in making this tough decision, just remember they are opinions, nothing more. I would have gladly served as a Recruiter because it's a very important aspect of all our services and at the end of the day we need quality people to make quality service members, and we achieve this through quality NCOs like yourself volunteering. Good Luck.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Apr 6 at 2014 11:35 PM

2014-04-06T23:35:14-04:00

Answer yourself the question, why do you want to become a recruiter?

Make an appointment with the recruiting station in Hopkinsville, here's the address and phone number:

4152 Fort Campbell Blvd, Hopkinsville, KY 42240

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Before you go to talk with them, look at the website as well, you need to ensure you meet all the qualifications. Here's the website: http://www.rrs.army.mil/

Recruiting and Retention School, SSI, Fort Jackson SC

Soldier Support Institute (SSI), located on the corner of Hampton Parkway and Lee Road, is the United States Army’s organization that trains and educates human resources management, financial manageme...

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Apr 6 at 2014 11:44 PM

2014-04-06T23:44:39-04:00

I can never thank the Machinist Mate First Class that recruited me into a field that I dearly loved and did for 21 years. That being said, I'm sure it is a nightmare of quotas and statistics and a Minefield of things that you can do wrong that get you into trouble. Talk about an opportunity to tell others about what you have done and get them into one of the Greatest Jobs most of them will ever have. I Wish You Luck!

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2014 4:30 PM

2014-04-14T16:30:19-04:00

It depends on where you go. I'm stationed in Florida and our market is really good. Some of my friends that went to Recruiter school were going to no so good markets. Also your attitude towards it will help.

I can tell you that if you want to make it up in rank, you have to have a special assignment, as I saw this last SNCO promotions more than 50% were already out of special assignments or currently in it.

Send the packet for volunteering quick if really want it.

See you around .

Response by CW2 Jonathan Kantor made Apr 14 at 2014 5:34 PM

2014-04-14T17:34:30-04:00

I have horror stories. It was good to help people find a job. Bad to find out they had been maimed or KIA. It wore on me. My 1SG was a fucking asshole (That's the nice way of saying it). My Company Command cost me 3 contracts and then gave me hell for it. I was transferred to a new station after 24 months because they couldn't make mission and I was top in the CO. They treated me like shit and called me FNG all the time (After two years). The job can suck the life out of you. A lot of Recruiters committed suicide while I was on the job, my wife left me because I spent about 30 minutes with the family before work and after (30 minutes total). I was extremely successful and often put in 5-7 people per month, but tt was the worst job I have ever done. I experienced less stress in combat environments where I took IDF every day.

I went Warrant to ensure I wouldn't have to do it again. I truly mean that. I got recall notices three times. I got out of the first one by begging for a deployment to Iraq, the second by taking leave through the period, and the third by going Warrant.

I will never encourage a Soldier to go Recruiter. Never. I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. When a Soldier asks me about it, I just tell them a few stories and they usually drop the idea of dropping a packet.

Don't do it. You will regret volunteering for it. I sure as hell do.

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Apr 14 at 2014 6:34 PM

2014-04-14T18:34:00-04:00

It is both a challenging and rewarding experience. I will be honest, it was tough for me at times when I was enlisted SSG. I would miss my quota by one grad alpha (GA) or my senior alpha (SA) became a bravo. I did enjoy being able to provide a career for those who wanted to serve this country, earn college money, and obtain personal goals in life that involved being a Soldier.

Just know you will deal with a lot of rejection and at times some confrontations that you must be professional in dealing with. I had to walk away from a lot of very disrespectful people who had a pure hatred of the military in general. Despite what they personally called me and the way they treated me, I kept myself from being a "front page Army news article". I didn't want to portray the Army with an incident that was not worth my career or lower the reputation of the Army. Be smart and simply walk away. Just keep on prospecting for recruits because you will find them. Not every kids wants to go to college or work in the civilian world. A lot of college grads find out that the Army is what they needed and you can best serve them with the means to enlist. Some recruits that said no initially will come back and join later after thinking about their future plans.

Foremost, you will enjoy it as it allows you to educate and inform people about the Army. My advice is to win the parents hearts and mind first, then you will win the recruits trust and he/she will enlist. Be very honest, respectful, and represent a professional Soldier that the public sees each day. You are the Army to them and they base their views on how they see you react and present yourself. Yes you will experience a bad day or a down period every now and then, but we all do in our jobs here in the Army. To me there was more good than bad. I had to make the most of it and remain positive.

You also will set yourself ahead of you peers when you completed your time. It's an experience that you must make the most of it each day. Listen to the NCOs that are in your station and seek advice to become the best recruiter you can. I learned a lot from them and most become station commanders once they convert to 79R. You may decide you like it and become the next on-production station commander and work up to the limited-production station commander too. Talk to recruiters or former recruiters in you unit and learn more. Even the CSM or 1SG will take some time to provide some advice in this next step of your career. Good luck and message me if you have any other questions. I've been out of USAREC for quite some time but can still offer you some guidance too if you are interested.

Response by SSgt Michael Cox made Mar 23 at 2017 6:04 PM

2017-03-23T18:04:52-04:00

In the last few years I have met some really good recruiters. They have good passive listening skills, are honest with possible recruits, and help them and their service get the most out of each other. Meaning finding the career that they will excel in the most with will help them and the service.