Where are my Recruiters AT? Give me some pointers as I head to recruiting duty

2015-05-11T02:27:58-04:00

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 2:33 AM

2015-05-11T02:33:32-04:00

As I head to Volunteer recruiting duty, leaving the 25th, I am happy. I don't need to hear all the naysayers, I have Battles that are recruiters, some HATE it, others LOVE it so like everything else it is what you make it. The 25th is one of those places that you would think everyone would LOVE. I only came out here (especially as a Tanker) because I was chasing an Afghanistan deployment. I got here and things were a WORLD different, it was like a TOTALLY different Army altogether. I was dumbstruck, but after three years I have become USED to a LOT of things out here. It is all what you make it, and I am looking forward to it. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Long hours? Yeah I am a PSG out here I do those anyway, working weekends, already prepped the family for that. What else ya got?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 2:37 AM

2015-05-11T02:37:53-04:00

Pay attention at school, study always and double check your work. Honor graduate was too easy for ARC. When you get to your station, figure out your style of recruiting and be more successful than the best recruiter in that station. You will be untouchable. Make sure you have the right mentality. Alot of people go to recruiting pissed off at the world.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 5:45 AM

2015-05-11T05:45:46-04:00

You will get lots of advice from seasoned recruiters in your Company & hopefully here too. Be flexible enough to use the parts that fit for you, but make it your own style rather than trying to do it exactly like someone else. Do your own research to supplement what USAREC and fellow Recruiters hand you. Know your market and your applicants better than anyone else around, and be willing to share that knowledge. Train yourself and others constantly, and approach this as a profession, not just an assignment. Make time for your family - work the mission hard during the duty day, so you aren't working it on family time. Lastly, obviously never compromise your values - Recruiters have a tough job, which means it is even more important to check how stress may impact decisions of you self and others. The popular or easy choice may not always be the right one.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 7:27 AM

2015-05-11T07:27:09-04:00

What a lot of the responses are saying about school and the work place are true and you hit the nail on the head from your personal experience with the 25th. (My personal experience) If you have a wife and kids, recruiting is a great assignment. Mandatory to take 7-14 days of leave quarterly which affords you predictability when planning vacations, no field exercises or training deployments (no weeks away from home), PT was on your own (no more 0500 wake up to make a formation), unless near an installation civialns are your health care choice. The change in work environment allowed me to meet my wife. The work was tough, but being able to come home every night for 4 years straight (I extended for 1 year to get married) was the biggest upside of recruiting for me. Best of luck to you.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 7:50 AM

2015-05-11T07:50:21-04:00

Make sure you are meticulous in making sure your tools match up. If you are going to do the work, make sure the tools you have reflect the effort you put in. This helped me when I went through a dry spell.

Find a style that works for you and stick with it. I made most of my money doing telephonic prospecting (P1). Others I worked with were better at face to face prospecting (P3). P3 is much more reliable for appointments showing up. Spend as much time in your schools as possible. As the students get to know you, they will be your funnel in the years to come. This will help as well.

Response by SGT Kevin Smith made May 11 at 2015 8:25 AM

2015-05-11T08:25:36-04:00

I was on Recruiting duty from 05-07, and I really enjoyed the School and assignment. Yes it was really long hours, but to share my experience to Families was really rewarding. I hope you enjoy this assignment as well.

Response by 1SG Jeffrey Bergeron made May 11 at 2015 8:55 AM

2015-05-11T08:55:41-04:00

Read "See you at the Top" by Zig Ziglar. ensure you understand the Tricare insurance system. and become a student of sales training.

Response by CSM Michael Lynch made May 11 at 2015 9:07 AM

2015-05-11T09:07:32-04:00

SFC Private RallyPoint Member I spent many years in recruiting command, 21 to be exact. I will tell you that I was voluntold when they drafted me into USAREC. Coming out of Aviation at the time and being sent to Grand Forks ND by USAREC was not my idea of fun. As you can tell I changed my mind about that down the road.

First and foremost as others have said pay attention in school, that sets the foundation for you., once you get to the station and hit the street, you will find out what works for you but always keep the basics.

Do not let yourself fall in with the cancerous individuals that hate the Army and world because they are on recruiting duty. You are a SSG and as an NCO we know what to do. Leaders will change throughout your time in recruiting, so do your job to the best of your ability and you will be fine. Under today's structure in the command every person has a place on the team. Where you fit into that will be determined by you and your center leader. The accomplishment of the mission is the result of the teams hard work.

You can have a lot of time with the family and attend events that you may not have been able to in the past. It is a great job that allows you to bond with the family again. Remember why you are out there and the bottom line which is to recruit great young men and women in to our Army to take your place when you retire.

The easiest way to do well in recruiting is a positive attitude at all times. Know your competitors programs as well as ours. Meet and greet everyone in your high school and establish your creditability and rapport with them. It is always easier to have referrals join then smiling and dialing or face to face prospecting for them all. Get invo9lved with your community, have your spouse and yourself volunteer for events or organizations that will build your influencers.

Do what is right and always live your NCO Creed. If you have problems recruiting ask for help, listen to your teammates if they use something that is working, take it and make it your own. Above all be yourself, it is much easier to be drawn in to community, school and the local life when you are, you. Remember you not only represent your center, company and USAREC, but, you are the Army to everyone in that area.

I hope this helps you with a few insights. I could give you more pointers probably for days. I wish you and your family the best of luck and you know where to find us on RP. Salutes

Response by MSG Brad Sand made May 11 at 2015 9:51 AM

2015-05-11T09:51:11-04:00

Be your self.

Take the tools USAREC and the Army gave you and figure out how they work for you. The people, you will have the mission to recruit, know the bad thing about serving in the military and there are plenty of them, but they don't know all the reason you love serving. Just tell them your story and you will be fine.

Oh yeah, one more important thing, always remember to ask them to join.

Response by SFC Charles S. made May 11 at 2015 2:54 PM

2015-05-11T14:54:16-04:00

Do what you do with vigor and enthusiasm. More importantly maintain your integrity and never let down your guard. Recruiting is tough but if you accomplish the mission you are on the right path.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2015 12:57 PM

2015-05-12T12:57:28-04:00

1. Maintain your integrity, by not entering the grey area!

2. Get involved in the community. It may take some time before you are actually effective, but the more the community knows you, they will start to reach out to you.

3. If you're on the engagement team (prospector), I highly recommend going to every high school that you cover, and introduce yourself, without asking for anything! The first couple of times you visit should only be to show your face any offer assistance. That is how you will earn school faculty respect. When they know you are there to assist in any way that you can.

4. Don't forget that the community doesn't need you, you need the community.

5. Take advantage of all of the resources that your battalion has to offer. Specifically awards that they can print for the students such as JROTC awards, scholar athlete, etc. They should also have Rock walls, trucks, etc.

Good luck, and remember it's not only your name that you'll be giving out all of the time, it's also the Army's. Recruiters truly are the first impression that a civilian with no knowledge of the military sees.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 8 at 2015 10:35 PM

2015-06-08T22:35:19-04:00

Be opened minded to new things you dont know and take that with you to the field.

Response by MSG Justin Kuchar made Sep 15 at 2021 6:05 PM

2021-09-15T18:05:21-04:00

Own your schools. Don't grow over reliant on the grad market. If you don't own your schools you won't have a grad market in year 2 or 3.