Military Recruiting

Introduction

Military recruiting is both a profession and a calling.  It is a profession in the sense that recruiters are the publicly designated representatives of the U.S. Armed Forces.  A roomful of recruiters will spend more time in the public eye than a roomful of generals or admirals.  And in your role, the military profession of arms is counting on you to fill and sustain the ranks of our fighting forces.  Even though a desert or mountain war may be taking place a world away, you are an integral part of the overall effort—with the home front as your theatre of operations.  Your brothers and sisters in the combat zone are counting on you to do your part.  This is your charge, your watch.  You are the linkage between hometown America and the front lines.

Accordingly, start thinking of recruiting duty as a personal calling.  View yourself as a skilled, credentialed, and highly trained professional; much in the way of other professions, such as law enforcement, healthcare, or teaching.  Your perception of your trade will shape and form the perception of others toward you.  By the way, you do have the best job in the U.S. Military and the best job in the world.  Accept this as a constant fact and your self image and attitude will quickly follow suit.

Our civilian counterparts may market products and brands, but so do we.  We market military service to prospective members.  However, the fact that we are on a wartime footing adds an unusual and sobering sense of importance to what we do.

I refer to recruiting as a calling because one does not become a recruiter by accident.  You are either selected for this unique duty assignment or you volunteered.  That means either someone saw that you had the right stuff or you decided that you wanted the job.  Regardless, you are here now and you are knee-deep in a dynamic and dead serious business.  You now have the potential to change the lives of everyone you touch.  This book is written for you and serves many purposes for today’s military recruiter.

The following chapters will address some of the profound connections between your perception of your role and your success as a recruiter for the Armed Forces of the United States.  It will provide a blueprint to success for new recruiters and new directions for veteran recruiters seeking fresh ideas and structure.  The topics and examples are applicable to all recruiters, regardless of branch of service or component.  The enclosed guidance is just that; general standard operating procedures that can readily be understood and executed.  This book’s intended audience is the men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard who are in the business of recruiting the best our nation has to offer.