Advice for Military Recruitement-stop lying!! Look at the job market to see what you can do.

I'm not a fluent being on military life, but in the corporate world I've handled marketing/HR affairs.

And I wanted to share a piece of advice for the group for getting recruits. And I'm doing this as a former candidate, I've witnessed horrible unprofessionalism from this part. I know it's not a fair representation to the military itself, however it does leave a bad impression.

Right now, due to the economic downturn military recruitment is up from what it was a few years ago. Also there has been a change in Commander in Chief and since then the packages have been different.

To civilians, military life isn't something we're already fluent with. What people already know is that you apply for a job, you're given a salary range and you hustle it. You also know what the job description is. And right now, employers are getting hundreds of resumes for any type of work.

I'm begging the recruiters chain of command to stop demanding quotas if you wish not to sell the armed services like soap. I've come to recruiters on my own. Out here I compare them to the "face" part of human resources. They can be of great value to recruits, and they should be. This should be a very rewarding job.

The Recruiter's advantage over Corporate America is that-during a population isolated through technology- they're available in person to talk one on one with the candidate about the job. That doesn't mean harassing or stalking the candidate. It means taking a two way candid conversation street about the business of joining the military. Being a soldier is not just a job, it's a way of life. And it will be through the duration. But from a professional point of view, it's uncanny to fill the void with bluff when the recruit should be comfortable asking questions about the job. And yes, the discussion should be focused on the job the entire time. When business needs to be tended to, the sales pitch needs to remain focused on the actual product.

On the downside, we have a voting base that is dominated by Boomers who are easily swayed by political purposes to recreate Vietnam. Boomers are a vein group and they want to be notable. So this is working against recruitment prospects. However, it's not going to kill recruitment process since people will still come out to serve their country. What is going to hurt the recruitment process is a lack of tact and professionalism in the process.


Right now, there is no need to exaggerate on the nature of the job to gain recruits because people are trying to get what they can. However, like any other HR personnel they need to be honest about what's on the table. Like I mentioned, this is just like any other business transaction. Yet recruits are bartering 4-8+ years of OUR lives to the country and we NEED to know what the conditions are. We're not losing a few pennies, but years of our lives with an actual commitment.


ON ADVERTISEMENT
Out here, there's no such thing as "bad publicity". I see nothing wrong with glorifying war, however that's my own opinion. In the business sector, people admire great, cost effective advertisement.

As a matter of fact, I see nothing wrong with hyping the military up. Mainstream media takes a major influence of status quo and our men and women in uniform deserve a great deal of respect. With the exception of our homosexual population, minorities did well for themselves in the Armed forces. Colin Powell and Condi Rice, both notable minorities who achieved high positions for themselves through the military. The military isn't talk, they follow through.

Again the recruiters do not fairly represent the institution.

Throughout history, soldiers are often respected and have shown a lot of class in the civilian world. It would be more appropriate to show the military more love, pride and respect in the advertisements through classy representation than it would to throw dollar signs around to attract new candidates. Especially if the military can't afford to enlist new recruits with monetary bonuses.


THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT
The members are positive/constructive about the institution that they join; and to be honest that's the best advertisement any institution will get. But that will always be relative to how they're treated in the service. Nothing a recruiter can do will change that.


And to be frank, the stuff that the recruiters will b#@$@h*T you with is laughable. THEY'RE TOOLS!!! Like with any other HR department, you NEVER hear the same lines of laughable descriptions of what will happen at MEPS or anything else for that matter. The recruiters should not try to jazz it up-some actually look ridiculous in doing so. It's not just okay, but encouraged to have a sense of humor, charisma and people skills. However, the purpose of the mission is already jazzed up enough by the people who have served.

MORE ON PROFESSIONALISM
I want a professional, not a snake oil salesman assigning me the next 4-8 years of my life. If I wanted to be entertained by bad liars, all I have to do is wear next to nothing at the local watering hole. But I can't tell my loved ones or my current employer what my circumstances are based on the not too accurate information I was given at the local watering hole.

Since you already know that, please stop making up stories about what you're going to experience in the Armed Forces.

Look, it's not any different than corporate life. In Corporate, your ability to move up relates to your performance, credentials and the needs of that company. There are no guarantees unless it's written on paper. And like always, (unlike staffing recruiters) corporate wouldn't advertise jobs that give a false impression of what they need.

For example, if a corporation needs data mining experts, they're not going to advertise for marketing VP's.

And of course, because of laws the corporation has to disclose when to expect benefits and so forth. ie. benefits are only available to full time candidates after their probationary periods.

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
In the military, many people were misled- either through advertising or something else about what to expect. It's much better to say- without badmouthing anybody; "that because of the change in leadership; the same bonuses will no longer be available for recruits". Or without badmouthing anybody; "because of this/that reason with the budget; tuition assistance will no longer be available."

People will accept that. It may or may not change their minds, but it may not change their mind in the large scope of things if they're willing to serve their country for a mere pay-stub in this economy. If people can find our own liaisons, aka. peers or family members who are already serving this country.

And even if somebody changes their mind, they may just end up in a different branch of the Armed Services.
Many times, a candidate just wants to make more of a commitment. Recruiters should be a very active assistance in allowing people to do our own homework. You have to give the civilian world more credit, we ARE opportunists.

By the way, the happiest recruits I've met are ones that they have a strong sense of purpose or direction in the field that they have chosen. The bonuses are a fringe benefit in the big scheme of things. Some are wanting to fight to defend our country, and they take big pride in that. Others are pursuing another type of career (ie. medicine, psychology, fuel development, electronics, mechanical, etc.) and their function would be valued greatly by that branch of the Armed Services.

However, nobody is going to take a recruit with clinical psychologist credentials and have them performing mechanics, unless that recruit made special arrangements to do so.

Here the recruiter can do themselves and everyone a favor by knowing their institution thoroughly. Marketing is the process of bringing the goods to the right market. Product knowledge and a keen sense of the scope of their services are a marketing individuals/seller's strong arm. Knowing the candidate's interests should only be 1/3rd of the sales process. Over half of the process should be understanding impeccably and communicating what avenues they can pursue within this organization. It's a common marketing mistake made anywhere, yet the best marketing works miracles.

I had visits with two different recruiters just recently. One was busy fluffing up the experience and the other was an aggressive butt kisser. I was incredibly disappointed that neither wanted to discuss the actual details about the job or the institution itself. The aggressive butt kisser got angry with a few of my questions, which were about the nature of the job. I signed up for the National Guard and I know this state has budget issues. Yes this is a bad question, however
I know that it's not so easy to get hired on by the Army from another branch but since this process was going to involve 8 years of my life under uncertain circumstances. Again the recruiter can't fix the circumstances within the state's budget...but as a candidate I felt entitled to this information.

No, my biggest fear is not going to war. I actually want the opportunity and pray that it is conducted in the best manner possible. I am afraid of being trapped into something that I was not given adequate information about concerning the next 8-20 years of my life. Needless to say, this meeting did not end well.

And we know that recruiters don't have ultimate control over where a recruit is placed within the branch. RECRUITERS NEED TO BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR A CANDIDATE!! If you can't get a waiver, fine. If you can't guarantee no deployment, then you can't guarantee it. The military is an organization for defense, it's much better filled with people who are focused on serving THAT mission.

I was also disgusted to find out that you can't have tattoos, only to find the next recruit in MEPS with visible tattoos on his neck. I'm not judgmental about tattoos as an art form, however neck tattoos are often trendy with gang members. I would defend this man in war regardless of race, religion or creed-but I don't know what his intentions are. And I don't know Why they arebeing selective with their standards? Something didn't feel right.

No the recruiter can't guarantee everything that a recruit is looking for, yet need to be upfront about important matters. Especially when the duration of the commitment and money is involved. And this needs to happen before the candidate signs the legally binding forms. As we ALL know, nothing given verbally is guaranteed, especially in a bureaucracy. Everything needs to be done in writing. And that should not be a hassle. When there's a hassle, something is wrong.

From what I know, the military is better and much more efficient than the stimulus at creating jobs.

The entire institution is a positive one but with many hassles already courtesy of the bureaucracy that it already is. However the institution will sell itself, there's no need for the recruiter to conduct themselves as a conniving used car salesman. This will eventually be where recruiting fails.