The best recruiting jobs in civilian life do not come anywhere near an army recruiter’s position in that the conditions are lousy, the pay is not great and the opportunity to get shot at is pretty high at this time. Though no particular potential candidate for becoming a US Army soldier is required beyond physical health and basic education, the development of modern battlefield weapons and tactics requires a large number of highly qualified, skilled and trained specialists to ensure that the teeth of our combat forces are able to operate effectively when it really counts and lives are on the line. No other offline or virtual recruiting jobs are able to offer the ultimate feature of the job on offer than a US Army recruiter – to serve their country, our nation and the people.
US Army recruiters are trained soldiers who have achieved a minimum rank of corporal in the US Army and depending on their classification as recruiter and where they are located; they are also required to have several further qualifications before they can commence duty as an army recruiter. In practice, US Army recruiters have a wide range of ranks as after all, you would not have a corporal recruiting a warrant officer or a bringing a colonel out of retirement to serve another tour of duty.
US Army recruiting is based out of Fort Knox, KY, which houses the United States Army Recruiting Center (USAREC) and this provides the command, control and support staff for recruiting activities. USAREC Command oversees six recruiting and retention brigades scattered across the country and further subdivided into recruiting battalions. There are many areas of specialism ranging from the recruitment of infantry candidates, specialist skills operators, Special Forces personnel through to army chaplains. Re-enlistment of veterans is also a key area which USAREC targets as does the US military generally, particularly for veterans discharged within the last five years or possessing specialist skills and knowledge. Recruiting staff are required to not only meet minimum experience and army qualification but also must pass stringent electronic and physical security checks in addition to those of the Department of Defense’s recruit induction process when somebody initially joins the US Army and complete specialist, mission specific USAREC programs depending on the recruiting area they will be operating in.
If personnel are successful at becoming a recruiter and if they volunteer for duty, they are able to effectively decide their own posting; many in fact choose to return to their home towns or states and this is actively encouraged as it forms stronger links with local communities and especially those areas with a successful recruiting history.
US Army recruiters operate on extended tours of duty around the country in towns and cities, providing outreach to the local community in which they operate and liaising with coordinated marketing efforts of USAREC and other marketing initiatives. US Army recruiters may also be acting on short term tours of duty after returning from an overseas tour of active duty or shortly after completing basic training so that they may share their experiences with the local community, their friends and families, schools and other potential recruit candidates and not to mention to act as a point of continuing contact with discharged veterans.
Retention for the US military is a critical issue for all branches and not just the US Army however, with the current operational requirements particularly as a result of lengthy and frequent overseas tours of active duty. The US military has identified that many veterans who have been discharged in recent years can and are still attracted back to service life with very generous financial and benefits packages available for personnel to return to the colors. This is also reflected by very generous recruiting bonuses available for not just US army recruiters but all army personnel who refer recruit candidates who attend basic training.
Experience gained while working for jobs in recruiting will serve well in later civilian life if a military career is cut short; civilian employers both in the HR departments of organizations and external recruiting agencies rate the skills developed and experience acquired in the military very highly and demand for former US Army recruiters is high amongst civilian employers.
US Army recruiters gain experience of a wide range of candidates derived from the entire spectrum of our society; sex is no issue, color is no issue; education is no issue – what is an issue is that candidates all possess a desire to serve in their country and USAREC’s motto is “Where it All Starts”, no matter what area of the US Army a candidate is destined for.
