Michael D. Franklin is a staff Sgt. in the Marine Corps. His incentive to recruit is to find the most motivated and best-qualified person to serve the country. His primary contact within schools is the Career Technician; together they review the methods used the previous year to see if they are to continue taking place. All recruiters go through people skills training and have to understand how to start a conversation before approaching someone. Every recruiter has their own personality and it shows in the way they approach a student. They are selective and look to high school seniors because, according to Franklin, they’re a group of students that get into the least amount of trouble due to the multiple layers of guidance they’re receiving from counselors, parents and maybe even a recruiter. Merced recruiters reach students not only in Merced but also Mariposa, Los Banos and as far north as Turlock. They are required to recruit one student from each of the schools they outreach to and if they do not meet that requirement they may be looked upon as failing, not because they failed to meet a quota but because, according to Franklin, they failed to offer a young person another opportunity in life.

Once a student shows interest, they make an appointment at their schools to go through the steps to begin the process. The first is taking their Enlistment Screening Test, used by recruiters in all military services to predict the likelihood an applicant will meet or exceed the score for enlistment eligibility. Afterwards, students go through an interview with the recruiter to determine the reason they are interested in joining the military. The ASVAB test follows. There is a misconception that the ASVAB is strictly for military use. It has been an asset in schools as a placement test. It is a career aptitude test to place students in a field that provides options that are compatible with their scores.

Franklin says “It’s not like were throwing a hook in peoples mouths and reeling them in because we are very up front and if we feel the military isn’t for them, we will let them know we don’t feel like this is a good choice for them.” He feels recruiters have to overcome is the image of being the intimidating Marine Corps.

Tiffany Compston is the Career technician and Susan Odishoo is a high school counselor at Golden Valley High School in Merced. They feel the recruiters primary role is to provide information about the military and what it has to offer to any students that are interested. The recruiters usually go through the career technician in order to collaborate with the schools. They schedule dates and times together to come on campus and be able to set up informational booths during lunch breaks or to come and meet with students that have shown an interest in the military. “The campus is a great setting for a recruiter to reach out and recruit,” says Tiffany. She also mentioned that there is a pushback in military recruitment efforts, “There’s been a decrease at this point in military recruiting efforts and usually they were here once a week now they’re here once a month”. They say that they’re here to serve the kids and they usually don’t refer a student to recruiters, they make sure to leave the option available to students that show interest.

My perspective on recruitment has changed. This writing process has helped me put a face to the names and titles of the military recruiters. I’ve learned how much time and effort they invest into building a relationship with students and they aren’t just out to fulfill their own personal jobs. In my opinion, the military is a great option for someone who is joining for the right reasons and could be a great resource for the right people.

Tags: education, military, school, spotlight