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Recruiters

RockyMtnNFO

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
There has a been bit of talk here recently regarding recruiters and the attention that some applicants are getting from them. I am posting this to hopefully clear up some confusion and maybe get some folks on the right track.

First of all, your recruiter is busy. Not only does he or she have to actually recruit, but most afternoons we spend a lot of time sorting through leads from community college dropouts and take hours on the phone crushing the dreams of Top Gun wannabe's (just like we were) because they have a 2.7 in medieval french literature. On top of that we have "ground jobs" like legal officer or PRT (PFA) coordinator and these things take time, they also have attention from the front office (CO, XO) so they tend to have priority.

Secondly, most of you here on this forum are trying to be pilots; the Navy is not in great need of pilots. Yea, I know that in the last month they needed more applications but that is a small bump in demand and there were more than enough kits already in. The big picture is, we are not goaled for pilots, we get pilot/nfo applications every single day and the vast majority of them are not competetive; even the competetive ones are no guarantee to get in.

Third, once you are in the application process, you need to develop a good relationship with your processor. If you don't know who it is, ask who it is and deal with them; they are the experts and the paperwork and it is their job to get the stuff turned in properly, not the recruiter.

So, let's put it all together. Your busy recruiter who does not get a lot of love for putting a pilot in the Navy, who is trying to put together a govt. case for an admin board and sweet talk a bunch of engineers into signing up and who's (grammar?) job is not actually putting together your paperwork, doesn't call you back. Par for the course, get used to it. I am not saying this to be rude; I am saying this so you realize that your future is in your hands. If you want it, go get it. Be persistent, be assertive, be proactive and be respectful. If you make yourselve more competetive with high GPA, Leadership activities, sports, flight time and a high ASTB score, you will merit more attention, but don't expect us to hold your hand every minute.

As for SEALS, the situation is even harder. SPECWAR takes maybe 10-12 SEAL officers a year. Of that number, maybe 5-7 will be civilian. Only 5-7 non-prior SEALS per year!! So, are you one of the top 7 biggest studs to apply for SEAL in the entire US? Some of you just may be, but I haven't met you yet. My office has never put in a SEAL officer and it has not been for lack of applicants so please forgive our lack of zeal to pursue your kit, it isn't personal, we just have to prioritize, and since we are not goaled for SEALS, like pilots, it is tough to spend a lot of time where we just don't make any money. BUT, it is yours for the taking if you are persistent and get your paperwork taken care of.

In summary:

1. Thou shalt know thy (thine?) processor and communicate with them.

2. Thou shalt be persistent but respectful.

3. Thou shalt apply early and often.

4. Thou shalt know that thine destiny is in your hands and thou hast nobody to blame but thine self for thine future.

Finally, if you are having a serious problem with your recruiter, I mean serious, like he was profane or refuses to apply you, PM me and I will intercede to see what the problem is; just be prepared to be field rejected if you are not in any way competetive.

God Bless You All.

Go Navy.
 

HooverPilot

CODPilot
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Good info for all the applicants. We knew you would intercede eventually RockyMtnNFO!
 

Spencer

Registered User
I concur. Thanks for this post. It truly answered my question, and sheds light on behalf of recruiters.

I now have a clearer picture as to how to approach these processes.
 

Hursel110

Member
None
Just idle curiosity here, but communities are you actively pursuing (sp?)? SWO's? Subs? Just wondering.
 

saltpeter

Registered User
To back up what Rocky said. Applying for a commission takes only a few simple steps - 1.) Take the ASTB 2.) Applicant fills out required ADOBE forms - there is NO excuse for using black ink and having the recruiter do them for you - your a college grad - that's as kindly as I can put it 3.) Fill out forms for a physical - be honest, don't ask any more questions in reference to this 4.) Take physical 5.) PT in front of recruiter 6.) verify that the recruiting office has ALL your paperwork - if you didn't make copies re-read post #2 carefully, you are a college grad 7.) Wait to see if selected, wait to see if selected, wait to see if selected. Now if you fail any of these steps, you need to do some serious sole searching. This forum is light and makes some people feel that aviators nightly drink beer, stay out late and party. In truth, you will party less, drink less, date less, study extremely more, devote more hours, and possibly even make less that you counterparts that you graduated with. If your stomach cringes, you may want to rethink what you want to do with your life. However, if a challege excites you - DO IT.
 

HH-60H

Manager
pilot
Contributor
As for SEALS, the situation is even harder. SPECWAR takes maybe 10-12 SEAL officers a year. Of that number, maybe 5-7 will be civilian. Only 5-7 non-prior SEALS per year!! So, are you one of the top 7 biggest studs to apply for SEAL in the entire US?

Are you saying 10-12 SEAL officers per year from off the street recruiting?

Great post, lots of good info. MODs, recommend making this a sticky.
 

webmaster

The Grass is Greener!
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Rocky, great post!

- Stuck thread.
- Cleaned up thread, some useless posts that did not contribute anything.
 

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
There has a been bit of talk here recently regarding recruiters and the attention that some applicants are getting from them. I am posting this to hopefully clear up some confusion and maybe get some folks on the right track.
RockyMtn, can you address for the group the length of time it should take a recruiter to respond to an email sent to them.
 

RockyMtnNFO

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
RockyMtn, can you address for the group the length of time it should take a recruiter to respond to an email sent to them.

Absolutely. It should take no more than a day; but, like I said in my post, sometimes we just can't make it happen. I often tell my recruits to call me by some specific time if I have not gotten back to them. Not a perfect scenario but I try to be up front about getting back to people.
 

Eyeball

Registered User
Are you saying 10-12 SEAL officers per year from off the street recruiting?

That is a true statement. I have seen one get picked up. He was a true stud. Plus, he had connections.

A large percentage (about 50% of one BUD/S class I know about) of enlisted SEALs are college graduates. As one whom I spoke to recently (All-American football player while in college) put it, he knew he wanted to be in the teams and it didn't matter how he got there. Bottom line is, if your priority is to be a SEAL, go enlisted. If your priority is to be an Officer, don't get bent out of shape if you don't get selected as a SEAL.
 

Shark Beast_98

New Member
yet another hopeful's question

I have always wanted to join the Navy, as my Daddy had(even though he hated it, and my uncle before him. My Uncle was the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy!), but neither were officers. I was lucky enough to have my school paid for because I could play football, but now I am 28 yrs old and have 2 kids. I was told my my local recruiter that I must get a waiver because of my dependents. What needs to be in order for that waiver to be passed? on a second question: what do I need to score on my entrance exam to be eligible? My GPA was not the best as playing football and keeping a job hurt my study time.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I have always wanted to join the Navy, as my Daddy had(even though he hated it, and my uncle before him. My Uncle was the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy!), but neither were officers. I was lucky enough to have my school paid for because I could play football, but now I am 28 yrs old and have 2 kids. I was told my my local recruiter that I must get a waiver because of my dependents. What needs to be in order for that waiver to be passed? on a second question: what do I need to score on my entrance exam to be eligible? My GPA was not the best as playing football and keeping a job hurt my study time.

You shouldn't need a waiver per se for having children, but if you're a single parent, you'll have to make arrangements (in writing) on who will care for them when you're deployed. Also, your age will limit some of your job choices (mainly Pilot), so be sure to discuss that with your recruiter.

Brett
 

Rearden

So what's broken on this jet today, Chief?
None
Just want to throw my two cents in here, I'm on OHARP right now and have been working in an Enlisted recruiting office for about 5 months now, and I know one of the major enlisted recruiting goals is SPECWAR, so if you really want to become a SEAL, then you might want to check out enlisted programs, as well, since there are so few officer slots available for SPECWAR. In addition, because they are looking for so many SEALs in enlisted, the bonuses are quite high, if you make it through BUD/S. Also, there are some other SPECWAR-like opportunities in the guise of SWCC and EOD which might also be of interest.

I'm not really trying to make this an "enlisted recruiting post" because that's not really my goal, I just want to put the info out there for anyone that might be interested.
 

Lonestar155

is good to go
Rearden,
Why did they send you to work with the enlisted recruiters? Most O's hook up with OSO's, no? I only ask because I am not familiar with OHARP. Thanks.
 
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