So it's time to meet the recruiter...... part I

Okay, so you have decided on which branch of service you might be interested in and you want to talk to someone in person to get some information and ask some direct questions. I'm glad that you have made it to this step because it shows that you are serious about making decisions in your life even if you don't join the military, but at least you know what your options are. There are a few ways that you can go about getting in contact with a recruiter.

You can simply look the recruiting station up in the phone book and give them a call or you could also go to their office. If you are not within city limits of the recruiting station I will suggest call them to ensure someone is there before you make a trip to find the door locked. We get some different holidays and longer holidays in the military and we are constantly on the go so there is no telling if you will find the door unlocked or not.

An alternative way to get a hold of a recruiter from the branch you choose is to visit their website (which I have posted links on the right for you to explore) poke around for some information and put your information into their database. Each branch has someone that collects this information, most of the time will call you to see if you are interested and meet basic qualifications. Then either someone from the call center will either call the recruiter directly or send us an email with your basic contact information. If the recruiter gets the information right away you will probably be surprised as to how fast you get a call from the recruiter. I know I have been sitting in front of my computer, the persons information pops up in my email, and I call it as soon as I see it. When the person answers they are usually surprised how quick I call them and in some cases they exclaim that they just put their information in the system, got a call from the call center, and then received a call from me in under 20 minutes. It is a pretty efficient system for us to get a hold of potential applicants.

So, when you talk tot he recruiter either face to face or on the phone they will ask you a series of questions and it might seem as they are interrogating you but they really aren't. These questions will range from asking about your personal contact information, to law violations, or health conditions you may have or had. The reason for these is ensure that you meet the basic qualifications of what that service is looking for. If you don't meet these qualifications then depending on the recruiter it may be a short conversation. Don't take it too personal, recruiters have a ton of stuff to do in one day and we don't spend time working with applicants that are not qualified. If your recruiter is decent he will at least tell you if you are permanently disqualified with a detailed explanation or what it will take for you to get qualified. Now, assuming you are qualified, you and the recruiter will determine a good place for you two to meet. Here are some suggestions for that. If you are way out in the middle of nowhere ask the recruiter to drive to see you. Don't feel bad what soever, we get a free car and a paid gas card that goes with it, not to mention we like to get out of our office from time to time. If you don't want to drive and you don't want any strangers in your house then suggest a public place like the library or even a park on a nice day.