Army Recruiting Halts for a Day in May

The Army will halt its recruiting efforts for one day this month to allow commanders to emphasize proper conduct following apparent excesses, Army officials said Wednesday.

The stand-down will take place May 20, said Douglas Smith, an Army spokesman. Army officials said it would affect almost all 7,500 recruiters at 1,700 stations around the United States.

In at least two instances, recruiters are facing disciplinary action for their dealings with potential recruits.

In Houston, a recruiter allegedly threatened to have a wavering would-be recruit arrested if he backed out, according to Army officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The recruiter has no such authority.

Officials confirmed a second inquiry in Colorado, pointing to news reports about recruiters who allegedly offered information on fake diplomas and ways to get around drug tests and physical fitness requirements.

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Okay, so the article is citing morally-challenged military recruiters striving to meet their quota. The article goes on to say how a mandatory re-training will be instituted to guard against such happenning again; at least in the near future. When I read this article, I was struck by the similarites in recruiting organizations irregardless of the supported field. At its core, recruiting is a sales position with a very visible quota. The recruiter must sell to a candidate the notion that the company and job he (or she) represents is the best possible fit for said candidate. Secondly, the recruiter must convince his client that the candidate she (or he) has found is the best fit for the client's role. Finally, the recruiter must resolve issues that would keep either party from signing an offer letter.

Speaking as a recruiter I have to tell you, its a tightwire act and all too often the job seeker is regarded as expendable. This is especially true when dealing with searchfirms who do not get paid until a hire is made (Contingency recruiters), or searchfirms who have been paid a fee up front and are pressured to produce within a reasonable amount of time (Retained recruiters). When quotas are unmet and the clients starts barking, recruiters tend to get into survival mode. Some of these "survivalist recruiters" may get into Monster, grab all the emails of candidates they can find and spam a proposition until they get lucky. In these cases, recruiters are focusing on keywords in your resume moreso than your entire work history. (Just in case you ever wondered why you were approached about jobs you were obviously unqualified for.)

Survivalist recruiters might also hound you by telephone, get a message from their client that the position is now closed (or changed) and neglect to call you back. Additionally, they might contact you and basically tell you what you want to hear. For example, you might clearly state on your resume that you are not open to relocation for any reason. The survivalist recruiter would ignore that entirely hoping that a conversation with their client might persuade you otherwise; thus, wasting everyone's time.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I tell you, the job seeker, this because I want you to be informed of what goes on at the other end of the "submit resume" button. I also tell you this as a means of explaining why I have written a manifesto addressing these issues. Recruiters are not faceless robots for unfeeling corporations, nor are they ruthless used car salesmen seeking their own ends. In my 8 years of recruiting, I have seen recruiters good and bad; as it is with any profession. My feeling is that the vast majority of recruiters (of every discipline) are good people trying to do their job and on occassion they need help. They need to be reminded that you, the job seeker, are just as human and deserving of the same amount of respect.

Towards that end, I have written a manifesto calling recruiters to accountability. Please read, download and circulate to job seekers (and recruiters) everywhere.

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