Military Recruiters Have the Hardest Job in the Armed Forces

For many, it will probably amaze you when I tell you what the hardest job in the military is. It’s true that the military has many professions that are extremely difficult. Even just completing the schools that are required to call yourself a specific profession is both physically and mentally demanding.

These schools include Navy Seal Training and EOD. Then there are Army Rangers, Air Force PJs, and more. The military has many of the hardest jobs in the world, including being a military spouse.

Despite all of these demanding jobs, research and my personal experience speaking with those who have or are currently doing this job, being a military recruiter is the hardest job in the military.

The Tired and the Few

There are many negatives about being a recruiter including working long hours during the week, working the weekend, and even working some holidays. The recruiter is expected to meet goals and quotas based on the military’s needs each month.

Then there’s the reputation recruiters have. There are even rumors about how past recruiters supposedly lied to people to get them to join the military. However, the vast majority of recruiters are hard working, honest, and trustworthy, but

In addition to these reasons, there are many more that make recruiting the hardest job in the military.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

One of the most difficult parts of being a recruiter is meeting the quota they are given each month based on a branch’s needs. One month they may have a need for military police. Then the next month they will need to fill infantry or something else.

They perform a job that is just a numbers game.

Their whole career is based upon meeting the military’s needs for recruits each month. And most recruiters didn’t volunteer to do this job. They were forced to do it. When they’re selected they’re told that it may be possible for them to return to their previous jobs after 3-4 four years.

The Hurdles

It’s much harder to recruit today than it was when I was in high school. I would see military recruiters at our school all the time. However, nowadays many schools don’t even let recruiters in the school at all. And this has been caused by the misconduct of many recruiters nationwide. For example, in 2005 the Army suspended all recruiting efforts until all recruiters attended ethics training.

Being a recruiter today for any branch is very difficult. I believe the main reason is because of society today. The fact is that most people lack proper communication skills. They don’t know how to talk to people or how to answer their phone. But they know how to text all day.

Today there are so many people who have criminal backgrounds that include drug charges, domestic violence, and more. Or they’re covered in tattoos. Then you have so many people that can not pass the ASVAB test or be able to get the proper score to qualify for the job that recruiters are trying to fill for the Army’s need at that given time.

The Glaring Problem

Then there’s laziness and lack of commitment. The average age of new recruits coming into the the military is 19-25.

Many years ago people were raised differently. They had more responsibility and they were held accountable for things at home and at school. There are very few that have commitments in high school. Things such as sports, band, and academic clubs.

The kids at home have very few chores unlike I did when I was growing up. Today’s parents often ignore their kids. They hand them a phone so they can head to their rooms. And the parents do the same. Therefore, so many of the youth today are disrespectful, lazy, and lack the proper discipline and commitment it takes to be in the military.

This makes it much harder for recruiters to find viable recruits. There are so many hurdles and roadblocks that they must overcome in order to get a recruit in the military. This is why recruiters work such long hours. You’d think it’d be easy for recruiters to swear in three clients a month, but it isn’t.

An Example of the Process

Well, this is difficult for some because they have such a small area to recruit from. A recruiter has to contact hundreds of prospects to simply get three viable contacts sworn in each month. And a lot the time they have a certain MOS they’re recruiting for and, therefore, they aren’t just recruiting for the Army.

For example, they could be recruiting somebody who wants to be in the Army and be a combat engineer. There are so many issues recruiters have to overcome and recruiters have a specific set of guidelines. Here is the process:

Find a prospect that is interested
Try and sell them on being a combat engineer
Make sure they meet height and weight requirements
Wait for them to pass the criminal background check
Wait for them to pass the ASVAB test with a score that qualifies them for combat engineer
Sell them on when to go to boot camp

Final Thoughts

The recruiting process may take months, especially if there are more hurdles to overcome like medical issues that a doctor must review and sign-off on. And throughout this process, the recruiter must continue to recruit other prospects to fill other needs.

The recruiter must maintain consistent communication and keep the prospect interested in joining the military. The longer it takes to get a prospect sworn in, the more hurdles they’ll have to overcome, and there’s always the chance that the prospect gets frustrated and becomes less interested in joining the military. This is why recruiting is the hardest job in the military.

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Bill Howard

William "Bill" Howard is both a Wounded Warrior and a writer for Low VA Rates. Before beginning his career with LVR, Bill served in both the Navy (1988-1993) and Army (2005-present). In the Navy, he was part of Special Boat Unit 11, and he served as an E-7 sergeant first class, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist, and a Ranger while in the Army.