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Nov. 15th, 2006 10:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tspencer227I'm starting to seriously have doubts about whether or not I really have what it takes to be a recruiter. Which is strange, because I've never doubted my skill at anything in my life before (well, except when it comes to girls every now and again, but what guy doesn't?) In school, I had to work my ass off, but in the back of my mind I always knew I was going to make it through. On the ship, I never, EVER doubted my skills as an operator and a technician- quite the opposite. We nukes have a certain swagger about us in the fleet, and for the most part, it's well earned. But this recruiting thing... I've never been a salesman before, and it's not like any job I've ever had to work.
Yes, I hate my job, but unfortunately I was instilled with this thing called a "work ethic" and this other thing called a "sense of duty" at an early age. The end result? Starting to work around 7 every morning for the last week, leaving the office after 8 every night. Didn't get anybody to join last month, and so far, no solid prospects for this month. I can talk to these kids on the phone to no end, hand out lots and lots of business cards and have them call back, schmooze with teachers and guidance counselors until the cows come home, but I can't seem to close these kids to save my life. Granted, it's not an easy job- for the most part, we're talking about 17 and 18 year olds, still full of ideals and visions of changing the world, and then we come along and basically ask them to impulse- buy our product- give up the next 4 to 6 years of their life to the United States government to be thrust into a world that is utterly and completely foreign to 99% of the population. Normally, those aren't the sorts of choices you make on the spot, especially if you're still living at home with your parents, and still in high school, but that's exactly what we do- especially as the end of the month gets closer.
Somewhere in the end result, I'm just not getting it. Yes, I've put 4 people in the navy thus far- 3 of those were gimme's- they walked in, called in, or pretty much already had their minds made up. The other one- well, he's the kind of kid that will pretty much just follow wherever the currents take him- and somebody else did the final sale on his parents...and from what I heard, that one was a doozy- Lido spent 2 hours there before they finally agreed. In the month of October, I had 10 interviews with qualified applicants (passed the test, no serious problems to deal with), and not a single one of them joined. In the last 15 days, I've had 9 qualified interviews, with the same results thus far. I can get 'em in the seat, but I can't close the deal. Will a solution come with a bit more time? Who knows? All I know is, it's damned frustrating to see the other guy in the office write 3 contracts in 2 days, and not have anything going on myself to get the station to meet our monthly goal.
Yes, I hate my job, but unfortunately I was instilled with this thing called a "work ethic" and this other thing called a "sense of duty" at an early age. The end result? Starting to work around 7 every morning for the last week, leaving the office after 8 every night. Didn't get anybody to join last month, and so far, no solid prospects for this month. I can talk to these kids on the phone to no end, hand out lots and lots of business cards and have them call back, schmooze with teachers and guidance counselors until the cows come home, but I can't seem to close these kids to save my life. Granted, it's not an easy job- for the most part, we're talking about 17 and 18 year olds, still full of ideals and visions of changing the world, and then we come along and basically ask them to impulse- buy our product- give up the next 4 to 6 years of their life to the United States government to be thrust into a world that is utterly and completely foreign to 99% of the population. Normally, those aren't the sorts of choices you make on the spot, especially if you're still living at home with your parents, and still in high school, but that's exactly what we do- especially as the end of the month gets closer.
Somewhere in the end result, I'm just not getting it. Yes, I've put 4 people in the navy thus far- 3 of those were gimme's- they walked in, called in, or pretty much already had their minds made up. The other one- well, he's the kind of kid that will pretty much just follow wherever the currents take him- and somebody else did the final sale on his parents...and from what I heard, that one was a doozy- Lido spent 2 hours there before they finally agreed. In the month of October, I had 10 interviews with qualified applicants (passed the test, no serious problems to deal with), and not a single one of them joined. In the last 15 days, I've had 9 qualified interviews, with the same results thus far. I can get 'em in the seat, but I can't close the deal. Will a solution come with a bit more time? Who knows? All I know is, it's damned frustrating to see the other guy in the office write 3 contracts in 2 days, and not have anything going on myself to get the station to meet our monthly goal.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 11:52 am (UTC)One thing you gotta keep in mind is it depends on the time of year. Most people aren't looking for a job this time of year because most companies are not hiring around the holidays. Plus, if you were trying to get a job, would you really want to start right before the holidays, and not have any time off to see your family?