To encourage people to join, recruiters emphasize the benefits of joining the military, including retirement and education opportunities. Despite the benefits, a booming job market and more people going to college has hurt military recruiters. To compensate, the military is offering more money for recruits to attend college, pay increases and high-tech jobs. After joining, personnel have to serve either four years active duty or six years reserve. While some people just walk in to recruiting offices, most recruiters also have to use telemarketing, classroom visits, letters and the Internet to find potential enlistees.
Many recruiters find the best way to get and keep recruits is to stay involved in their lives.
It's like they have a second parent. A few years ago Huddleston said he had to take a few days off work to cope with the loss of a recruit as a result of a shooting accident. It's like losing a family member. Another Marine recruiter recently visited a recruit at the hospital who was having surgery. Brenda Hamilton said her recruiting job is similar to her regular Navy job as a religious program specialist.