Questions on Recruiters

[Guest adam605]

Is there actually "officer" recruiters? or are they all the same, if not how do you find one. Thanks ( I live around Philadelphia if anyone can recommend a good one )

[CHQ Pilot]

There are Officer Recruiters, but they are few and far between. From what I have heard the Air Force finally realized they needed recruiters just to handle Officers and made a position specifically for that last October.

[ 05 February 2004, 22:54: Message edited by: CHQ Pilot ]

[Rocker]

Officer Accessions (OA) recruiters have been around for a long time. Go to airforce.com and look under Officer Careers. There is a place you can enter some information and they will call you or send you something. A quicker way might be to go to airforceots.com (an unofficial site) and post a message about Philadelphia-area OA recruiters and see if anyone knows anything.

[Guest cbire880]

I'm living in State College at Penn State right now and for some reason I remember my recruiter mentioning that he has most of the state. He's touch and go with email, but pretty prompt on the phone. His name is TSgt Patrick Marker. His email address is patrick.marker@rs.af.mil and the office number is 814-237-8817. Might be the wrong guy depending on where around Philly, but its a start. I'd also give the local recruiter a call and they can put you in touch with the appropriate personnel.

[Chucktown17]

The Air Force has made the Officer Accesion recruiters a much more common thing. My recruiter tells me that, a year from now, he wouldn't be able to handle me. They're in a transition phase right now.

[Guest jkfaust]

I talked to a recruiter today and he told me some news I don't believe. He said that OTS requires an average GPA of 3.5, but a 3.7 is what is really expected. He looked at my PCSM and AFOQT and told me I should go in as an enlisted and work my way up to OTS. My PCSM is a 70 with one flight hour, can be upgraded as high as 98, my Pilot was an 89 and Nav 93 on the AFOQT. My GPA with a Master's degree in Business was between a 3.0 and 3.1. Is he B.S.ing me and if so whats the best way of working around him? Thanks.

[Guest 130Nav]

Be very wary of the recruiter!!!

Recruiters have no quotas for Officers but they do have quotas for enlisted. I have known several people that were recruited, already had degrees, and were never told that being an officer was an option.

[Guest wingzero]

I had one recruiter flat out tell me that working with officer applicants sucks. He basically said that the amount of paperwork and frustration that goes into submitting a package for an officer as opposed to enlisted personnel almost makes it not worth it. He even went so far as to say that given enough time he was sure he could convince me that I didn't want to be a pilot! Well I went to another recruiter and was accepted this past month. I agree with chuck17 in asking for this guys supervisor.

[Guest Aces-High]

Basically, as many have said before, you have to look at the recruiter as merely a tool (no pun intended) with which to complete your objectives. You must go and tell the recruiter what you are going to do and then have him handle all of the "official business". Otherwise they are going to try to steer you in the direction that would best serve their purposes ie quotas. The key is that you do all of the work that you can possibly do to get things going and then take those things that are over your head to the recruiter so sign off or push through the system etc. In the case of this guy I would try to find a different recruiter.

This is not to say that all recruiters are bad. I went through two recruiters before I found a really good one that has helped me alot. He has been right on top of things and has handled everything very professionally and quickly. If you are trying to apply to the reserves I would recommend you try to see if you can get in contact with a HQ recruiter. They seem to be the most helpful.

[Guest 130Nav]

A good friend of mine is married to a recruiter and she told me that each recruiting office should have a person designated as an officer liason.

If you want to go Guard or Reserves then a lot of times the best option is to deal directly with the section that you want to work with. If you want to fly then you've got to find someone at Base ops to point you in the right direction.

[Guest laurendenise28]

I agree with going through the unit directly if Guard or Reserve. I was thinking of Active Duty to try for a Nav slot and the recruiter wasn't helpful and told me I had no chance with my AFOQT scores and a 3.2. I went to the units directly and got offered a Nav slot at each. I know Nav is much easier to get, yet the AD recruiter still told me I had no shot. I haven't dealt with a recruiter since, thank gooddness!

[backseatdriver]

My advice on finding a good recruiter would be to contact a local AFROTC Detachment and ask to speak to their UAO (Unit Admissions Officer). Even if you can't do ROTC, these guys have lots of information on OTS. In addition, they keep close contacts with area recruiters so they can point you to one that has their stuff together.

One thing about UAOs is that they won't hose you with bad info. They're officers and they're going to be able to give you info from that side of the house as opposed to talking to an enlisted recruiter that might have absolutely no clue what they're talking about. Also, it gives you someone you can run info by if you think the recruiter is trying to give you the shaft.

[/$.02]

[Guest pilot -applicant]

I just started applying for OTS/UPT, and I think I got one of "those recruiters". While he was not as bad as telling me that I should go enlist (I have a BS in Mechanical and a MS in Nuclear engineering w/ high GPA) he seemed very much like he wanted to convince me that I have no chance. He also seemed very reluctant to work with me on getting a waiver for ACL surgery. His exact words were "We don't entertain that kind of stuff for pilot applicants without a prior military record." Anyway, enough bad-mouthing.

How does one go about finding another requiter, without steping on toes and pissing people off?

[Guest mollybloom]

Is there anywhere you can go to report really, really horrible recruiters? I've been working with this one recruiter for seven months and I've only actually talked to him once (on the phone) and he always replies to my e-mails two weeks after the fact--IF at all.

To pilot-applicant: I say to hell with worrying about stepping on toes. I doubt a recruiter can pull much weight in the selection process after you dump his *** for being bad at his job. ...my humble opinion...

[Guest stu]

Aces-High posted some good insight on the role of recruiters in the OTS process. It is the recruiter's job to provide assistance to interested and *qualified* applicants--with qualification based on the regs, not his own jaded opinion. However, it is human nature that he invest more time and energy into those cases he feels have better chances of being successful. That's not to say that the "weaker" applicants won't eventually get the help they need, but the stronger he perceives your case the more energetic and efficient he will be in assisting you--which all equates to getting selected and getting a class date sooner. The OTS process is an incredibly LONG one with lots of hurry-up-and-wait, full of many bureaucratic hoops to jump through . . . hence lots of opportunities for an apathetic advocate to poke along. Take charge of your future!

Remember, the minute you first step into the recruiter's office you are being evaluated. Win the recruiter's confidence in your potential early and the next year or two or three of your life as you jump through hoops to get in will be better for it. Incidentally, I lucked out with a pretty good recruiter right off the bat but continue to be frustrated by a horrendously protracted process which is "just how things are, son."

As a side note, does anyone know exactly how recruiters themselves are evaluated? Obviously it's on a quota system, but is it # of applicants meeting boards, # getting selected, # starting training or more of a composite-type score?

[Guest flightcrazed]

I just talked with an idiot for a recruiter and am wondering if I have to use him because he's local or if I can go somewhere else. The guy told me the AF made 4 pilots this year and 2 came from the Academy...blah blah blah, and that my chances are obviously slim.

[Guest JoeMama]

In my experience with OTS recruiters, they usually don't know what they're talking about. I wouldn't change recruiters, because you probably won't get one much better.

Just make sure YOU know what you need, get in the driver seat, and bug the hell out of your recruiter until your package is complete. Of course, be polite and respectful so you don't piss him off...but be a squeaky wheel.

[Guest Aces-High]

Flightcrazed,

If you are trying to shoot for OTS through the reserves you can try to get a regional Reserve Command recruiter. I had the same problem you do, however, the Reserve Command recruiters can handle all of your material without breaking the poaching laws. I live in Ohio and got a command recruiter from Scott AFB in Illinois. You can try to be a squeaky wheel, but I always prefer to go to the top. Typically, the guys at the top made it there for the simple reason that they are good.

My command recruiter, in comparison to the local guy, was absolutly fantastic. He worked with me over the phone to get everything squared away and was extremely prompt in returning phone calls and in handling my material.

Good Luck,

Aces

[Guest flightcrazed]

Aces -

So how do I go about finding a Reserve Command recruiter?

[Guest Aces-High]

Flightcrazed,

I got my command recruiter through my sponsoring unit. I told them I didn't want to deal with my local recruiter and if they could find me a different guy. They gave me the command recruiter's number and I went from there.

If you don't have a sponsoring unit, then I would suggest you look up the Reserve Command Headquarter's home page and see if you can't find any numbers for recruiters, or any other numbers for that matter, even if they aren't for recruiters. If you call a number that isn't a recruiter number just tell that person that you are trying to reach a reserve command recruiter and what is the best number to reach them at. Don't be afraid to make phone calls to the wrong people in order to get where you want. I have done it many times and it may take longer, but it always got me to where I needed to be.

Good luck,

Aces

p.s. they may just try to reroute you back to your local recruiter, tell them (tactfully) that you have heard excellent things about command recruites and you would be more comfortable working with them than your local guy.

[ 27. August 2004, 12:36: Message edited by: Aces-High ]

[Murph]

flightcrazed,

Somehow find out who the recruiter's supervisor is and express your concerns that way. I'd like to think that kind of bafoonery would be frowned upon by his NCOIC. Essentially, don't stop working up the chain until you talk to someone who has a clue.

[ColoradoAviator]

Howdy everybody.

I would like to clarify some information I received from my recruiter versus some information I've received from a different recruiter, this board, and various other sources.

I have a 4-year degree and had PRK in October of last year. I must wait one year to attempt an FC1 physical prior to application for OTS/UPT. I was under the impression that I could take my BAT and AFOQT tests during my one-year waiting period.

My local recruiter basically said he would not do anything for me until one year after eye surgery. No paperwork, no tests, nothing. He even neglected to mention the required paperwork and measurements for post-PRK waiver requirements.

Is my new local recruiter giving me false information or blowing me off? I was hoping to get the bulwark of my application minus the physical done before the one year mark in order to apply sooner rather than later.

Any information is appreciated!

[FUSEPLUG]

It took me almost one year to the day from when I first met my recuiter to the time I found out I was selected. My FC1 then came 3 months later!

You have the commissioning physical, AFOQT, the paperwork, and of course the chance you may need a medical appeal or waiver BEFORE going to the FC1.

Get all that stuff out of the way, then once you are selected you can worry about the FC1, and by that time you'll probably have had a year since the PRK.

[Guest Liger]

yeah, your recruiter is full of shit. i had prk on august 11, took the afoqt in january, did my fc1 this month, and take the bat in a couple of weeks. when i got in touch with my 2nd (and current) recruiter, i didn't mention the prk issue until later, and he didn't seem too worried about it, so you may not want to bring it up right away... basically what i seem to have noticed is that recruiters aren't very helpful until they see you score well on the afoqt-- the only hard-and-fast rule i remember off the top of my head is no upt until 1 year post-op. i think the other stipulation is no fc1 until 3 months post op.

[Guest Apollo]

On the OTS application, all applicants are prevented from applying if they are less than 12 months post up.

[ 12. February 2005, 10:23: Message edited by: Apollo ]