Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Meranda Keller | Navy Counselor 1st Class Alicia Rollins re-enlists while social distancing on the...... read more read more
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MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) – When COVID-19 began sweeping across the United States in March, many businesses closed, while the majority of people went into quarantine. This drastic change affected the lives of everyone, especially those with jobs that required face-to-face interactions, such as Navy recruiters. Luckily, the Navy Recruiting Districts (NRDs)/Navy Talent Acquisition Groups (NTAGs) were up to the challenge of recruiting in this new environment.
Initially, the main focus was getting recruiters what they needed in order to begin teleworking.
“If they didn’t have a work phone or a work computer, they had to come in and get suited for one,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Meranda Keller, public affairs officer, NRD San Francisco.
Once everyone had the ability to work from home, it was just a matter of scheduling virtual meetings and adjusting schedules, said Keller.
NRD Miami experienced a smooth start as well.
“It was mid-March that we started social distancing and recruiting from our home,” said Chief Petty Officer Kathleen Gorby, public affairs officer, NRD Miami. “Our Sailors performed amazing. They still kept up their numbers. They had a flawless transition from in the station to at home without missing a beat. They performed so well.”
While in-person recruiting was out of the question, Gorby and Keller said recruiters have relied a lot on referrals and began to focus heavily on social media in order to make goals.
“Most of what we have done has been social media, so we focused mostly on Instagram, Facebook, video blogs, and all kinds of stuff just to get the word out that the Navy was still recruiting,” said Keller.
Keller said her recruiters were developing more content than they had ever developed in the past and were delivering above expectations.
Gorby agreed.
“For the month of April, (Petty Officer 1st Class) Blair actually brought in seven new contracts,” said Gorby. “He earned his ‘Six Shooter’ because all applicants had an ASVAB score above 50. He found all those people in a month where he couldn’t leave his house.”
To keep the motivation going during this pandemic, NRD Miami’s leadership started selecting Recruiters of the Week to highlight those who are going above and beyond – something Gorby said they will likely continue doing into the future.
Despite the world dramatically changing so quickly due to COVID-19, Navy recruiters were not disheartened. Instead, they adapted and redirected their efforts, knowing that the Navy was counting on them to continue the essential recruiting mission.
“Our Sailors are dedicated to the mission,” said Gorby. “They did not falter. Probably one of the biggest takeaways is that recruiters are resilient and will go above and beyond to keep the Navy operational.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 15 Navy Recruiting Districts and 11 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 06.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2020 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 372156 |
| Location: | TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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