Photo By Chief Petty Officer Chris Williamson | INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (Feb. 4, 2021) This week’s Recruiter in the Spotlight is Sonar...... read more read more
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by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Williamson, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Mid-America Public Affairs
ST. LOUIS – Six, four, three and a few singles to spare; these numbers reflect the different awards Sonar Technician (Submarine) 1st Class Jacolby Byrd has earned. By sheer numbers alone, he could easily be considered a successful recruiter.
During his time at Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Mid-America, Byrd has earned a six-shooter award, four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, three heavy-hitter awards, one Junior Sailor of the Quarter, one Talent Scout of the Quarter, one Special Programs Recruiter of the Quarter, and one Nuclear Field Recruiter of the Year.
To Byrd, however, recruiting is about more than just himself and holding impressive numbers. In fact, his recruiting motto is, “what matters are people, and people are more than numbers.”
Byrd, who is currently assigned to NTAG Mid-America as a talent scout at Navy Recruiting Station Independence, Missouri, attributes that mindset to coming from humble beginnings.
He grew up in the Woodlands, Texas, in a one-parent household, with Byrd being the oldest of three siblings.
“Since I was the firstborn, I felt like I needed to help my mom out and to be the leader in my family,” said Byrd. “I tried to not only be a sibling and a friend, but also a role model for my little brother and sister.”
Byrd, who is 29, said he was able to lead his family not only through struggles, but through good times as well.
“I could tell it was difficult at times taking care of all three of us,” said Byrd. “But we always had what we needed. My mom taught me how to prioritize and to work hard for what I wanted in life.”
Byrd said because of his upbringing, he had two things instilled within himself – hard work and leadership. These skills inevitably translated well over into the Navy and also as a recruiter.
“In order to thrive, I learned that mentorship and hard work is what makes people successful,” said Byrd. “That goes for both life in general and recruiting duty.”
As a recruiter, living in a city with a population of approximately 116,000 people, Byrd is often the first Sailor the people of Independence get to see.
“When most people buy into the idea of the Navy as a career option, they first have to buy into me,” said Byrd. “That’s why it’s important to build trust and rapport within the community.”
Byrd, who has been a recruiter for the past three years, says that even though he understands the Navy recruiting mission, people are more important to him.
“While recruiting, I tend to focus more on taking care of people,” said Byrd. “That way, the Navy gets people with the best attitude and skillsets while replenishing the fleet with quality leaders.”
Although Byrd is focused on getting quality people into the Navy, recruiting has been met with some challenges, especially during 2020 and into this year.
“I’m a people person, and I love to talk about and teach people about the Navy,” said Byrd. “But since the pandemic, our access to get into high schools and colleges has been restricted, which has made it difficult to interact with people.”
Even though recruiting duty has had its difficulties due to the pandemic, Byrd, who has been in the Navy for eight years, said those challenges are cancelled out by the one most rewarding part of the job – changing people’s lives.
“Some of my most memorable moments in recruiting have involved getting phone calls and messages from people I recruited,” said Byrd. “When they contact me, they thank me for putting in the hours in order to help them get to a better place in their lives. I’ve seen Future Sailors come from places with no doors on the front of houses and living out of hotels.”
Byrd said that these Sailors are now living life to its fullest potential and making their dreams come true.
“That right there is what this job is all about,” said Byrd. “It’s not about making goal or hitting certain numbers. It’s about helping people, because they’re more than just a number.”
NTAG Mid-America, part of Navy Recruiting Command (NRC), recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas encompassing Missouri, Kansas, central and southern Illinois, and a portion of Kentucky.
NRC consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2021 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 391006 |
| Location: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 299 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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