What is a Coast Guard Recruiter?

A Coast Guard recruiter is a noncommissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard who works to find qualified individuals, inform them of the benefits of enlisting in this branch of service and facilitate the enlistment process. The recruiter also might speak to high school or college groups about the opportunities available in the Coast Guard during career days or job fairs. He or she often is the first representative of this branch of the U.S. military to make contact with potential and future members of the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard recruiter initially will attend training at Cape May, New Jersey. The course is approximately three weeks long. The training focuses on outreach techniques and public speaking. The recruiter will learn the application process and how to answer questions about Coast Guard benefits. He or she also will observe several phases of recruit basic training during this time at recruiter school.

After completing training, a Coast Guard recruiter will work in an Armed Forces recruiting office under the direction of a station commander. At this office, the recruiter will meet and talk with applicants, prepare necessary paperwork, pre-screen candidates for compliance with Coast Guard height and weight standards and give sample Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) tests. The recruiter also will make appointments for physicals and for-record ASVAB testing for the pool of candidates with which he or she is working.

A Coast Guard recruiter will be responsible for making sure that his or her candidates meet enlistment requirements as well as making sure that they arrive on time to scheduled appointments. This might require the Coast Guard recruiter to pick an individual up at home and drop off him or her at the required location, then return the recruit to his or her residence or place of work when the appointment is completed. A Coast Guard recruiter will be provided with an official U.S. Government vehicle to use when transporting future Coasties to necessary meetings and appointments.

A Coast Guard recruiter will educate a new enlistee on the various services performed by the Coast Guard and the career opportunities available. This is done after evaluating the recruit's testing scores. The recruiter will look at the candidate's strengths and weaknesses based up on the ASVAB along with an assessment of his or her previous education and experience to suggest a suitable career field that also will meet the requirements and goals of the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard recruiters work long hours in order to devote themselves fully to the mission of filling the ranks of the Coast Guard with qualified personnel. They often are the first contact that a civilian has with military personnel, so the recruiter constantly must strive to present a professional attitude and appearance. Coast Guard recruiters, like their counterparts in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, make it possible for the United States to maintain an all-volunteer force.