Becoming a Recruiter With CF -- Feasible Career Goal?

[bamelin]

How does one pursue a career path to becoming a Recruiter in the Canadian Forces?

I have worked for 5 years as an Employment Case Manager/Counsellor under Employment Ontario funded programs working with Employment Insurance and Ontaro Works Recipients.  I also have 3 years (employment Agency) Recruitment experience.  Are Recruiters considered Resource Management Support Clerks?  Realistically is this a hard career path to break into?  I'd thought about it on and off over the past few years, assuming that alot of the skills I employ in my day to day life are possibly skills that CF Recruiters also use daily. 

I'm assuming that a Recruiter with CF would need to have training in one on one intake and assessment, Group Facilitation skills, Life Skills Training, and perhaps Job Matching skills when matching/accepting applicants for areas that CF are in need?  Maybe some psychoanalysis training (Strong Interest Inventory, Myers Briggs, Personality Dimensions, etc), and financial literacy training (to help potential recruits figure out the money side of applying)

Do CF Recruiters have any choice at all in terms of where they are deployed?  I'm married and I'm guessing somewhat older than the average recruit (36). 

 

[Bzzliteyr]

You need to become a member of the CF first, in pretty much any trade.. get qualified.. do time in your trade and other areas.. and if you are lucky you get posted to a recruiting center.

There is no CF trade named "recruiter".  If helps very much to have experienced the CF before you try to sell people on how amazing it is, right?

 

[mld]

Do CF Recruiters have any choice at all in terms of where they are deployed?  I'm married and I'm guessing somewhat older than the average recruit (36).

Long and short answer: no. If you read through this site, there are hundreds of posts concerning whether you will have a choice where you go. You can specify a preference, but the CF does not have to honour your preference at all.

 

[MikeL]

Resource Management Support Clerk is not a Recruiting Centre trade/job.  It is a NCM admin clerk job,  they can go anywhere in the CF,  from a Air Force Squadron to a Army Infantry Battalion.  There are clerks in the CFRCs,  but they would be dealing with the admin unless they are actually employed as a MCC.  A brand new Private RMS Clerk would not be working as a MCC by the way.

 

[bamelin]

You need to become a member of the CF first, in pretty much any trade.. get qualified.. do time in your trade and other areas.. and if you are lucky you get posted to a recruiting center.

There is no CF trade named "recruiter".  If helps very much to have experienced the CF before you try to sell people on how amazing it is, right?

There is a trade called Personnel Selection Officer  ( http://www.forces.ca/en/job/personnelselectionofficer-66#info-1 )

While I get your point regarding "experiencing CF", I am wondering how my particular specialized training (case management/counselling/assessment/intake/etc) might factor in when charting a career in CF (if it factors in at all).

 

[The_Falcon]

A few other points, ALOT of people working in Recruiting (Recruiters, File Managers, MCC's etc), are reservists.  This may change now that the Op Tempo has dropped a bit.  As well PSO's take a very keen interest in people working in RC's especially those who will interact directly with the public, ergo it's not any easy posting to get as the PSO will interview all potential people (Reg and Res) first to ensure that they have the right personality for the job.  Also Recruiters and MCC's don't advise people on how to handle their own finances (In fact the CF proper doesn't do this for it members, the CF expects you to be an adult and have a handle on this, yourself).  Recruiters will tell people how much recruits will take home roughly every paycheque, and that's about it.  MCC's will ask during the interview if you understand what all the financial considerations are as a new recruit as they pertain to your own situation and if you can meet them. 

 

[The_Falcon]

There is a trade called Personnel Selection Officer  ( http://www.forces.ca/en/job/personnelselectionofficer-66#info-1 )

While I get your point regarding "experiencing CF", I am wondering how my particular specialized training (case management/counselling/assessment/intake/etc) might factor in when charting a career in CF (if it factors in at all).

PSO is not a trade (Offices don't have "trades"), it is also one of the smallest occupation groups in the CF and EXTREMELY difficult to get into.  Minimum is Master's degree for direct entry, and a direct entry PSO is rare.  Most of them did an OT at some point.

 

[DAA]

While I get your point regarding "experiencing CF", I am wondering how my particular specialized training (case management/counselling/assessment/intake/etc) might factor in when charting a career in CF (if it factors in at all).

Unless you have a degree from an accredited college/university, your work experience/specialized training will not play much of a factor at all.  However, I would fathom a guess and say that because you have this type of training/employment, then you may already have some sort of degree.

PSO is not a trade (Offices don't have "trades"), it is also one of the smallest occupation groups in the CF and EXTREMELY difficult to get into.  Minimum is Master's degree for direct entry, and a direct entry PSO is rare.  Most of them did an OT at some point.

And good luck trying to get one posted to your unit... 

 

[The_Green_Basterd]

Resource Management Support Clerk is not a Recruiting Centre trade/job.  It is a NCM admin clerk job,  they can go anywhere in the CF,  from a Air Force Squadron to a Army Infantry Battalion.  There are clerks are the CFRCs,  but they would be dealing with the admin requirements unless they are actually employed as a MCC.  A brand new Private RMS Clerk would not be working as a MCC by the way.

There are 3 main jobs at a recruiting centre. 

Recruiters, they go out and seek applications or are on hand at the recruiting centre to take applications and help potential applicants discover what career opportunities might be open to them.  They are the, "Pro-Active" side of the recruiting process.  Normally, a recruiter at a Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre is a MCpl/MS or Sgt/PO2.  To achieve that rank, you can be in any NCM trade and usually have 5 or more years.

File Managers, they are typically RMS Clerks or other Pte/OS and Cpl/LS trades.  They do the majority of the processing of the application.  They are involved with getting the applicant a CFAT test complete, achieving Reliability status and completing the background screening activities.  There is often 1 MCpl/MS or Sgt/PO2 in charge of all the File mangers that is a Processing Supervisor or Senior File Manager.  File Managers can have any amount of service.

Military Career Counsellors, they are the people that conduct the interviews, review adverse information that might have come up in the background screening and ultimately rate you on your potential to be a member of the forces in the job you have requested.  These are Typically Capt/Lt(N) and WOs/PO1s but there are fewer and fewer of them as MCCs and they are of all occupations.  They typically have 5 or more years of service.

Lastly there is a quasi 4th, a junior and senior Medical Technician that does the medical screening.  There are medical techs that belong to health services but are assigned to do recruit medicals at a recruiting centre.

All these people at some point were told or asked to go to a recruiting centre but none of them are specifically qualified to work at one by way of career choice and will only get specialized as a result of being posted to a recruiting centre.

 

[bamelin]

Employment Counselling/Case Management in Canada is currently a college specialization offered as college diploma's at several institutions across Canada.  That's pretty much what I have (Career and Work Counsellor Diploma -- http://www.georgebrown.ca/C109-2013-2014/), along with 6 years or so of work experience.

 

[The_Falcon]

And good luck trying to get one posted to your unit... 

Toronto eating people again?

 

[bamelin]

There are 3 main jobs at a recruiting centre. 

Recruiters, they go out and seek applications or are on hand at the recruiting centre to take applications and help potential applicants discover what career opportunities might be open to them.  They are the, "Pro-Active" side of the recruiting process.  Normally, a recruiter at a Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre is a MCpl/MS or Sgt/PO2.  To achieve that rank, you can be in any NCM trade and usually have 5 or more years.

File Managers, they are typically RMS Clerks or other Pte/OS and Cpl/LS trades.  They do the majority of the processing of the application.  They are involved with getting the applicant a CFAT test complete, achieving Reliability status and completing the background screening activities.  There is often 1 MCpl/MS or Sgt/PO2 in charge of all the File mangers that is a Processing Supervisor or Senior File Manager.  File Managers can have any amount of service.

Military Career Counsellors, they are the people that conduct the interviews, review adverse information that might have come up in the background screening and ultimately rate you on your potential to be a member of the forces in the job you have requested.  These are Typically Capt/Lt(N) and WOs/PO1s but there are fewer and fewer of them as MCCs and they are of all occupations.  They typically have 5 or more years of service.

Lastly there is a quasi 4th, a junior and senior Medical Technician that does the medical screening.  There are medical techs that belong to health services but are assigned to do recruit medicals at a recruiting centre.

All these people at some point were told or asked to go to a recruiting centre but none of them are specifically qualified to work at one by way of career choice and will only get specialized as a result of being posted to a recruiting centre.

Thanks guys, your answers have been really helpful.  Sounds like I'd have to start as a File Manager then.

 

[DAA]

Employment Counselling/Case Management in Canada is currently a college specialization offered as college diploma's at several institutions across Canada.  That's pretty much what I have (Career and Work Counsellor Diploma -- http://www.georgebrown.ca/C109-2013-2014/), along with 6 years or so of work experience.

Regretably, I don't think that would work for much of anything, not even consideration for "semi-skilled" into any NCM occupation.  Maybe Hatchet Man or GB have more insight...

 

[jwtg]

I think that the most valuable thing you want to take away from this discussion is that getting into the recruiting stream at all (either as a PSO or one of the other jobs which are filled by members of all sorts of CF occupations), you would need to first serve the CF in another capacity.  People don't join and hop right into recruiting- rather, people who are already serving are placed in recruiting.

Your best bet is to find an occupation you would enjoy, and then, once you're in, try and eventually find your way into recruiting.  I wouldn't get in with a recruiting-or-bust mindset because you'll probably spend a long time getting qualified in whatever occupation you join under and then being employed in said occupation before you ever get the chance to go into the recruiting side of the house.

Good luck.

 

[bamelin]

Thanks.  Yup that's pretty much my takeaway  ;D

I appreciate it though glad I asked.

 

[The_Falcon]

I think that the most valuable thing you want to take away from this discussion is that getting into the recruiting stream at all (either as a PSO or one of the other jobs which are filled by members of all sorts of CF occupations), you would need to first serve the CF in another capacity.  People don't join and hop right into recruiting- rather, people who are already serving are placed in recruiting.

There are always exceptions, 2 of the FM's at my RC were posted there right after their RMS Clk 3's, and it was the same RC that processed them as applicants, so basically they were posted to their home city.  That's called winning the CF lottery, since they were also entitled to PLD.  Not trying to get to OP's hopes or anything.  But if this career counselling stuff is something you are into, nothing wrong with requesting a posting to a RC at the end of your RMS 3's, since you do have a civilian background in that field (if you go that route, since RMS would be the most likely trade to get posted to an open File Manager position).

As far as the college diploma being helpful beyond a mere tick in the box... nothing specific comes to mind, I know we sent a few PLARs for people applying to RMS if they had like Business Admin diplomas/Degree's, they were still pending when I left in November.  But we (well the MCC's asked us too) only did that because these people were pretty stellar candidates (high marks in school, high CFAT score, high MP score). 

 

[Bzzliteyr]

There are always exceptions, 2 of the FM's at my RC were posted there right after their RMS Clk 3's, and it was the same RC that processed them as applicants, so basically they were posted to their home city.  That's called winning the CF lottery, since they were also entitled to PLD.  Not trying to get to OP's hopes or anything.  But if this career counselling stuff is something you are into, nothing wrong with requesting a posting to a RC at the end of your RMS 3's, since you do have a civilian background in that field (if you go that route, since RMS would be the most likely trade to get posted to an open File Manager position).

As far as the college diploma being helpful beyond a mere tick in the box... nothing specific comes to mind, I know we sent a few PLARs for people applying to RMS if they had like Business Admin diplomas/Degree's, they were still pending when I left in November.  But we (well the MCC's asked us too) only did that because these people were pretty stellar candidates (high marks in school, high CFAT score, high MP score). 

So.. Many.. Acronyms.. poor guy.  Why don't you speak normal talk for the poster that is obviously a civilian?

Btw, when I joined many many years ago (20 actually) I wanted to get in to recruiting.. 2 years ago I wanted to get into recruiting.. I am bilingual and love to sell my job.. guess what I am not doing, still?

Recruiting.

 

[agc]

Keep in mind that Recruiting is a posting, not a career path.  As mentionned, you'll likely need to do lots of other training and work before you get there, and after you're done as well.  If you get a position, it's only for a few years, tops.

 

[The_Falcon]

So.. Many.. Acronyms.. poor guy.  Why don't you speak normal talk for the poster that is obviously a civilian?

Btw, when I joined many many years ago (20 actually) I wanted to get in to recruiting.. 2 years ago I wanted to get into recruiting.. I am bilingual and love to sell my job.. guess what I am not doing, still?

Recruiting.

If I wanted to post a direct response to the OP, I wouldn't have included a quote from one person who is CF and made reference to it, and answered a second person (also CF), asked me what I thought. 

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Sorry, I thought it was just good etiquette. 

My bad, f*** him.