MetaFilter posts tagged with recruitment

How An American Soldier Is Made

Effigy2000 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:29:03 -0800

This is how an American soldier is made. A fascinating photo essay that details 27 months in the life of new US Army recruit Ian Fisher. It chronicles his recruitment, induction, training, deployment and finally, his return from combat.

Army and National Guard recruitment remains a numbers game

paulsc — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:49:08 -0800

As the Obama administration debates strategy for the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense recently announced it had met its 2009 recruitment goals, but Fred Kaplan of Slate sees it differently. As Congressionally mandated period end strength for the National Guard and Air National Guard comes down, recruiting goals for the U.S. reserves have actually dropped sharply. Yet, as of October 14,

"the Army had more than 32,300 people in its delayed entry pool — people who have enlisted but have not shipped to basic training. That number is more than 43 percent of the annual recruiting goal, the highest it has been since 2004."

Bill Carr, under secretary of defense for military personnel policy, cited the weakness in the U.S. economy, and improved recruitment programs and bonuses as key reasons for the 2009 recruiting results.

"High-quality recruits are more expensive to recruit, Carr noted. Recruit quality A direct correlation exists between the economy and recruit quality, economists say. John Warner and Curtis Simon of Clemson University have estimated that a 10 percent increase in the unemployment rate leads to a 3 percent to 4 percent increase in high-quality enlistment. Another study has suggested a 5 percent increase, Warner said. In addition, many studies show that high education levels, AFQT scores and experience all correlate to productivity and flexibility in service. Experts say recruits with high school diplomas are much more likely to finish their first terms of service and perform higher-quality work. Carr said the improvements were particularly remarkable given the increasing difficulty in finding qualified candidates for accession, with nearly three-quarters of today’s high school graduates going on to college, compared to 50 percent in the 1980s, Carr said. Moreover, in the 1980s, one in 20 17-to-24-year-olds were considered obese by Centers for Disease Control standards; today, the ratio is one in four. “That creates a tighter constraint as you seek to find fully qualified recruits,” Carr said, adding that the military has to attract more than 15 percent of qualified young Americans in order to maintain the force."

The new Nazi army: How the U.S. military is allowing the far-right to join its ranks.

hortense — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:11:28 -0800

Nazis in the military is dedicated to the investigative project undertaken by journalist Matthew Kennard while studying for a MS in Investigative Journalism at Columbia University in New York. It was completed over six months and explores the increasingly liberal attitude of the U.S. military to neo-Nazis and white supremacists serving in the armed forces. via He also wrote about GOP teens at the convention, Chomsky approves. Chuck Mertz in depth interview(mp3) third hour

See, it IS fun

mattoxic — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 23:22:21 -0800

Battleship Extreme, Operation Tiger, Operation Thunderbolt, Operation Seahawk, Operation Allied Shield, are newly released online games from the Australian Defence Force. But where’s Operation Tank Rage?

The album's title is taken from a line by the poet Apollinaire

amberglow — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:32:23 -0800

So Much Fire To Roast Human Flesh from Arthur Magazine--an 18-track, multi-artist compilation CD curated by Foster featuring exclusive contributions from some of the more outspoken members of the nation's burgeoning psychedelic folk scene, ... All profits will be distributed to specific counter-military recruitment and pacifist organizations and programs who effectively advise high school students and other Americans at risk of being taken advantage of ... (and you can listen here). Some might remember Arthur vs. Godsmack--their music is heavily featured in recruiting ads.

We support the troops! No numbers, please

orthogonality — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:42:56 -0800

Honoring the fallen is bad for business. Magnetic yellow "ribbons" on the SUV, good! Actual numbers, double-plus ungood!

No Child Left Unrecruited

augustweed — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 03:32:51 -0800

As if a looming draft isn't enough, we now have a military recruitment web site nearly masquerading as commercial (.com) job-placement web site run by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) from the Pentagon. ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a test administered for career placement for all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Will there be any children left behind in America. Is our past our future?

Which Branch Would Jesus Join?

amberglow — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 21:02:19 -0800

incredibly weird military recruitment drive/sermon/men's night out thing in a Baptist Church ... Every word of this might be true, but it was also part of a “The lord will protect you in the military” themed sermon. I have never had both respect and disgust for a single individual with such volume in my life. When I asked him for a picture with him holding the same bible he is in the sermon picture I think my attitude came off as “fan boy”. ... (might be slow-loading--tons of pics)

No Child Left Unrecruited

fenriq — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 16:53:41 -0800

What "No Child Left Behind" Really Means
"There, buried deep within the law's 670 pages, is a provision requiring public secondary schools to provide military recruiters not only with access to facilities, but also with contact information for every student -- or face a cutoff of all federal aid."

Read that again slowly, No Child Left Behind is actually a military recruitment program. Backed up with an inverse extortion threat.
via.

Mo' betta Green Berets -- more quickly?

alumshubby — Wed, 18 Jun 2003 12:12:51 -0800

"Army recruiting civilians as potential Green Berets" is the story I was thinking about when I wrote this post. Sounds like Rumsfeld wasn't kidding around. I wonder if, as discussed yesterday, there's a manpower shortage anticipated?

SandeepKrishnamurthy — Fri, 13 Sep 2002 08:46:30 -0800

Welcome to the State Department... I mean, the Republican Party. "For some time, travelers browsing the State Department Web site for helpful tips about Guadalajara, Mexico, found much more than they bargained for when they clicked on a photograph of President Bush. The click transported them to a partisan playground, where they were told how to get involved with the Republican Party and even how to donate money to it." (Why does nytimes.com have all the good stories?- metafilter, metafilter)

Darke — Thu, 25 Oct 2001 17:42:43 -0800

Army to develop video games. According to an Yahoo article, a venture funded by the US Army is developing videos games for the home market. "The U.S. Army will provide funding, but its Training & Doctrine Command bureau will also be involved in game development, ICT said. The games will allow players to control entire groups of soldiers, ICT said, with CS-12 allowing the player to take the role of a company commander and C-Force putting the player in the role of squad leader." I kinda get an "Ender's Game" sort of feel from this.

gluechunk — Wed, 12 Sep 2001 14:18:28 -0800

Military recruitment offices have reported a jump in visitors and phone calls. Lots of people apparently want to kick someone's ass themselves. "I'd be happy to go to the draft now," said one person. Do young people around you want to join the armed forces now?

owillis — Thu, 21 Jun 2001 08:23:38 -0800

Bush warned of G-8 terrorist threat Bin Laden's recruitment video shows them taking shots at a video image of Clinton, and possibly a link with the bombing of the Cole. Also, speculation on moving the summit.

da5id — Thu, 22 Jun 2000 07:10:53 -0800

Nortel offering $1 Million to employees who recruit talented friends. Employees are being asked to submit applications from family and friends, and for every new hire the referring employee gets $2,000 and the chance to enter five draws, each with a prize of $100,000. About 1,000 of the 5,300 optical jobs are in Canada, with the rest split between the United States and Britain. For well-connected employees, there is a $10,000 bonus for bringing in three people, and a $20,000 bonus for five.

Did I happen to mention my major is Telecommunications Management, and I graduate in 2 semesters???

ratbastard — Mon, 08 May 2000 08:45:28 -0800

Mind Games for Tech Success: You've Got to Play to Win. Interesting article from today's Washington Post showing how high tech recruiters are using Games and Theory to identify hot prospects.