COVID-19 has affected military protocol in many different ways and military recruiting is no different. During the COVID-19 pandemic, military recruiters had to change their recruiting style from in-person meetings to over a screen. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in March 2020, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant recruiter Jorge Leal has had to work harder to recruit potential applicants. “COVID-19 has indeed made recruiting a bit more challenging without being able to interact in person with potential applicants at schools,” explains Leal. “We have adapted and continue to enlist qualified applicants regardless of the extra obstacles.” Being the confident recruiter he is, the pandemic has caused Leal and other recruiters to find new ways of recruiting. 

COVID-19 has affected military recruiters all over the country. In Georgia, Staff Sergeant Roderick Harvey shared how COVID-19 has made it more difficult for him to recruit. He stated, “Being in and out of the schools and going into the colleges and meeting with kids that are about to embark on their future, it was easy then. With this whole pandemic, it has made it difficult.” Harvey has only been recruiting for a year. He has to try to figure out how to use different technologies to help recruit qualified applicants. 

COVID-19 has affected more than schools and businesses. Leal stated, “COVID-19 has made us get more creative with no longer having access to students at schools. We instead rely heavily on social media to send out information to students.” Sergeant Leal has been working hard to recruit qualified applicants through social media. 

It is important to Sergeant Leal that his applicants feel comfortable during the whole recruiting process with COVID-19. Sergeant Leal stated, “Some applicants prefer to meet virtually while others are comfortable coming in-person. However, trying to provide information to a mass audience has become strictly virtual at the moment.” Currently, it is very popular for recruiters to use social media heavily to recruit applicants during this pandemic. MWhile COVID-19 has affected the military recruiting process dramatically, recruiters have a job to do and will continue to work hard to recruit applicants whether it be in-person or over a screen. If you want more information about how military recruiters are recruiting during this pandemic, visit this website.