7 white lies recruiters tell and what they really mean

Military recruiters are some of the most tireless salesmen in the country. When they're not handling some paperwork to make entering the military easier on a recruit, they're out finding fresh faces to bring into military service. Oftentimes, howe…
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Military recruiters are some of the most tireless salesmen in the country. When they’re not handling some paperwork to make entering the military easier on a recruit, they’re out finding fresh faces to bring into military service. Oftentimes, however, recruiters are given a bad reputation for stretching the truth to a prospective troop.


And let’s be honest; there is an extremely small handful of recruiters out there who are unethical and bring discredit upon their branch of service by flat-out lying to boost their numbers. The other 99.9% of recruiters out there doing the right thing, however, respond to questions a recruit asks in more colorful words to avoid scaring them. For example, if a dumb high-school graduate asks if the military will give them a free Camaro, the recruiter would likely respond with something like, “the military will give you the money you’ll need for a Camaro.” This isn’t a blatant ‘yes,’ but reframes how the potential recruit thinks about military service.

Here are some the ways these master persuaders put their special touch on common questions.

7. When asked, “is Boot/Basic is hard?”

Recruiters have a qualifier they use here — “It’s not as hard as it used to be.”

They’ll never tell you that it’s a walk in the park — because it’s not. Older vets that went in when Drill Sergeants/Instructors could lay hands on a recruit had it much harder, but they’re still going to break the civilian out of you.

Basic is so easy, even Homer Simpson could do it. (Image via GIPHY)

6. When asked, “is college is free?”

A good recruiter will never use the phrase “free college,” because it isn’t.

In addition to “paying for it with your commitment,” you pay small chunks for the first 12 months of your enlistment as an allotment.

Basically… (Image via GIPHY)

5. When asked, “which job pays more?”

There is no job in the military that pays more than others. Yes, there are slight increases in pay for certain things, like deployments, dependents, and airborne pay, but everything else goes off pay grade.

That said, an MOS with lower promotional requirements will pay more over time.

Yep. That’s pretty much how it works… (Image via GIPHY)

4. When asked, “Do I get to do this when I’m in?”

Outsiders looking in have wild ideas about military service. Wide-eyed recruits who show up wanting to start their life as part of Airborne, Rangers, or Special Forces will be sadly disappointed.

Recruiters don’t have the pull to get a fresh recruit into some of the most prestigious schools. The go-to response is, “you can try when you get to your first duty station,” which basically like a Magic 8-ball saying, “ask again later.”

When a recruiter is asked if a recruit can get an “SF Contract.” (Image  via GIPHY)

3. When asked, “what are my best options when I get out?”

All MOS’s have skills that transfer into the civilian world. “Leadership abilities” and “working well as a team or alone” are buzzwords that every civilian job goes nuts over.

Usually, if you show interest in anything non-military, the recruiter will masterfully relate it to the lessons learned in service.

Best advice a recruiter can give. (Image via GIPHY)

2. When asked about bonuses.

Bonuses add a little incentive, helping convince people into high demand jobs (like water purification specialists) or jobs that need to stay competitive with the civilian marketplace (like aviators).

Recruiters don’t or at least shouldn’t lie about bonuses because they’re hard numbers on paper. If you just ask which job has the best bonus, they’ll look to the spreadsheet to see which job is needed at that moment.  If you show interest in a job that doesn’t have a bonus, they’ll often leave them out of the conversation as to not change your mind.

Don’t spend it all in one place… (Image via GIPHY)

1. When asked, “does this need a waiver?”

If a recruiter pushes for a waiver, they like something about the recruit or their numbers are hurting, but there’s just one or two things holding them back.

Waivers are a pain in the ass. While the recruit has to prove they’re worth the trouble, the recruiter has to jump through far more hoops to get them through — that means paperwork, meetings, and phone calls. It takes a lot for the recruiter to back-up their claim that the recruit is a fine addition to the military or they really, REALLY need the numbers.

Recruits can basically get in with whatever — given enough paperwork. (Image via GIPHY)