About Nelson Santiago

I’m in the US Navy and have served proudly for 28 years.. My planned retirement date is July, 2014.. I look forward to transitioning into the civilian world and would like to continue working in the Human Resources Management and Marketing field.. I am currently the Chief Recruiter for the largest Recruiting District in the United States, responsible for 1.5 million square miles, 49 recruiting station, spread throughout four states (Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.. I am responsible for the Training, Mentoring, and Leadership of over 200 military and civilian personnel..

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GovLoop

Very cool – welcome Nelson.

Any tips for other government recruiters? What’s worked for you in the past in terms of recruiting? And also training, mentorship, and leadership?

Nelson Santiago

Of course customer service is the one thing that stands out the most when speaking to potential recruits or candidates, but the main thing that has worked for me is “know your product”, whatever it may be, and believe in your product.. In Military recruiting we do not sell something that is tangible. We sell a lifestyle that requires us to really be familiar with our product and we must believe in what we sell.. As recruiters we must be great listeners, which will enable us to identify a need we can offer a solution to. As far as Leadership, your people come first, last and always.. You must get your team to believe in your common goal.. In other words, you must get buy in from your people.. Mentorship is about developing your people and molding them to recruit within or above your standard.. People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.. Thats where we come in as leaders and help them develop into successful recruiters and salesman in our industry. Training goes without saying.. We are always training.. When we talk to our people we are always in a training mode.. Every conversation should include some kind of training to enhance their knowledge and perfect their skills.. A happy employee is a successful employee, so always make sure the work environment is an open environment, where your people feel they can always talk to you about anything.. Lead by example and set a standard, never lower the standard once it’s set..