If you recruit for the Coast Guard when you go on leave this holiday season, you may be able to extend your time away to do it.
The service is expanding its Hometown Recruiting Program (HTRP) as part of surge efforts to attract candidates in a tight labor market. Thanks to a policy change, all active duty members can now apply to take part in the HTRP. In particular, the Coast Guard is looking for people who have strong interpersonal skills, a professional manner, and a desire to help shape our workforce for the future.
If you receive approval from your command and Recruiting Command to the HTRP, you’ll be able to extend your leave at home – or while visiting a place you know well – to undertake recruiting efforts.
The expanded HRTP is the Recruiting Command Incident Management Team (IMT) latest initiative. The IMT was set up to find innovative ways to recruit talent to meet changing operational challenges. In June, the IMT sweetened the Everyone is a Recruiter (EIAR) campaign by offering members a $500 bonus for getting a friend to enlist. (Stay tuned for big changes to the EIAR program. Announcement coming shortly!)
Recruiting Command recognizes that “our people and our mission are the reason folks choose to join and serve,” said Capt. Richter L. Tipton.
“Everybody has friends, family, and contacts,” Tipton said. “I need Coasties to go to places where they feel connected – to show the uniform, talk to lots of people, and tell everyone about their favorite days in the Coast Guard.
Then, he adds, you should pass along the contact information of those interested to a recruiter, who will do the rest.
While your hometown is the obvious place to go, the program also lets you recruit at a location you consider a center of influence (COI). This might be a former duty station, where you went to college, or even somewhere you love to visit.
As an HTRP participant, you may work with the local recruiting office, attending events within your community, whether hometown or COI. Your job will be to talk about your experiences, provide information, and answer questions to help promote the Coast Guard. To get an idea of what you might be doing, check out how these Portsmouth members recruited in their hometown in Puerto Rico last summer.
As part of the program, you’ll be authorized permissive orders, which can be for up to 30 days. Using these in conjunction with leave will allow you to extend your stay in your hometown or COI while you’re recruiting.
How to apply
Interested? Once approved by your command to participate in HTRP, you can find an HTRP application on www.gocoastguard.com/max. After the HTRP coordinator has approved your application, your command will authorize permissive orders, and off you go!
For more information go to: Military Assignments and Authorized Absences, COMDINST M1000.8A or check out the HTRP Guide on their website.
Resources:
- Maximum Efforts to Support Recruiting AXIMUM EFFORTS TO SUPPORT RECRUITING ALCOAST 175/22
- Servicewide Initiatives to Maximize Military Recruiting Efforts ALCOAST 176/22
- Readiness Management Periods (RMP) for Recruiting Efforts ALCOAST 357/22
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