Marines Corps Innovating With Virtual Recruiting
by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Desmond Andrews June 11,
2020
With each advance in technological capability, a community’s
means to engage with each other and their environment can reach new
heights. From social media platforms to video games, technology has
transformed the way people communicate and interact with one
another. This virtual world, which is ever-evolving, has provided a
new outlet for Marine recruiters to reach out and connect with
possible applicants.
Recruiters with the 8th Marine Corps
District attended their first online virtual career fair hosted by
Gamerjibe on May 20, 2020. Also, attending the fair were Marines
with Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command and Marine Corps
Tactical Systems Support Activity.
 Marines attending the Gamerjibe virtual career fair on May 20, 2020 occupy the Marine Corps booth. The fair provided Students interested in technological careers the opportunity to connect virtually and free of charge using an immersive and interactive experience. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Jessica Smith)
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The online event, which was free and open to the public, helped
Marine recruiters educate and inform potential candidates in
attendance while simultaneously engaging with other entrepreneurs
and tech businesses in attendance, all while from the safety of
home. Attendees could voice, video and text chat with Marines while
exploring the virtual booth for more information on technical career
opportunities with the Marine Corps.
Peter Perez, Vice
President of Gamer Development at Gamerjibe, is a former U.S. Army
soldier who enlisted in 2003, shortly after 9/11. Perez’
responsibilities while in the Army included managing telephone and
internet networking as well as their security. With unique
experiences as a member of the military and an avid gamer, Perez
believes platforms such as Gamerjibe offer unique outreach
capabilities for today’s recruits.
“Sometimes you have to
reach [applicants] through the things they care about and [in a] way
that they are able to build further relationships. Not just through
the gaming community, but the professional setting as well,” said
Perez.
Captain Lavontay Santos, a cyber-security officer from
Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, was invited to participate
on an emerging tech panel that culminated the week-long event.
Santos was impressed with the event and applauded it for
demonstrating the creative ways to leverage innovative technology to
remain connected in the current environment.
“The first time
I entered the Gamerjibe space and I saw the Marine avatars in Dress
Blues, I was like, ‘Yep, it’s on.’ The uniform speaks for itself…
this event showed me the tip of the iceberg [for] what is possible
when people think outside of the box on how to use technology to
connect with other human beings,” said Santos.
Major Ryan
Keller, a team lead in the Advanced Concepts Cell with Marine Corps
Tactical Systems Support Activity, acknowledged how Gamerjibe’s
virtual space allowed for open discussions among fellow gamers who
were also in attendance.
“I demonstrated to non-Marines that
a mid-level Marine Corps officer isn’t afraid to talk about and show
off knowledge of his experiences with playing DoTA 2, PUBG, Dark
Souls, MGS, any Zelda title… you name it,” said Keller. “In the same
vein, I wanted to tie how critical thinking, creative problem
solving, and overcoming new situations in video games is a skill
that translates in some limited capacity. Playing games as a hobby
shouldn’t be scoffed at, there are quantifiable positive results for
employing a gamer.”
During the virtual event, Gunnery Sgt.
Pedro Zambrano, a recruiter with 8th Marine Corps District, answered
questions about the Marine Corps in the form of his Marine avatar,
which was sharply displayed in a set of Dress Blues complete with
rank and medals. Zambrano is not new to the use of online platforms
and recognized early on the benefit of using this method to engage
with this key demographic.
“Marines use online platforms
daily for [seeking] future applicants and communicating with their
pool,” said Zambrano. “Nowadays, since most of our market
communicates through social media and a variety of apps, it assists
Marines tremendously by providing an efficient line of communication
that directly links them to an applicant [or] poolee. The response
time becomes shortened, and Marines are able to communicate with
groups… vice having to call each one individually.”
“Technology is definitely vital to success in my field,” further
echoed Captain Riacca Glatt, an officer selection officer for
Recruiting Station Dallas. “My area of operations is over 60,000
square miles so I cover Dallas and northeast Texas, all the way into
Little Rock, Arkansas. Technology enables me to recruit across my
entire [area] in the short amount of time that I have because I am
traveling quite often. No matter where I’m at, I am able to perform
my job because of the technology and the online platforms that the
Marine Corps utilizes today.”
Zambrano further described how
this innovative method of connecting with potential applicants was
made easier through the use of the event’s immersive
three-dimensional digital environment developed by Gamerjibe.
“Having the ability to walk around an environment that simulated
an actual career fair felt nice,” said Zambrano. “I would walk up
and just say hello through private chat or by typing a message.
Also, stepping in a booth where others were already chatting made it
easy to get included in their conversation. Our Dress Blues avatar
was the talk of the career fair.
"People controlling a
virtual avatar usually adhere to more social norms than one would
expect,” said Keller. “Moving closer to someone that you were having
a conversation with was nice. Being able to talk in real time but
having the safety net of a virtual space to do that through made
people far more comfortable and us as Marines more approachable.”
With interactive virtual world technologies such as
Gamerjibe available, Glatt believes this innovative method of
communication will significantly influence recruiting strategies in
the future.
“I think technology has been a part of Marine
Corps recruiting and will definitely continue to be a part of it,”
said Glatt. “Virtual career fairs, video conferences, virtual
panels, and other opportunities such as that are just great means of
reaching a wide audience especially during uncertain times when
social distancing is in place to keep the safety of our nation as
the number one priority. Social media is also principle in our
recruiting efforts and I believe will continue to be. As long as the
Marine Corps continues to invest in the technology necessary for
recruiting, we will continue to be successful in making Marines and
Marine officers.”
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