NRD Miami Sailor Shares ‘Formula” for Success

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Latrice Ames | 180718-N-II118-0001 BRANDON, Flo. (August 18, 2018) Fire Controlman 1st Class Jose Sotocora is recognized in the series “The Recruiter Spotlight,” which highlights standout recruiters across the country. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kim Martinez/Released)  

UNITED STATES

08.30.2018

Courtesy Story

Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

BRANDON, Florida – “Formula One. That’s my thing because I love competition,” said Fire Controlman 1st Class Jose Sotocora, Navy Recruiting Station Brandon enlisted programs recruiter and one of Navy Recruiting District Miami’s top producers.

“There is a lot of teamwork in that sport and it is so much like recruiting. The driver and team both want to be successful, which is very similar to recruiters and divisions. Each day, the drivers and teams develop their cars and tech strategy and must push themselves to be a better and faster team or car. If they don’t continuously develop, they will be surpassed,” he said. “The other teams and cars will eventually catch up because they are developing as well.

For Sotocora, Formula One racing is part of his formula, development and motivation in striving to be one of the Navy’s Recruiting superstars. A Puerto Rico native, Sotocora joined the Navy in 2008 with aspirations to provide a better life for his family. He experienced much of what the Navy offers as a fire controlman on board several Navy ships, and has travelled to many countries including England, France, Italy, Dubai, Bahrain and Spain. Having the ability to see his shipmates operate the Navy in their respective ratings in various parts of the world motivated Sotocora to take on the challenge of becoming a Navy Recruiter, so he applied and was accepted for the duty.

“Adapting to the change of being a FC [fire controlman] and being a recruiter and having to learn the craft from scratch was challenging,” said a humble Sotocora. “Getting a grasp on the different approaches you can take to conduct the business of recruiting and juggling the different priorities isn’t always easy. Every day is different, and you aren’t always going to be a superstar; but Sotocora has proven that he has mastered the daily recruiting grind, enlisting an impressive 11 applicants into the Navy in one month. He has not allowed the success to go to his head however, and says his progress is due to the support that he receives both at home and at work.

“I always try to maintain balance at home because without it, you cannot successfully recruit,” Sotocora graciously said referring to the motivation he receives from his wife and children daily. “I completely embrace our command’s B.E.S.T philosophy and I always communicate with top recruiters in our district to keep me on my toes. We push each other another to get the best out of one another, and shoot for excellence,” he proudly added. “I learn something from every experience and every person and always strive to better myself each day. When I think about how my teammates and myself help one another, I remember that when you have a great team that pushes you through friendly competition, they aren’t going to stop, so neither can you! Their strengths will become your strengths and the Navy will be greater because of it all.”

So far this fiscal year, Sotocora has recruited a total of 52 Future Sailors for the Navy, contracting 11 applicants in one month; a feat so outstanding, Navy Recruiting Command awarded him the Navy Commendation Medal for recruiting excellence.

The mission of Navy Recruiting District Miami is to recruit high quality, diverse Future Sailors to meet the strategic manning requirements of America’s Navy. The entire territory covers three major metropolitan areas in Florida including Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, as well as the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the globe. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

NRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 20 Navy Recruiting Districts and six Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the country.

For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).

• Date Taken: 08.30.2018
• Date Posted: 08.30.2018 10:53
• Story ID: 290904
• Location: US