NTAG Recruiter Aims to Change Lives – Including Her Own

Photo By Daniel Rachal | Damage Controlman 1st Class Mikia Bollinger, a recruiter from NTAG Portland, is highlighted as this week's Recruiter in the Spotlight.  

PORTLAND, OR, UNITED STATES

06.01.2023

Story by Daniel Rachal 

Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

PORTLAND, Ore. - It’s no secret that recruiting is an arduous duty. While some Sailors volunteer to take on the task to improve their advancement opportunities, others use the opportunity to hone and develop skills they didn’t previously have. And still others use it as an opportunity to go home again.
For Petty Officer 1st Class Mikia Bollinger, recruiting seemed like a good next step in her career. Bollinger joined the Navy out of Roseburg, Oregon, about 190 miles from her current location at Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Vancouver located in Washington state. Making monthly trips home to see her parents is a perk of the job she was not expecting.
“When I first joined, I didn’t think there were any opportunities to be near home and I never thought I’d go recruiting,” Bollinger said. “I try to go [home] at least once a month because as the Recruiter in Charge, when my guys are working, I’m working. But the first weekend of the month is always an off day so I try to go see them. That way I won’t miss out on any opportunities.”
Coming from the USS Lassen, Bollinger has worked hard to become more independent and how to handle things with little oversight. In recruiting, Sailors are assigned their high schools and zip codes after reporting to their station. That much is standard, but there is no formulaic way to being successful in recruiting; it comes from how each Sailor operates independently.
“It’s up to you how you go about being successful,” Bollinger said.
In the beginning, Bollinger had to lean on her leadership to help her sell the Navy and push applicants forward. Eventually, that changed. She learned to adapt different ways to handle different situations. At the beginning of her career, Bollinger called herself timid but now is more comfortable talking to people.
Ever since finding her way in recruiting, her successes have been numerous. She was the FY23 2nd Quarter Senior Sailor of the Quarter, received her fifth Navy Achievement medal, third Gold wreath and obtained her Recruiter in Charge (RinC) qualification. Now, two years into her tour at NRS Vancouver, she is the RinC of one of the top-performing NTAG Portland large recruiting stations.
Being a RinC has been a vastly different experience than being a Leading Petty Officer at sea. An engineer at heart, Bollinger likes working with her hands and talked fondly of the day-to-day structure of being aboard ship, knowing the daily routine. At NRS Vancouver, it is often not that straightforward and is a challenge.
“In recruiting you have to keep track of all these different applicants and different situations, and medical and lots of other paperwork,” Bollinger said. “If you let any of that slip you’re not going to make goal, you’re not going to be successful. You have to be more on top of your ‘A’ game and be more organized.”
While being a recruiter has taught her new skills and allowed the Oregonian a chance to go home again, it has also strengthened her desire to help Sailors. Bollinger is attempting to convert to Navy Counselor, so she can go back to the fleet and continue to shape lives and careers.
“I realized after doing this job that I like helping people,” Bollinger said. “The best part of this job is getting to help people make a change in their life and I want to help Sailors.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Portland is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and operates 18 recruiting stations throughout California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, covering more than 210,000 square miles. NTAG Portland is staffed with more than 170 Sailors and civilians whose mission is to recruit individuals who meet standards for Naval service. Follow NTAG Portland on Facebook and Instagram @navyjobsportland.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

• Date Taken: 06.01.2023
• Date Posted: 06.02.2023 14:58
• Story ID: 446106
• Location: PORTLAND, OR, US