Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jackie Hart | 240202-N-VC236-1008 ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2024) - Sailors assigned to Navy Talent...... read more read more
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2024) – Sailors assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Jacksonville canvas one of the country’s largest recruiting areas of operations. From mid-Georgia to central Florida, Sailors are constantly looking for the most highly qualified individuals to join the ranks of the U.S. Navy.
To find those men and women, NTAG Jacksonville’s recruiters are going outside the typical settings of the recruiting office or high school auditorium. They’re looking for more events that draw the interest of their target audience, and they’re making the effort to meet potential Sailors in their element. That evolution is what makes today’s NTAG Jacksonville recruiters capable of helping maintain a naval force that operates around the clock, around the world, every day of the year.
“With everything in life, the only constant is change and recruiting is no exception,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Ian Boisvert, an Orlando-area recruiter originally from Needham, Massachusetts. “We can’t always do the things that worked to meet our goals 10, or even 20 years ago. That’s where having a good, focused group of Sailors comes in. By brainstorming, doing the research and finding out what interests the average 18- to 25-year-old person, we’re able to adapt our efforts both nationally and locally. That, in turn, keeps our Navy manned, ready and able to accomplish its mission day-in and day-out.”
One of the most interesting recruiting opportunities NTAG Jacksonville Sailors found recently was MegaCon Orlando – an annual, four-day convention for comics, anime, gaming and cosplay fans to come together and experience fan culture in the heart of Florida. Local recruiters teamed up with Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) personnel, Feb. 1-4, to create an effort that resonated with the convention audience. That effort included the Navy’s eSports team, Goats & Glory.
Over all four days, attendees had the chance to play some of their favorite video games with active-duty Sailors, challenge them in one-on-one matchups, and get a firsthand take on Navy life. They also had the option to receive more information from the recruiters who serve the surrounding areas, and many of them chose to learn more.
“Our main objective is to find ways to access markets that have not historically been tapped into,” said Chief Navy Counselor Wesley Lewison, from Chillicothe, Ohio, who leads community outreach, marketing and advertising for CNRC. “We’re adapting our marketing to meet the needs of the field, and we’re leveraging national assets such as Goats & Glory to work alongside our local recruiters. People want to come up, engage and build a connection with the players, and in turn want to learn more about what the Navy has to offer.”
By bridging the gap between pop culture and military service with eSports, Lewison added that the Navy has taken a national asset and invested in ‘building the brand’ of local recruiters even more. With Goats & Glory, the players can garner the interest of someone who may want to join the Navy in a different way than ever before. That first impression can then lead to one person wanting to learn more, then another person, and the snowball effect can be tremendous for recruiters at NTAGs such as Jacksonville.
“Being able to take the connections that the eSports team members made here at MegaCon Orlando, and to add the local recruiters at NTAG Jacksonville to help further those connections is our biggest goal at these events,” Lewison said. “I feel like we’re just starting to scrape the surface of what we’re capable of as an overall recruiting force, and I can’t wait to see how far we can go. Whether it be at a convention, sporting event, or something else entirely, we’re committed to finding the best future Sailors possible for our Navy.”
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Jacksonville’s area of responsibility includes more than 30 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations spread over 144,000 square miles of Florida and Georgia.
Follow Goats and Glory on Instagram @goatsandgloryesports to keep updated of their activities.
CNRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, NRRC, and 26 NTAGs that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2024 18:47 |
| Story ID: | 463254 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | CHILLICOTHE, OH, US |
| Hometown: | NEEDHAM, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 6,227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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