Are You in a Police Recruiting War?

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From competing at job fairs to booking more out of state recruiting trips than one another and even in simply just trying to attract candidates…there’s a lot of wars going on right now in police recruiting and there are just about as many influencers and outside companies trying to convince you to wage one of your own! 💣💥

Well, here’s three reasons why that mindset is setting  you up to fail...keep reading! 👀

Hey everyone, it’s Tom Sye your Police Marketing FTO, and this week, I gotta address something that’s been on my mind and that is the resurgence of the ‘war’ terminology in police recruiting. ✊

I thought this topic was dead and buried a couple of years ago, but here we are and it’s back with influencers and outside companies galore, none of whom have ever worked in police recruiting let alone understand it, telling you this ‘war’ mindset is one you must have if you want to succeed. 🙄

Listen…I’ve told you this before and I’m going to remind you again…

If you work in police recruiting…you’re not at war with anybody.  You’re not in a competition, even a friendly one, with any other agencies. 🙅

If you are doing the things I’m teaching you consistently, the applicants who are right for your agency are going to choose you and the ones who aren’t won’t.  It takes a lot for us in the police world to wrap our heads around that concept, especially if you have a ton of vacancies…but I assure you…it really is that simple. 🤷‍♂️

Now…with that being said, here are the three reasons why having a ‘war’ type mindset is bad for your police recruiting…

1. Your own mental well-being

When you put yourself in the negative mindset of being at war…everything gets amplified.  Suddenly that lack of applications, no shows to testing, and applicants choosing other agencies hurts a lot more.  And the longer you carry that attitude, the more disgruntled you become. 😠

Sure, you might be more motivated to win a few battles here and there in the interim…but how long is that going to last and more importantly…at what cost?  Typically, when you’re in a war with another agency, you’ll do anything to win.  And this is where shortcuts, overlooking things, and ultimately bad hires occur. 😳

Stay positive, focus on attracting the right applicants to your agency, and with the cloud of war gone…watch how they just seem to start appearing right before you. 🪄

2. Police recruiting relationships

You know…one of the most important things I learned in now nearly twelve years of police recruiting is how paramount having a good relationship with other recruiters and background investigators at other agencies is. 💯

Whether it’s gathering quick information on an applicant, checking to see how recruiting is going elsewhere and what their testing process looks like, or even when you need an emergency file review for an applicant you’re about to hire but forgot to do one…they’ll help you out and squeeze you in…because you’ve built a great relationship with them and they know they can count on you to do the same. 😎 

When you are at war with another agency however…all of that disappears.  All of your emails, phone calls, and other agency requests go unanswered…sometimes for months.  As they say…war is hell. 😔

Keep it friendly and never sacrifice a relationship.  🧑‍🤝‍🧑  

3. Your candidates

If you think your applicants are going to be happy to hear you bad mouthing another agency and telling them all the awful things that go on over there…think again.  And this is exactly what happens when you put yourself into a war mentality with another agency…you start talking smack about them. 🤬

But what really happens when you do this…is your applicants start questioning you.  Now, this doesn’t happen overtly, and not to get all Tony Robbins on you here, but they don’t even realize it’s occurring…it’s deep in their subconscious.  🧠

Your negative state and words are triggering that 200,000 year old software running in all of our heads making them wonder if you’re really trying to help or are you just giving them a sales job. 🤔

You know the old saying ‘you catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar’?  That’s an adage for a reason. 🍯

Never bad mouth another agency.  If an applicant asks you about one…find something positive to say about them and bring the focus back to all the great things happening at your agency.  When you do this, that same brain software I talked about a minute ago…recognizes that too, and sets you up as a trustworthy source for information in your applicants eyes.  That’s how you win. 🏆     

Look, I know it’s hard breaking habits and molds that have been around in police recruiting culture forever…but trust me…you can do this. 💪

Need some more philosophical shifts that will help change your police recruiting forever? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Check out all of the free resources on my website by visiting forcopstraining.com. 

You can spend hours reading my Marketing ‘For Cops’ Newsletters, read other newsletters just like this one, and download a variety of learning guides which are all great places to get you started! If you really want to accelerate the learning, check out the courses section and get yourself enrolled in one! 🚀

Do you know of anyone in recruiting who needs to end a war of their own?  Share this newsletter with them so they can learn too.  It’s going to take all of us to restore the future of this great profession of ours and they’ll appreciate that you thought of them. 🤝

Have more questions about police recruiting, marketing, or anything else you're struggling with? Don't hesitate to reach out...I’m always here to help. 🙏

Until next week my Police Marketing Squad, happy recruiting! 😃

Tom

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👋 I’m Tom Sye, your Police Marketing FTO. I founded ‘For Cops’ Training to teach Police Departments how to attract more qualified candidates through the same tried and tested methods I’ve used for the past ten years at my own department to keep up with turnover and stay ahead of vacancies.

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