PAO training tools for NRS's

1. An Interview with Navy ________________________
About Navy as a Job Fit
Is Navy right for you?
Q. Parents, teachers and counselors often shy away from recommending military service to
kids like us. Why is that?
A. Each instance can have a different reason for that, so I can’t comment on what it might be
in any particular case. At the same time, my experience has been that parents are reluctant to
recommend anything that might put their youngsters in harm’s way. Although we are talking
about “armed services” here, the facts show that overall military training does an extraordinary
job of helping people learn how to assess and minimize risk, while learning job skills and
meeting performance and safety standards that in many cases are at a higher level than what you
might find in comparable civilian occupations.
Q. Would I be using a weapon in the Navy?
A. The Navy’s foremost purpose is to defend American citizens, so learning how to use a
weapon effectively is one of the many things a sailor learns in basic training, but individual Navy
jobs go way beyond that. Serving as a nuclear technician, hospital corpsman, welder, aviation
support person, submariner, or any other Navy job requires special skill and training. The Navy
is committed to provide that training so that our people can excel. That’s what it takes to make
ours the world’s finest Navy.
Q. You mentioned a few Navy jobs that sound a lot like civilian jobs. Can a high school
graduate apply for a job like that?
A. Certainly. Navy has virtually every kind of job that is available to you as a typical
civilian … plus a few special ones. Your Navy recruiter will have access to positions that are
currently available and to ones that will be coming up. Be advised, however, that we cannot offer
you a job that isn’t available, and some jobs will not come available for a long time. Most often
it makes sense to take a job that you can qualify for now, knowing that you can work to transfer
to a different rating later on.
Q. That word “qualify” might need some explaining. What does it take to qualify for a Navy
job?
A. Different jobs require different aptitude for achievement. That’s why the Navy requires
each candidate to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a series of
tests that help to identify your particular strengths and weaknesses. How your tests score helps
determine your suitability for one job or another. Please note that no job is more important than
another or offers more opportunity for advancement than another. Nevertheless, the tests help the

2. Navy identify your innate capacity to perform in the job you might select. Studies have shown
that a student can improve his/her own capacity through independent study and by taking on jobs
in related areas while still a student. That learning is often reflected on the ASVAB performance
scores.
Q. Are there other things that a student can do to help him/her prepare for entering the
Navy?
A. Preparation starts with decency and fitness. Approximately TWO THIRDS of the Navy’s
target market, 17-24 year old males, are INELIGIBLE for Navy service due to medical
conditions, inability to meet academic standards, or legal/conduct issues. Medical conditions that
can exclude someone from entering include obesity, so staying physically fit tops the list.
Academic standards begin with completing school; more than 95% of Navy personnel are at least
high school diploma graduates. And legal/conduct issues includes any and all police report
issues, including drug use.
Q. So staying in school and out of trouble is key. What about ethnicity or gender issues, is
there a bias regarding these?
A. Diversity is important to us. America’s Navy works hard to have the make-up of its
personnel mirror that of the population as a whole. While we as recruiters cannot make people
join if they don’t want to, we certainly can and do make sure that we invite people of all ethnic
backgrounds to apply. Over time, the number of black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander
personnel is becoming more representative of the overall population, and the male/female ratio is
improving as well.
Q. Does family status have any bearing on eligibility for the Navy?
A. The Navy is very sensitive to the role of family in the performance of our people.
Without family support, our Navy could not perform as well as it does. In general, while family
status does not have a bearing on eligibility, custody of dependents sometimes can. This is an
issue that needs to be discussed with your recruiter. In any case, we encourage all applicants to
discuss service options with their families to garner that all-important support for the decision.
Q. Are there some people who are particularly right for the Navy?
A. We want America’s best, brightest and most dedicated to serving this country’s defense
and humanitarian support efforts. But as an all-volunteer force, we recognize that will only
happen if those talented individuals see Navy as right for them. The days of just filling bunks
with warm bodies ended long ago. Now we are fitting, not filling. In this environment, it is
incumbent on each individual applicant to be as qualified as possible to gain entry to the Navy

3. job school he/she really wants. That’s what’s right for the individual. That’s what’s right for
America’s Navy, a global force for good.
Q How does one get started pursuing some of these opportunities?
A Actually, the best first step is to contact the local recruiting station to find out about any
and all of the jobs that we have available. To reach us, simply contact our station by calling
______________, or stop in most afternoons at __________________________________. If
you or an out of-town friend want to locate another station near them, visit www.navy.com and
click on “find a recruiter” on the right side of the home page, then enter your zip code number. A
call to 800-4go –Navy will do the trick as well.
Additional comment:
To put the Navy’s role in perspective, you need to recognize that 70 percent of the world is
covered by ocean, 80 percent of the world’s population lives along coasts and 90 percent of the
world’s commerce travels by water. Protecting all of that is our job, and that makes America’s
Navy a global force for good.
Sailors serve on land and from the sea; from ships on the water, submarines under the water, and
planes and helicopters over the water – all to meet America’s threats far away so that those
threats cannot harm us here. We welcome the best men and women to join us in accomplishing
today’s missions and meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
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