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If you’ve worked in police recruiting for just about any amount of time you know that people tend to have the same questions over and over again. 😵
But there are three frequently asked traps that if answered incorrectly can send your applicants running for another agency...wanna know what they are and how to handle them...keep reading! 👀
Hey everyone, it’s Tom Sye your Police Marketing FTO, and over the next couple of weeks, let’s spend some time talking about frequently asked police recruiting questions and in particular three super common ones that can really trip you up and cost you applicants. The worst part about these questions are...you probably don’t even realize you're doing it and keep falling into the same trap every time you answer them. 😬
I want this series to fix that for you and we’re gonna do just that. 💪
De-Copifying your recruiting
OK, first things first, if you want to start recruiting like it’s 2024 then you have to learn to de-copify your police recruiting efforts and yes, that means even when simply answering questions that come in from applicants. 🤯
I know, I know...we’re cops...what do you mean de-copify things? 🤷🤷♂️
Listen this isn’t a personal attack...remember, I’m a cop too...but recruiting isn’t a call for service that we’re showing up on and trying to solve the problem as quickly as possible so we can move on to the next one. 💨
It’s not a case that’s been assigned to us that we have to make airtight so we can take down a crime ring or remove a dangerous person off the street. 🔨
And it’s not a high-risk traffic stop where you’re giving stern and forceful commands to make sure everyone goes home safe. 🚗🚓🚓🚓
As I’ve told you before, recruiting is a people business...it’s a sales job...and it requires delicate handling most of the time, so you don’t blow the sale! Trust me, your applicants are just as turned off by a bad salesperson as you are...even if right now you don’t realize that bad salesperson is you. 😳
So, without further ado, here’s this week’s question complete with a breakdown of how most people respond to it, and then, how to de-copify your answer so you can avoid falling into the trap...
Frequently Asked Trap: Why should I choose your agency over another agency?
This one’s a killer. 🦈
Usually, your applicant will pit your agency against a couple of neighboring agencies and ask why you are better than the other two. Your natural instinct is to go on the attack and start overselling your agency and then talk about all the problems the other agencies have and that’s exactly where you fall into the trap. 🚪
Remember...this is a people business...and as much as we all like reading tabloids or checking out social media for the gossip or the tea as they like to say nowadays...no one wants to hear that in a job pitch and it can make you come off as unsympathetic, uncaring, or worse yet, happy that another police agency is struggling. So much for that blue family you’ve been selling. 😒
So, how do you answer the question correctly? 🤔
With a simple formula: reason, assess, praise, compare, sell...
Reasoning
When someone asks you why they should work for your agency over another, you shouldn’t go on the attack about DOJ Investigations, anti-police council members, the number of vacancies someone has, how bad morale is over there, or any other reason that we could all come up with about each other...you should simply look applicant right in the eye and say, ‘only you can answer that’. 😎
This statement begins the reasoning phase and should be the start of your answer every single time for one very important reason. Because it’s true! 💯
Whether it’s in a face-to-face meeting, on a phone call, in an email or through direct messaging on a social media platform, there’s only one person involved in the conversation who truly knows the answer to that question...and it’s never you...the recruiter. 🙅♂️🙅♀️
To continue, follow that statement up with a reasoning measure...something that primes your applicant into actually listening to what you have to say and forgetting about any preconceived notions they may have about your agency. 👂
Something like this...
🗣️ “I can sit here and tell you all day what I like about Glendale, but that might not mean a thing to you...everyone’s different, has different things they like, things they don’t like, so really it’s going to be up to you to see which agency has what you’re looking for”.
Reasonable enough, right? 👍
This leads us into the assessment phase of the process.
This is where you should start gathering information about your applicant in terms of what they like, what they don’t like, where they see themselves going in this career, and what interests them...real ‘sell me this pen’ type of questions like, ‘what do you like about police work’, ‘what are you looking for in an agency’, and ‘what do you think you’d like to do in your career’. 🖊️
The information you gather here is what you’re going to use later when it comes time to sell...so don’t just ask to ask...really listen to what your applicant is saying and think about how your agency can meet those needs. 🧠
Next up, the praise phase of the formula
This is where you’re going to start building trust with your applicant by first praising the other agencies they mentioned...and no, I did not misspeak, I said praise. This part is going to be very quick, but it’s huge, because it helps you differentiate yourself from other recruiting pitches...I mean who goes to a Ford dealer and hears how great Chevy’s are? ✌️
The act of praising someone else also leaves your applicant with the impression that you are being fair, impartial, and have their best interests in mind. And after all...that impression should be true, you should have their best interests in mind. 😇
Look, whether they choose your agency or not, never lose sight of the fact that hiring someone who isn’t right for you, or wants to be somewhere else, isn’t helping. Instead...focus on the fact that the profession is gaining another good person, and you’re helping to get them into it, like a mentor...but that’s a lesson for another time. 📅
Ok, back to the praise phase...here’s an example of what I’m talking about using two of my neighboring agencies...
🗣️ “OK, here’s what I can tell you...Phoenix is a great agency. They do really good police work, there’s a lot of good things going on over there, in fact, I have a lot of friends who work there, they love it, it’s a great place to work”.
If they were asking for a comparison of multiple agencies, add the other agency here with similar praise like, ‘MCSO too, same thing, they’re a great agency they do a good job”. 🙌
How ever you say it, just make sure to be positive, encouraging, and real...always tell the truth...don’t make up stories that you have friends there if you don’t. You could always substitute “I’ve worked with them before on calls and they’re great” or something like that. Again, avoid the urge to start bad mouthing here...there’s no room for that in this approach. 😉
This moves us into the comparison phase
This is where you’re laying the groundwork for selling your agency and without it, you have zero chance of winning an applicant over who’s on the fence. This phase, again, can also help you avoid hiring an applicant who simply isn’t going to be happy working for you because you can’t provide what they’re looking for, so treat this as the important piece of the equation that it is. 🧩
Here, you’re going to educate your applicant on the general differences between large, midsize and small agencies. As we all know, every agency on the planet, regardless of size, has those special somethings that make them an awesome place to work...this isn’t the spot for that just yet though, that’s coming in a minute. ⏱️
This is where you simply compare and contrast what a large agency is, what a small agency is and what a midsize agency is giving the greatest hits of the good stuff and a couple of subtle, not-so-great things too. Again, not bad mouthing...just being straight with people. 🏹
If you can, use the comparison agencies the applicant initially mentioned as examples in this explanation. This helps put things in perspective for them and is something you should do whether you feel it’s totally obvious or not. The simple fact is most people have no idea what the differences are...they just see police and assume it’s all the same. 👯♀️
Now, this is very important...when explaining the differences, always tailor your message with the information you learned in the assessment phase and make sure to explain your agency size last as that is actually part of the close... 🔚
For example, if you were a mid-size agency with an applicant looking for opportunities and being close knit like they experienced in the military were important to them you could say...
🗣️ “So, {whatever agency} would be what is considered a large size agency. They’ve got thousands of people working there, they have every specialty you can think of, and have lots of different patrol districts and tons of things going on, but they’re also so big that you could have two people who work there twenty years, and they never see each other, they never work together, or ever cross paths because they’re just so huge.
Then you have smaller size agencies, like {whatever agency}, where they are super close knit, are a lot less busy which gives you time to do things you like doing on patrol...and they have specialties too, but they’re smaller in size, so there’s not as many positions and things don’t open as frequently as a larger or mid-size agency”.
Now it’s time for the close
This is where you will finish up the comparison phase by talking about your agency size and then hit all of those really cool factors that make your agency special. Again, don’t forget to tailor this close to meet the needs of your applicant. 😀
It goes something like this...
🗣️ “Then you have mid-size agencies, that’s what we are...so, we’re big enough that we have all of the specialties of a larger size agency, we have a SWAT team, gang units, detectives for all kinds of things like homicide, and sex crimes, financial crimes, missing persons, property crimes, violent crimes, all of it, we have motors, and range people, drone pilots, undercover officers... we have just about everything you can think of...the only things we don’t have is an air unit, a mounted unit, or a search and rescue team, we don’t have any of those, so if you want to be one of those things we not the place for you, but again, we have everything else and here’s what I really like about a mid-size agency...while we’re big enough to have all of those things and have positions opening up all the time, we’re still small enough that you know just about every single person who works here...now you might not be best friends with everyone of them and hang out all the time, but you can be like hey, there’s Tom, we’ve been on calls together, he’s awesome and you really get familiar with everyone here, it’s really is like a family”.
To end the close phase and finish your answer for this question, you can add some personal stories or factoids that are important to you and your applicant will really appreciate that. Personal connections are huge in building relationships and even if you are into things that they are not, they’ll still appreciate your openness. 🤗
To give you an example...here’s what I say almost every time...
🗣️ “Like I told you, this is my twentieth year here and I love it...I love Glendale...I have absolutely no complaints...now...have there been things that have happened over the past twenty years that I haven’t liked...of course there have been...that’s true of anywhere, but when I look back, I can’t complain...this city has been nothing but good to me...the department has been nothing but good to me...I was able to raise my family here, my daughters went to college here, I’ve had so many opportunities here...I’ve worked super bowls, and national championship games, and Final Four’s and seen a lot of really cool stuff, so...it’s just a great place to work and I think you’ll find that too”.
From there, simply stop talking...let everything you just said sink in...and allow your applicant to reply and move on to their next question. 🤩
There you go! You’ve completely avoided the trap of bad mouthing another agency, while selling yours and de-copifying your answer which allows you to build a relationship with your applicant! Give it a try next time you’re asked this one and watch the difference! 🚀
Be sure to check back next week as we’ll cover the ‘how long will this take’ FAQ Trap but in the meantime, if you’re ready to fill your brain with more ways to recruit like it’s 2024...check out some other editions of my Marketing for Cops newsletter on my website. It’s loaded with instruction just like this and is forever free. Continue learning right here on my website: forcopstraining.com/blog.
Have a friend at another agency who really needs to see this? How bout share it with them so they can learn too. Our profession is much stronger when we’re all in it together. 🤝
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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