Face of Defense: Navy Recruiter Shares ‘Formula’ for Success

By Navy Chief Petty Officer Kim Martinez, Navy Recruiting District Miami

BRANDON, Fla. -- “Formula One. That’s my thing because I love competition,” said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jose Sotocora.

Sotocora is an enlisted recruiter working out of the Navy’s recruiting office here. He is among Navy Recruiting District Miami’s top producers.

“There is a lot of teamwork” in Formula One auto racing,” Sotocora said.

“And, it is so much like recruiting,” he added. “The driver and team both want to be successful, which is very similar to recruiters and divisions. Each day, the drivers and teams develop their cars and tech strategy, and must push themselves to be a better and faster team or car. If they don’t continuously develop, they will be surpassed.”

A Puerto Rico native, Sotocora joined the Navy in 2008. He experienced much of what the Navy offers as a fire controlman on board several Navy ships, and has travelled to many countries including England, France, Italy, Dubai, Bahrain and Spain.

Having the ability to see his shipmates operate the Navy in their respective ratings in various parts of the world motivated Sotocora to take on the challenge of becoming a Navy recruiter.

“Adapting to the change of being a fire controlman and being a recruiter and having to learn the craft from scratch was challenging,” Sotocora said. “Getting a grasp on the different approaches you can take to conduct the business of recruiting and juggling the different priorities isn’t always easy.”

Recruiting Success

Sotocora has achieved success in the recruiting field, having enlisted an impressive 11 applicants into the Navy in one month. He credits his success to the support he receives at home and at work.

“I always try to maintain balance at home because without it, you cannot successfully recruit,” said Sotocora, who’s married with children.

“I always communicate with top recruiters in our district to keep me on my toes,” he added. “We push each other and shoot for excellence.”

So far this fiscal year, Sotocora has recruited a total of 52 future sailors for the Navy, contracting 11 applicants in one month. Navy Recruiting Command awarded him the Navy Commendation Medal for recruiting excellence.

Navy Recruiting District Miami’s territory covers three major metropolitan areas in Florida, including Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, as well as the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 20 Navy Recruiting Districts and six Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the country.

The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the globe. Their goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.