(radio chatter) (upbeat music) - The Air Force has announced the creation of a new information operations technical training school. - The first command, simply must arm our airmen to out think, out perform, out partner, out innovate any potential adversary. - Air Force Basic Military Training has an updated curriculum with a new focus on readiness and lethality. - The first command, the "Air Force Starts Here." (thud) (upbeat music continues) - Hey, hey everybody. Welcome in episode 31 of the "Air Force Starts Here" today, and thanks for the subscribe, stream, or download, however you might be listening in. We're out there on Spotify, Google Play, Apple Podcast, so no matter where you are, you can give us a listen. And of course, we always appreciate that. If you have some time to give us a review, five stars only. I'm just kidding. I'm Dan Hawkins, from the AETC Public Affairs Office, and your host for this professional development podcast, dedicated to bringing Total Force big AM and insight tips, tricks, and lessons learned from the recruiting training and education world. On the pod today, we're talking with a couple of recruiting professionals from the Air and Space Force Recruiting Service and the innovation team, their Chief Master Sergeant Jason O'Donnelly and Tech Sergeant David Valencia, both of whom helped design, test, and field the new Total Force Recruiting "Aim High" phone application that's gonna allow our recruiting team to communicate in a lot of great ways with recruits throughout the process of them joining the Air Force, whether it be on active duty or going to the Air National Guard or the United States Air Force Reserves. And this effort really ties directly into Lieutenant General Webb, our commander here in AETC and his priority of enhancing lethality and readiness through our Total Force recruiting efforts. This "Aim High" phone application, which obviously in the world today, phone applications are not something new, but in terms of recruiting, it definitely is new and it's going to be a one-stop shop that will help potential recruits find Air Force related information and for recruiters to virtually connect with potential future airmen in a way they're used to and that's on their phones. The idea being to help the Air Force find a lead airman as well as guide recruits to discover their passions through the intuitive and interactive means available on the app, which of course, Chief O'Donnelly and Sergeant Valencia will talk to, then also go in depth on a ton of features available that are inside the app. For recruiters, it's really a unique tool because inside of it there are tools like messaging that allows them to stay in touch with recruits throughout the process. And it really was interesting to learn how the app compiles information using Google Analytics which will allow the recruiters to be able to monitor the number of active users where recruits are visiting inside the app, the which pages they went to, as well as how long they viewed each page so they can kind of have a better understanding of a potential applicant before they even ever talk to them. And for airmen who are currently in the Air Force, there is something for them in the app, as well as the app will allow airmen to capture leads and refer them directly to the Recruiting Service, enabling the We Are All Recruiters program or WEAR as you may have heard it in the past, to be a little bit more active. And one of the things I really found cool about the app is the ability for our new recruits, as they transition into Basic Military Training, their families can follow them into that BMT and see what they are doing through pictures of their flights going through basic training. The app provides family and friends this way to have insight into the recruits training and keeps airmen involved in recruiting well after being assigned to their first duty station. So lots more about the app here on the pod. So let's go, episode 31 of The "Air Force Starts Here," takes off right now. So Chief, tell us a little bit about yourself. - Hello and thank you for having me here. Chief Master Jason O'Donnelly. Currently the superintendent of innovations for Air Force Recruiting Service, I've been in the Air Force for, just had my anniversary of 24 years. Been in Recruiting Service for about 19 years now. I've done all of the spectrums within Recruiting Service whether it was enlisted or officer sessions and throughout, we worked a lot as a trainer. And so got a vast experience within Recruiting Service. And so we're really excited to put some of that information together and be able to bring that to people in the civilian community. - Sergeant Valencia, how long have you been with Recruiting Service? - Yeah, so thanks again for having us, Dan, I'm Technical Sergeant David Valencia and I've actually been in Recruiting Service for just under eight years. I've actually been in the Air Force, my 11 year anniversary will be next next month actually on the 23rd of June. So just shy of 11 years. So most of my experiences in the Air Force has been in the Air Force Recruiting Service. And so I was enlisted as sessions recruiter in Southern California. And then I moved over to the training and marketing role there for about a year. And then I spent three years in Montgomery, Alabama at the [Inaudible] where I was the marketing NCO there prior to getting to the innovation so here at Air Force Recruiting Service and I've been here at the Air Force Recruiting Service now full-time for about six months, I got here in September of 2019. So again, like the Chief said tons of Air Force Recruiting Service experience that we're excited about putting into an app. - So, with General Webb, one of his big priorities and I know for General Webb has been really transforming the recruiting landscape into a Total Force enterprise and expanding the reach of the Recruiting Service. And so Chief, let's start with you. I kind of wanted to talk about why we're here today, the "Aim High" phone app and how that fits into your larger strategic picture. - I guess, so I would say that really the thought process behind the application started with not of trying to create information that didn't exist but really looking at it from a perspective of, I don't think there's really any question about the Air Force that hasn't been answered but we don't always know where to go find that information. And so what we try to do is create a one-stop shop where if you have a question about the Air Force you can go there and then we've created a seamless connection with where that information is in different platforms and brought it into one platform, the "Aim High" app, where we can connect you with the information that you are looking for it and hopefully make it very simple for you to find it. - Yeah, and it's really interesting because when you talk about the timing of this app, you guys were planning on releasing it later on this year, maybe late summer. But with the world situation being what it is with COVID-19, your innovation team has really done a great job working behind the scenes to make the release happen. Can you talk to that? - Yes and I will say there is a lot of stakeholders, different team members that have been apart of us accelerating this launch. And so yes, we are very excited, very thankful for everyone that has played a part in being able to make this happen, to make this reality for us to have it in the App Store now. But yeah, in regards to working with all the different aspects and I know you mentioned Total Force and that might be a new concept or terminology for some people. But when we talk about Total Force, we try to ensure that we're talking about all three of the components, in addition to the different ways for people to be able to assess whether that's the Academy, ROTC through OTs enlisted sessions. So there's a broad spectrum of ways that people can serve in the Air Force. And we wanna make sure that we're including all of those within one platform so that you can find the information that you're looking for. However it is that you wanna serve, whether that's in uniform, out of uniform, full-time or part-time. - So Chief, can you kind of outline the "Aim High" app in terms of what is available inside of the app and how that's going to translate in terms of how somebody uses this to potentially join the Air Force. - So really there's a lot, so I'll just touch on, you know what I mean, a few, kind of give that 30,000 foot level flight, and then we can maybe get more specific into some of the features, but really our vision was to inspire, engage, and then connect with those that are interested in the Air Force. So we know that everyone who engages with the Air Force isn't going to join the Air Force, but maybe they're looking for information that they can provide to someone else. So we've got that, you know what I mean, within the application. So your general public can come in there, they can be informed whether it is we've got, all of the different careers and we've got the breakdown, we've got the qualifications, we've got the events that are going on. So you can look for an event that the Air Force and or Recruiting Service is involved with so that you can attend and be involved in those events. We've got, if you want to connect, we've got the easy ability for you to reach out, use, find a recruiter within the application, and then be connected with the recruiter whether that's reaching out via text, a phone call, we've got those avenues provided for you so that you can make that connection with them. And then of course, once you decide that joining the Air Force is something that you wanna do, we've created quite a few features for those recruiters and those people that are the recruits, if you will, that are going through that process and how they can engage with each other and prepare themselves for the Basic Military Training from experience. - And Sergeant Valencia, it seems like as Chief had mentioned earlier, there is a lot of information out there available, but some part is over here on this website, and maybe it's over here at a different location for a different piece of information, whether it's medical or whatever. Can you talk about that process and how maybe this app is going to help ease potentially some frustration in terms of finding information? - Yeah, absolutely. So that was really one of the things that we definitely wanted to get out here. So a lot of folks, they would see an airman and they just think the Air Force, right? Which they should, but a lot of folks would go out and then say, Hey, I'm a reserve in store, I'm an IMA or I'm a traditional guardsman. And so what we would do is we would say, Hey, we want you to join our team. And so that individual would go out and they would talk to somebody and they'd say, Hey, we really wants you to join our team. And then that individual who just spoke to an airman would go to the Air Force website and they would say, Hey how come somebody telling me that I've got to leave? Or how come somebody's telling me that I can't be in this job or that job? And it was that the information that it wasn't clear that somebody was a guardsman or that they were a reservist. And so really what we've done is we've created that really seamless kind of bridge there. So somebody can go to the app and they can search a career. But when they're in a search a career function, they can see if they're interested in the guard, they can see what jobs are available for guardsman and we kind of stopped them from having to go to four or five different websites to find information on jobs and on the lifestyle of being a guardsman or being a reservist or being an active duty airman and things like that. And so it really has been able to bridge the gap for folks in order to find that information and keep them from having to navigate all of these different websites and things of that nature. - It's really a one-stop shop for everything Air Force. So that's really cool, but Chief, I was really curious as I really dug into the app about the intuitive side of this recruiting tool and how recruits can kind of maybe figure out through interactive means what might drive them to a successful career in the Air Force. Can you talk about that? - Yeah, so one of the things that we're doing with the application is trying to focus on that suggestive engine that's on the back end. And so as people engage with something very similar to how it works when you use Amazon and you might go on there and you might buy some golf shoes, they make a natural assumption that somebody that has golf shoes probably plays golf. And then they start to populate other items within their store that you would purchase that would be related to golf shoes. And so you start to see that stuff that you're interested in and they advertise that information to you. We're trying to use the same thing within "Aim High". As you are going through it and you are looking at particular career fields, we know that someone who is interested in this particular career field would generally be interested in something similar like this, or from our experience of people who have been in the Air Force, someone who has been able to transition from this career field to another career field or they are closely related. Then we start to give them suggestions such as if you are interested in this information, you might also be interested in this information. So starting to personalize the experience within the application towards an individual based off of their previous interactions within the application. So that would go across whether it is jobs they are looking at, whether it's events they're attending, things that they're searching within the application, we're learning about their experience and we're able to give them a better experience throughout the app based on what we learned from their previous experience. - Yeah and it's interesting too, and I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but from a recruit perspective this is an app that can follow them into the Air Force and actually even help their families if they do take the next step from the recruiting stage and actually join the Air Force and go to BMT. - It is and I think when you say kind of jumping ahead, I think you're getting at the BMT follow experience for families. Now, would you like me to expand on that at this point or? - Yeah, that'd be great. - So within the application, we have partnered with Basic Military Training or BMT. And so as our enlisted members go to the BMT experience and that is whether they are active duty guard or reserve all go to the same BMT. And so when they go through, they're all assigned to a flight and when they go through a flight, obviously they call home and they say that they're a part of a particular flight. So if they were to say, they're part of 350 you can go into the application, you can actually follow 350. And so as they go through the experience, we have photographers at BMT capturing images of them as they go throughout the weeks. And so as we capture those images, we were able to expose some of those on the application. So you can actually see what is likely to go through BMT. We've got the static information that's built in that shows you what they're going to be doing each week. And then throughout their experience we'll start to add images of that actual flight as they go through base military training. So actually, even though we know one of the things with BMT that creates the most anxiety for family members is not being able to have that contact with their loved one during that time, we were trying to give them at least a taste of it to show them what they're doing, show them that they're safe and maybe even capture an image of their face while they're conducting some training at Basic Military Training. - And anybody who's ever went through basic training or has thought about it knows how important that communication is and leaps and bounds from years pass, a really exciting feature of this "Aim High" app. But I kind of wanted to turn a little bit towards the recruiter side, Sergeant Valencia, and kind of talk about how the app is going to help them A, stay in touch with recruits throughout the recruiting process but also help recruiters in terms of how they're learning about potential recruits through this virtual app. - Yeah, absolutely and so being able to manage folks that we have in our Delayed Enlistment program and who are waiting training is a crucial part of what a recruiter's day to day tasks are. And so, as you mentioned, one of the best in, what we've found is that one of the best aspects of this app is the management portion, right? So the management portion actually takes place through a messaging system that we've created. So what happens is someone joins the, someone enters the Awaiting Training program or the Delayed Enlistment program and they get the app, they download the app. And what happens next is that, that individual's gonna download this app. Once they download this app, the recruiter is going to place that person, they're going to make a connection which is gonna say, Dan, you are my recruit and so I'm gonna send you this connection through the "Aim High" app, and now we're gonna be connected through the app, and then I'll be able to place you in my Awaiting Training program thread. So what we found is that as folks come in and out of Delayed Enlistment program or Awaiting Training programs for our guard and reserve partners, right? What happens often is that as somebody starts a messaging thread with the group of folks that are here, as folks leave the basic training, and as more folks come in, it gets very difficult to manage all of that messaging and all of that communication between the recruiters in the Delayed Enlistment program or Awaiting Training members. And so what we've done here is we've created a seamless way of communication where as long as somebody is in the Awaiting Training program thread, that recruiter is able to communicate with them and anybody in that Awaiting Training program while they come in and when they're getting ready to leave as well. So rather than having to have 16 or 17 different thread messages or messaging threads in your text messages, or a third party messaging app, we've created that for our recruiters in order to help them manage their Delayed Enlistment program or Awaiting Training program. It's extremely beneficial. - I thought it was interesting too how recruiters will be able to really find out information that might help them in terms of communication with recruits and what they might be interested in by seeing what they're able to see in the app or what pages they may have visited. - Yeah, absolutely, so there's a star feature, right? So once you create your profile, once you are connected with your airmen, right? Your future airmen your Delayed Enlistment program and Awaiting Training members, you can see things that they happen to like, and they can go in and they can explore careers. And when they come in to talk to you during your commander's calls or when they're messaging you through the app, a lot of that information, they can start to access and they can start to verify through the recruiter instantly which again is one of those features that allows a recruiter to better understand their applicants. And it allows the applicant to get a better understanding of the Air Force in order to solidify their decision to join the military's Air Force. - And Chief, I really thought this was such a great idea by your innovation team there at Air Force Recruiting Service, but the ability for all airmen to capture a lead and be able to pass that directly to the Recruiting Service through this app, I mean, what a great idea. - Yeah, so once again, and this kind of came, I mean, this isn't a new idea. Once again, a lot of the things that we're focusing on within this application, aren't new ideas. We've always had, you know what I mean, something where we wanted to make every airman a recruiter, but we wanted to really focus on that and capitalize on making it easy. And so what we want is for every airman, obviously to be using the app that benefits them. And so they're getting some goodness out of the app, but it also gives them that ability to have that very easy connection with a recruiter. And so we know that in our everyday experiences that those great airmen that we have that are serving today, when they're out and about when they are going home, you know what I mean, from work and they stop at the grocery store and they're interacting with the civilian population, they engage in conversations, they need people that they see them, and they say, this person has something. They have what it takes to be in our Air Force. They should be that type of person. So what we have created is within the application, a very quick way for you to use a QR code or to simply text a lead card to that individual, they fill out that lead card and it automatically goes into our lead of airmen system, and that will get routed, it'll get bedded and it'll get routed directly to the recruiter who's responsible for that applicant based off of their requirements and their needs to serve in the Air Force. And so we wanted to make it as seamless and as easy as possible so that every airman has that ability to be able to be that force multiplier for us and go out and find the best and brightest talent that is out there. - So speaking to the Total Force because obviously applicants are drawn to different parts of service in the Air Force, whether it be on active duty, guard or reserve, as we've mentioned with the Total Force, how has this app been integrated across the recruiting enterprise? - So we have our point of contacts with each of the components. And so we are actually working with them so that we're doing training with their trainers. And then we're doing training with all of their recruiting enterprise as well, so that they have a solid understanding, that foundation about how to utilize the application, how it is the features work for them while we wanted to create it as anything else, every application should be intuitive and you should be able to figure it out. We wanted to ensure their success right from the get-go and so we've set up those platforms where we're basically engaging with them through Zoom meetings, because we know we can't get out to everyone face to face, especially during this time. But even in a normal time we wouldn't be able to naturally go out and train 2000 recruiters at a time, but we're able to use means such as Zoom meetings, something similar to that and Meet, anything like that where we can bring in 500, you know what I mean, personnel at a time, walk through the application, show them some features, benefits, how to use it and how it's going to make their life easier and better. And like I said, we're doing that across the forum. It's not just for active duty, it's not for reserve guard, we've set it up to have their training and their leadership within their component leading that way. - And this app looks absolutely fantastic. How can people find this app? Where can they go to download the "Aim High" phone app? - So the app is in both of the stores. So if you're an iOS or an Apple user, you just go to the App Store and if you're an Android user, you go to Google Play and the app is there, if you search for "Aim High" you should find the application pretty easy to find there simply like any other app, click on, get, and download the app and you're ready to run. - And kind of a curve ball question here as we get ready to close it up, but I was just curious, with all the move towards a virtual recruiting and General Webb has kind of said it before, along with General Goldfein, every challenge and opportunity, how has your dedicated effort during this time of COVID-19 really contributed to really thinking outside of that proverbial box and coming up with these different solutions? And I know you've been working on this app for a while, but just in general from a recruiting perspective. - No, I would say that these times where we have been challenged to think outside of the box have really also pushed us to think about different ways. In the past, it's just has been accepted that we have recruiters in the front offices and you can always access them in person. And so now that we know that that's not, we started to, you know what I mean, look at how can we do virtual engagements? How can people get in contact with a recruiter? How can they schedule themselves to take a test? How can they complete the test without that physical interaction and having to meet with someone and physically sign the documents to schedule themselves? So we really are progressing and moving fast and it's obviously unfortunate that it takes something like this to push us in that direction because I think it's been something that's been needed for years, if not decades to this point. But it truly is helping us assist us with making the process so much easier and allowing the applicant to take the initiative and be able to engage with us, you know what I mean, through their mobile device or through their computer and a website and fill out that information and get themselves qualified for us, you know what I mean, the documents required to make it a seamless process and not make it, you know what I mean, so labor intensive. - Well, Chief and Sergeant Valencia, I really appreciate your time today and everyone go out and get your version of the "Aim High" app, download it today. And thanks for your time today, guys. - Thank you for Mr. Hawkins, appreciate your time. - Thank you so much, we appreciate it. - Tons of goodness here in this "Aim High" phone application tied to continuing our AETC mission and making our air and space force recruiting efforts, a total force effort, and to bring us further into the modern age in terms of technology. Big thanks to Chief O'Donnelly and Sergeant Valencia for sitting down with us virtually to make the podcast happen and we certainly do appreciate that. As a reminder, you can follow AETC and the AETC command team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as catch up on all the latest Air Force and AETC news at www.aetc.af.mil. For our entire public affairs team here at Air Education and Training Command, I'm Dan Hawkins, so long, we'll talk to you next time on the "Air Force Starts Here." (upbeat music)