Mechanical, unfeeling, cold, uncaring. You are now a tool, a machine, a part of the system. The interviewing process took several months, beginning for me with a walk-in appointment to the recruiters office. I knew what I was getting into, so this was not going to be a sale. I knew the rate I wanted so this was also not going to be a sale.
The eight months I waited to actually join the Navy consisted of continued interviews, drug tests, follow-up phone calls, group meetings with other recruits, and group physical training. I wanted to join before I walked in, and I knew the rating I wanted. I kept my life and body clean. This eight-month waiting period seemed near the point of harassment.
MEPS, or Military Entrance Processing Command was the final salvo of personal examinations and questionnaires prior to shipment to boot camp. Perhaps this was the most brutal portion of the interview, where multiple recruits are herded like cattle around the processing facility.
We were given several types of physical screening exams, as well as several types of emotional and psychological screening exams. All the while, we were treated like sub-humans, I suppose, to prepare us for boot camp. This seemed to me like an awkward way to treat someone that could still walk out of a job interview. Perhaps the recruits did not know they could still do this.
All-in-all, I would definitely recommend the Navy to a friend. The interview process was not enjoyable.
