MEPS_Questioning_Techniques_Leader_Guided_Practice_v_1.0.pdf

SUPPORT MATERIALS MEPS QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES: LEADER-GUIDED PRACTICE

© Copyright 2012 Marine Corps. All Rights Reserved. v 1.0

MEPS QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES: LEADER-GUIDED PRACTICE

Read a scenario aloud to each participant and then play the role of the applicant. Then improvise more details and an interaction to allow the participant to practice the MEPS Questioning Techniques. Based on skill use, reveal the outcome (in parentheses). When possible, demonstrate body language of the applicant as appropriate. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all the scenarios and outcomes before conducting this activity.

1. You are screening a courtesy shipper who has been in the DEP for 11 months. He recently moved into the RS area to spend time with his mother before he ships. When you ask him if he has had any police involvement since enlisting, he says no. You ask if he has received any traffic violations since enlisting, and he again says no. When you ask him if he has received any parking tickets since enlisting, he replies: “I didn’t, but my dad did.” (It was the shipper’s car, but his dad was using it — so it was a ticket on his car. The ticket is ticketed to the vehicle owner and must be resolved before shipping.)

2. You are reviewing the SF-86 with an applicant, validating her employment history for completeness. You notice that she worked at a 7-11 convenience store for six months and then Wayne’s Mini Mart for two weeks before starting at Sam’s Gas Station, where she has worked for the last four months. You ask her why she worked at Wayne’s for two weeks, and she says, “The manager accused me of taking money from the register, so I left.” She has a clean police check. When you ask if she was arrested, she says, “I have nothing on my record.” (She was arrested, charged with petty theft, paid a $50 fine, served 20 hours community service, and was told by her family lawyer that her juvenile record was expunged. She will have to get records from the police department showing this was resolved.)

3. The applicant is a 19-year-old high school senior who is enlisting into the delayed entry program and wants to ship on the buddy program with a friend in September, after he graduates. As you review his high school transcripts, you notice a five-month gap in attendance his sophomore year. November of his sophomore year, he was transferred to Victor County Youth School. The next April, he went back to his old high school. When you ask about it, he says, “It is a program that lets you go to school and learn a trade.” (Victor County Youth School is not a traditional or accredited high school; it is a detention school for troubled youth. He had to go here because he got into trouble at his regular school. The XO and high school will need to be contacted to address this.)

4. Same high school senior: You want to dig deeper into the trouble that he got into that caused him to go to the detention school. He looked nervous when he talked about it. When you ask him what happened, he looks away and says, “It turned out to be no problem.” (He was arrested during his sophomore year for criminal trespassing, but the court dismissed the charges. You need to get more details, run juvenile police checks and potentially obtain a waiver.)

5. A high school graduate arrived to process and only required an inspection physical. As you were building rapport, you discovered that he took the ASVAB and physical for the Army six weeks ago and decided to join the Marine Corps because the Army couldn’t guarantee him the job he wanted. When you reviewed MEPCOM 680ADP, you noticed that the Army processed him since passing the physical and did not enlist him. The 680ADP also reflects the Navy requested a SPF change but did not process him either. (This applicant had a burglary charge as a juvenile out of state. When he was 10, he stole a bicycle out of a garage. The other branches did not want to take the time to run a waiver).

6. As you are reviewing the shipper’s Drug Abuse Screening Form, you say, “It says here that you have never used any type of illegal drug.” John replies, “No.” At that moment you notice he starts shaking his left leg up and down, and he starts looking at the wall beside your head. He says, “I have been around people who smoked marijuana and got a contact high when we were driving in a car, but I never tried it myself.” (This applicant was told by friends not to reveal his marijuana use or he would be disqualified. But he thought that medical tests would reveal the marijuana in his system – so the contact high seemed like a good excuse. He smoked marijuana twice but really doesn’t like it. All required documents will need to be updated.)

7. Reviewing the SF-86, you see that the applicant had received two speeding tickets. Both tickets occurred last year, and he paid $180 for each. He stated that he has never been arrested and has no open court or citations pending. When you ask to see his driver’s license, he states that he forgot it at home, and all he has is his state ID card on him. You look at the DD-1966, page 1, and notice the recruiter annotated that the applicant does not have a driver’s license issued to him. (This applicant lost his license due to too many traffic violations. His license was suspended for one year. A police check will need to be run to confirm this.)

8. During final screening for a shipper for pre-DEP medical issues, you ask her if she has ever been hospitalized. She hesitates a bit and looks down. Her response is, "No, I never stayed overnight.” (She fractured her ankle riding a moped on vacation. She was treated at the local express medical clinic and released. All documents will need to be obtained to confirm this and submitted to medical.)

9. The applicant is a 17-year-old senior who arrived at the MEPS to process this morning.

While reviewing her enlistment package, you notice she has a single parent’s consent with an abandonment statement completed by her mother, stating her father’s whereabouts are unknown. Her mother signed the parental consent as Linda Smith, matching the relative information on the SF-86. When you look at her high school transcripts, you notice her mother’s name is Linda Johnson. (She has not seen her biological father since she was an infant. Mom remarried, and you’ll need a divorce decree, a new marriage license and a new parental consent.)

10. Having completed your interview with an applicant, you determine that he is eligible for enlistment and are preparing him to go to the MEPS pre-enlistment interview. You say to him, “John, I am sending you to the MEPS Operations Section for your pre-enlistment interview, where they will take your fingerprints and start your background investigation.” He looks a little startled and asks you, “I thought my recruiter already did a police check. Isn’t that check good enough?” (When the applicant was a juvenile, he was caught breaking windows at his elementary school. He was charged with vandalism, paid a fine and restitution. The charge and resolution will need to be confirmed through a police check and Operations notified.)

11. The applicant is a 17-year-old senior who wants to be an aircraft mechanic. He is very excited about his opportunity to become a Marine and follow in his father’s and brother’s footsteps. He stated to you that he has never been charged with a crime. You ask him if he has a juvenile record or has ever been arrested as a juvenile. He looks down and says, “There’s nothing on my record.” He has a clean DD369 police check. (The applicant was charged with shoplifting at a local pharmacy. He paid a fine and was released to his parents. The charge and resolution will need to be confirmed through a police check and Operations notified.)

12. You call the applicant into your office to begin your interview. The Operations Officer projected him with the knowledge that he was charged with possession of marijuana three months ago, but that charge was dismissed for lack of evidence. His Drug Abuse Screening Form states he tried marijuana only one time, more than 14 months ago. You asked him when the last time he smoked marijuana was, and he stated, "14 months ago, but I do hang out with all my friends who smoke marijuana around me. Just last week I was with my friends, and they were in my basement smoking marijuana, but I didn't join them." (The charges three months ago were dropped – the police documents from the recruiter confirm this. However, he was smoking with his friends at the time he was caught for possession. All relevant documents will need to be updated.)

13. You have just completed the pre-enlistment screening on an applicant and determined that he is qualified for the enlistment option he wants. As you are certifying the SOU, he says: "I am excited! My recruiter said I wouldn't be able to qualify for this job." (The recruiter told him that since he is color-blind, he wouldn’t qualify. You must have missed this as you screened his medical documents. He will not be able to get that enlistment option.)

14. During your screening, you say, "In a few minutes, I am going to send you to the MEPS screeners, who will take your fingerprints and submit your security background check. If you have ever been arrested, we will find out." The applicant replies, "My recruiter already did a check, and he couldn't find anything." (The applicant believes nothing is on his record, that it has all been expunged. He was charged with using a false identification at a bar at a beach town and was not let in. The charge and resolution will need to be confirmed through a police check in the beach town, Operations notified and a waiver obtained if needed.)