ESGR Interview Recruitment Script

Department of Defense Guard and Reserve Civilian Employment Study

Employer Interviews - Recruitment Scripts

Used to follow up on initial recruitment materials sent via U.S. Mail

First contact with sampled firm- email version:

SUBJECT: RESPONSE REQUESTED: Invitation to Participate in DoD Study

[Insert name here],

I’m writing to follow up on information recently mailed to you about a study that the RAND Corporation is conducting for the Department of Defense on civilian employers’ experiences employing guard and reserve members and the impact that duty-related absences have on employers. The information included a request to participate in a one-time telephone interview.

It is important for us to hear about this issue from [ORGANZATION NAME]’s perspective. I am contacting you today to see if you or another representative from [ORGANZATION NAME] with knowledge of the impacts of employing guard and reserve personnel would be willing to participate in an interview. In the interview, topics we will cover include:

• [ORGANZATION NAME]’s actual or anticipated experiences with guard and reserve employees and duty-related absences

• their impact on [ORGANZATION NAME]

• the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

• Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) programs and support

• your recommendations for possible ways to better support civilian employers of guard and reserve members.

Ideally we would like to schedule the interview to take place within the next few weeks. We know that your schedule may be very busy, so we will schedule it at a time convenient for you. You can reply to this message or call me at the number below and either propose a specific time or let me know some general times that tend to work for you. Alternately, I have [###-###-####] as a contact number. If I don’t hear from you within the next week, I will call you at that number. If you would like us to contact you at a different number, please call or e-mail me with updated contact information.

Thank you for your consideration of this research request. I look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

[Contact Information]

RAND Corporation

www.rand.org

First contact with sampled firm- telephone version:

• “Hello, could I please speak to [letter addressee] or the person in charge of employee HR policies?” (If more information is required: “I’m calling from the RAND Corporation about a study we are doing for the Department of Defense regarding civilian employers’ experiences employing guard and reserve members.”)

• “Did you receive the information we sent about the study, which included a request to participate in an interview?” If no, explain that information will be sent again, confirm best way to send it. If yes, continue:

• “It is important for us to hear about this issue from the perspective of you and your organization. Will you be willing to participate in a one-time telephone interview about this topic?” If yes, determine date/time to for interview and continue to next bullet. If no, ask: “Would another representative from your organization who knows about its experiences employing guard and reserve members and the impact of duty-related leave on your organization be available to participate?” If yes, gather contact information for this person and ask to speak to new point of contact directly and then follow first contact phone script from second bullet point on. If no, thank them for their time and end the call.

• “We look forward to talking with you further and learning about your organization’s viewpoints on the impact that employing actively serving guard or reserve members has on civilian employers. I have scheduled your interview for [date and time]. Please contact me if you have any questions or need to reschedule.”