Best Posts in Thread: Chaos546's Guide To Staff Recruitment

So, many-a-guide has been made for aspiring staff members. There even is an official one, found if you scroll down from the format. Handy, eh? But being a player who frequents staff recruitment, I have some tips not only for those who are applying, but also for those who just want to get better at giving good feedback.

Applying​

Prerequisites
The most common criticisms I see are ‘needs more in game, forum, and TeamSpeak activity’. These should all be common sense, but oftentimes they aren’t. Always ensure that you have all the required accounts before applying, such as Skype and TeamSpeak, and make sure you have a working mic as all interviews are done through TeamSpeak voice chat. Other than that, I have a few extra tips for each of the main criticisms.

In Game:
What I like to see from potential Helpers is a general friendliness. Sure, many people ask for /shout activity, as it’s a good way to get yourself out there. However, I understand that it is difficult to keep track of /shout, and oftentimes you want to /msg a player instead of add to the spam in shout. Contrary to what people often believe, /shout is not the only way you can prove yourself to be a helpful and kind player. Other places you can help out are places such as spawn, or town spawn. Plenty of people run around these places, asking for help, and often people miss it. Knowing many towny and other commands can’t hurt, and neither can knowing the rules well. One thing I don’t like seeing is people offering help in shout. Sure, you want to be helpful, but whenever I see this, I just know that whomever is offering it is just doing it to look better on their upcoming/current staff application. It seems extremely desperate to me, and I would prefer it if I didn’t see people doing this before an application. In simplest terms, just be friendly.

Forums:
Well, unfortunately, the forums are always what people seem to forget. This upsets me, because as you can tell, I am extremely active here. The forums are often the easiest for people to access, or at least, that’s the way for me. Generally, I hope to see an applicant be at the very least a ‘Member’ before they apply, although it’s not necessary. For me, I prefer seeing quality posts, rather than a large amount of posts. I look for contributive posts in Suggestions, Report a Bug, Q&A, and Staff Recruitment when looking at a player’s forums activity. Constructive posts are my favorite to see, and the general rule for forums is the same as in game; try to just be friendly.

TeamSpeak:
I don’t really have much to say on the fact of TeamSpeak, as I wouldn’t say I’m the best authority on it. However, I do see its importance in staffing. When working on TS activity, just try to join groups and talk with people. Believe me, I understand if you are shy, but you have to try before anything can change. I was shy when I started as a Helper, but as I’ve spent more time talking with people on TS, I’ve realized it’s not as scary as it may appear. My best advice is to just swallow any fears you have and try your best to interact with people. And while we don’t often have to kick and ban people on TS, it’s a good idea to be familiar with it and be comfortable in one on one conversations.

Summary:
While people tend to stress the prerequisites, it isn’t the most difficult thing to consistently do. Use your current abilities to the fullest! Like I said, just be sure to be a generally all around friendly player, and try to help where you can. After all, the main role of a Helper is just like their name; to help! All in all, make sure that you feel ready when you apply.

Do’s
Be friendly
Be active
Be helpful
Know the rules
Follow the rules
Know commands
Have a TeamSpeak
Have a Skype
Have a working mic
Be constructive
Focus on quality
Interact with others

Dont’s
Constantly offer help in /shout
Be rude
Break the rules
Be afraid to interact
Apply before you feel ready
Apply with low activity
Apply only a few weeks after you join

Application
While oftentimes people say the application isn’t that important, I think it’s much the contrary. Good activity is always wonderful, but a good application is a great way to have a better first impression. Good grammar and spelling is always a plus, too. You need to strongly present yourself so that people can have a look-in on what you are like. Finally, while your application is up, ensure that you don't bump it or reply to every post, as this makes you seem desperate.

Introduction:
Now, I often see people completely miss the point of the introduction. An introduction is there to let the people who don’t know you get a little insight into what you are like, and let the people who do know you get to know what you think of yourself. It shouldn’t be much about your MeepCraft ‘life’ or how much you like MeepCraft, it should be about you; your personality, your likes, your dislikes, etc. Try to stay away from mentioning MeepCraft the best you can.

Why:
The Why is often considered the most important part of the application. This is where you really sell yourself. The current tips and tricks thread has good guidelines, but I honestly like to see more creative applications. Sure, you can use those general categories as the base, but I prefer it when I see people add their own twist onto it. Just think about what makes you unique, and what drove you to apply. That’s the best tip I could give you on the Why. This is your place to show what you’d bring to our team.

Weaknesses:
Now, this is the part where I see a lot of people slip up. No, we don't want to see 'weaknesses' like "I don't know redstone" or even something like "I don't know all the staff commands". We want to see things like "short fuse" or "holds grudges". Along with just listing them, explain to us how this effects you as a citizen currently, how you suspect it will affect you if you get accepted, and finally, how you plan to prevent it from affecting you. Make a good strong paragraph for each weakness, and please don't say 'I have no weaknesses', because everyone does.

Conclusion:
I'm going to keep this short and sweet. That's exactly what your conclusion should be; short and sweet. Remember to just quickly sum up everything you said in your application. Try to keep it under ten sentences, and make sure that you don't add any new information. If it's that important, put it in your Why.

Summary:
Basically, if you think it is important enough to be in your application, put it in. Leave each section to what it's for; introduce yourself in the introduction, explain to us why you are unique and should be accepted in the why, tell us where you are weak in the weaknesses, and sum it all up nicely in the conclusion.

Do's
Write a good length application
Elaborate on your points
Describe yourself in the introduction
Give strong points on your uniqueness
Explain why we should choose you over others
Give and explain your weaknesses

Dont's
Explain your whole 'meep story' in your introduction
Try to guilt people
Reply to every post
Bump your application
Say you have no weaknesses
Say your weakness is something non-related like redstone
Break the application rules
Make a super long conclusion
Make a super short application
Argue with the feedback on your application

Basically, when applying, be respectful, keep your nose clean, and just be an all around friendly and literate person.

Reviewing
​

Now reviewing is always good, you know. People applying need feedback, and it's best when it comes in a respectful, constructive way. Remember to always add reasoning to your posts, otherwise it will be deleted and a warning point added to your account. Please, please, do not just do 'reasons above'. These posts are absolutely useless and one of my pet peeves, as they are just to up post count and fish for possible likes, which bothers me. If you don't have anything new to add, don't reply at all.

The first tip I have is format. Reviews look nicer when they have a good format, or at least aren't just a wall of text. It may not seem that important, but a nice looking review is more likely to be read and taken in by the applicant.

Basic things to think of when reviewing are forums activity, teamspeak activity, and in game activity. These are just the simple things, but also a good start. Take into account if you have seen them in these places at all. For example, if they are a new member, you probably haven't seen them on the forums. This is just a base for your vote.

Next thing to look at is their application. Was it well written? Did you feel compelled to keep reading, or was it just a list? Did they include everything you think they should have? If you were unable to understand it, for example, because the spelling or grammar was bad, mention this as well.

Think about your experiences with this person. Have you seen them helping out, and being friendly? Or are they rude, and make fun of other players? Also remember to take into account any past bans they have, and if they've made an effort to redeem themselves from these bans. Just try to remember what they are like and if you think they are ready for the position of power.

Finally, look at what other people have said. This may seem strange, but sometimes it can be useful to see what experiences other people have had. Be careful, though; avoid listening to bias and letting it affect your opinion. Positive bias is often easier to spot than negative, but just be sure you can recognize it in this step. Otherwise, this is a good way to get a feel for the person applying, especially if you don't know them that well.

Do's
Pay attention to what other people say
Take into account activity in all areas
Look at their personality
Make sure you read their application thoroughly
Base your vote on evidence, not bias
Learn to recognize bias in other posts

Dont's
Base your vote on bias
Say 'reasons above'
Put no reasoning
Ignore all evidence


I hope that my guide was able to help potential reviewers/applicants, both now and in the future. I frequent the staff recruitment section, so I know how to review, and I've written two accepted applications, so I recognize the requirements. Anyways, that's it!

 

I've been thinking about editing this and going a little more in-depth, so imma do that.