Elements the Game Forum - Free Online Fantasy Card Game

Other Topics => Elements Council => Topic started by: Higurashi on April 10, 2012, 12:35:16 am

Title: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Higurashi on April 10, 2012, 12:35:16 am

By Dragoon1140, edited by Higurashi, revamped by 15th Council

There have been many questions surfacing about what exactly the Council looks for when looking to hire an applicant. Thus, here is a list that should clear some of this up. Of course, this list isn't everything Council looks for, but it does list some of the more primary things.

Put some effort into your application

• The application that you write should be a representation of what we should expect from you in a staff position. Put some flair into it, make it yours!
• Most importantly, make sure you detail two things: why you want this position, and why you are the best candidate. That's what your application should boil down to.
• Trying to get Council members to vote based on your personality or reputation alone is a noble pursuit, but your application is there for a reason. Write down anything relevant! For example, if you've won every single League so far, make sure you put that in your League Organizer application. Include it even if you think it should be obvious and well known to others.

We don't just read your application - we look at you, too

• The world's best application won't work if we know you're not a good fit for the role - equally, if we know you're perfect for the role, you may get by with a mediocre application. Your reputation within the community, and activity within the section that you're applying for, will always be taken into account.
• That being said, each Council member looks at applications a different way. Some will vote solely on their experiences with you so far, some will vote solely on your application, and most will be somewhere in between. If in doubt, it's best to cover all bases - do you best to write a good application, but also set a good example as a community member.
• Bear in mind that this doesn't mean a long-time community member will always be chosen over a newer one!

Get to know your colleagues

• If you spend a little time talking to the people you'll be working with, not only will you be able to ask them invaluable questions about the role but you'll also be able to get a feel of what working with them may be like.
• Council will often (but not always) ask at least one of the current members in the staff position that you're applying to what they think of the applicants. If you've spoken to them and you know that you're on good terms, all the better!

Don't be afraid to ask for help

• In every staff position, and in life in general, nobody knows what they're doing all of the time. Never be afraid to ask for help when you need it! There's nothing worse than someone not being able to do something solely because they're afraid to ask for help.
• The same goes for your application! Ask other community members and Council themselves to give your application a proofread and to see if you can improve it.

If you have any more questions, please post them here! (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/elements-council/elements-council-general-discussion-and-feedback/)

---

---

There have been many questions surfacing about what exactly the Council looks for when looking to hire an applicant.  Thus, here is a list I've made that should clear some of this up.  Of course, this list isn't everything Council looks for, but it does list some of the more primary things.

We read applications
Every Council Member reads every application entered, and, believe it or not, it does have a judgment on the votes an applicant may or may not receive.  Great spelling and grammar will be a great note to start off on, since it shows that the applicant actually dedicated some time into writing it.  If one doesn't know how to write an application, they should just list what they have done in the past, why the applicant feels he/she would be best for the position, and something else that will make us feel like "this is the one for this position."

For instance, this is my application, word for word, for the Competition Organizer position.

Hello there vrt, and other Council Members that will be reading this.  My name is Dragoon1140, a very active member of the community and dedicated Youtuber.  I've spent a long time looking at the Competition section of the forums, waiting for something to spur the creativity that the entire community has to offer, but I have come to be disappointed.

Thus, I would love to be one of the Competition Organizers, both to feel like I'm giving something back to the community outside of Council, and to make sure the folk who don't like PVP still have the fun they deserve.  I want to spread the potato of creativity across the farm of Elements forum members, and make sure they all have an awesome time growing their vegetable to win the state fair and earn a nice little trophy to put under their avatar.  Because I am so active, I will likely answer any and all questions people may have.

Being a Competition Organizer would be quite the experience, and I would love to become a part of it.  Thank you for your time.

We look at how long the applicant been part of the community
If the applicant has just joined two weeks ago, the chances of them earning a forum position are little to none.  If, however, the applicant has been here for a long time, helping out around the forum and is a well-known face, they will likely gain the position if it comes down to it.  On the other hand, this does not mean that a veteran-status member will always earn the position over somebody else who we feel would do better.

We read what the applicant has done in that section
Posting a lot in the forum section we are looking at hiring somebody for will help an applicant's chances to earn a leadership role in that section.  Posting there willy-nilly does not impress, and will likely affect our votes.  Again, this does not mean somebody completely foreign to the section cannot become a moderator/organizer for the section.  We will hire somebody else like that, if we feel it is needed.

Please, do not be shy to ask any questions.  If you have any concerns, this thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/elements-council/elements-council-general-discussion-and-feedback/) is a great place to post them.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Submachine on February 23, 2014, 09:43:22 pm

Quote from: Higurashi on April 10, 2012, 12:35:16 am

Please, do not be shy to ask any questions.  If you have any concerns, this thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,13720) is a great place to post them.

I'm just curious, is the quoted link still up-to-date? :o

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Higurashi on February 23, 2014, 09:51:11 pm

Totally.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Dm on February 23, 2014, 09:57:21 pm

Quote from: Submachine on February 23, 2014, 09:43:22 pm

Quote from: Higurashi on April 10, 2012, 12:35:16 am

Please, do not be shy to ask any questions.  If you have any concerns, this thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,13720) is a great place to post them.

I'm just curious, is the quoted link still up-to-date? :o

No. This (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/elements-council/council-projects-and-accomplishments/) is more up to date, although I still need to check if we're missing anything and beautifying it by placing user tags and other stuff will have to wait until later. =P

(Also, might want to change that link to this (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/elements-council/elements-council-general-discussion-and-feedback/) now that we have it.. hmm)

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Submachine on February 24, 2014, 02:04:22 pm

Ah, I see it was updated yesterday. :)

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Solaris on December 17, 2015, 08:26:17 pm

Necro, but it's stickied, so I digress. IMO, this topic, especially the example application, needs to be updated. In my experiences, it takes a hell of a lot more than a paragraph + a couple sentences about yourself, un-formatted, to get a staff position. I'd be willing to make a new topic for this if Council deems it necessary.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: worldwideweb3 on December 17, 2015, 09:20:47 pm

Quote from: MeowMeowCat on December 17, 2015, 08:26:17 pm

Necro, but it's stickied, so I digress. IMO, this topic, especially the example application, needs to be updated. In my experiences, it takes a hell of a lot more than a paragraph + a couple sentences about yourself, un-formatted, to get a staff position. I'd be willing to make a new topic for this if Council deems it necessary.

Personally, if you have been part of community for a long time and shown the skills needed, a short para is enough for you to be considered. Ofcourse, if you are quite new, the app will have to be really good and detailed to have a chance.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Solaris on December 17, 2015, 09:22:54 pm

Quote from: worldwideweb3 on December 17, 2015, 09:20:47 pm

Quote from: MeowMeowCat on December 17, 2015, 08:26:17 pm

Necro, but it's stickied, so I digress. IMO, this topic, especially the example application, needs to be updated. In my experiences, it takes a hell of a lot more than a paragraph + a couple sentences about yourself, un-formatted, to get a staff position. I'd be willing to make a new topic for this if Council deems it necessary.

Personally, if you have been part of community for a long time and shown the skills needed, a short para is enough for you to be considered. Ofcourse, if you are quite new, the app will have to be really good and detailed to have a chance.

And generally, the people who come to this topic ARE new-ish people, looking for a guide on how to go about the process.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Submachine on December 17, 2015, 10:00:26 pm

This guide helped me giving inspirations for my own applications. I'd say they are more useful to get one started, rather than telling one what to submit word by word.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: Zawadx on December 18, 2015, 05:04:21 am

What this guide lists is the bare minimum an applicant should include in their application. But of course you should do much more than this if you really want to get that staff position. In my application for TrO, I detailed a full plan and schedule for Trials. This earned me the confidence of most of council even though I was ver new and had next to no pvp experience. An even better feat was Krzy's NW app, where he included the Sept. 2014 newsletter done and ready. Would you have done the same for any old position? I certainly didn't do as much when I applied for TO or CO.

So this guide is perfect, and it actually helps single out those who have the highest dedication for the staff position they're applying for.

Title: Re: What the Council looks for in applications
Post by: ddevans96 on December 18, 2015, 05:28:17 am

Quote from: MeowMeowCat on December 17, 2015, 08:26:17 pm

Necro, but it's stickied, so I digress. IMO, this topic, especially the example application, needs to be updated. In my experiences, it takes a hell of a lot more than a paragraph + a couple sentences about yourself, un-formatted, to get a staff position. I'd be willing to make a new topic for this if Council deems it necessary.

Council looks at much, much more than the applications, with different people valuing different factors more than others. Personally, the applications are a minor factor for me, with major ones being whether their activity will handle the additional workload and whether the skillset they have shown is most suited to the position in question.

Looking over the voting during this current Council term, I don't estimate and wouldn't expect a strong correlation between application length and votes casted, since there's many other factors involved.