[Pathis]

I've recently stepped up to handle Recruitment for Chaos, my raiding guild, and so far I have pretty mixed feelings regarding the whole thing. Part of me is happy with how we've done so far, but another part of me is bitter at how a few things went. Suffice to say, I figured I'd post some pointers I've learned in the last few weeks!

1. Realm Forum and WoW Recruitment Forums Threads are a must.

This one is pretty much a no brainer, as you just write up a post describing your guild and your current needs. There's a post on the EJ forums which does a pretty solid of job of explaining how to do this. To sum it up though, be original with what you say! Have some type of edge which makes your guild stand out. My guild doesn't have this right now, but we're hoping to down Kalecgos this week, which would give us a pretty good thing to mention in our recruitment posts.

2. If you troll Recruitment Posts of classes you want, don't copy/past the same response over and over again.

It is so obvious to see when a guild is just using the same guild template for each person, and they can easily tell it isn't unique to their specific thread. Taking 5 minutes to type out something original will usually leave a better impression on them, which means they'll be more likely to contact you!

3. Keep your posts bumped.

This is the tedious part I know, especially since it takes maybe 10 minutes for your Advertisement on the WoW Recruitment boards to get bumped to the 2nd page, but the solution to this one is simple! Link the post in question to your guild, and just ask for help keeping it bumped! It's so much easier than doing it yourself.

4. wowlemmings.com is your friend.

This site makes looking through posts on the WoW Recruitment baords so easy! All you have to do is select exactly what you're looking for, and it will give you direct links to posts for whatever you're looking for!

5. Make sure they're serious about transferring before talking to them.

I learned this one the hard way. Don't waste your time with someone who "isn't sure" about transferring, or seems reluctant to do so the moment you invite them to. Time and time again, they'll just back out and give you some excuse as to why they don't want to transfer, and want to wait a little while longer. If you're handling recruitment in any capacity, it gets old and is a complete waste of time.

6. Have good questions to ask.

This one is key, as while WWS is a great indicator, most applicants don't have a parse usually. Having some simple questions such as, "What is your skill rotation" or "What are the two biggest upgrades needed right now for your current gear" help show you if they really have a clue, or if they managed to buy an account off ebay for a good price.

7. Be very detailed with what their status will be if invited.

You don't want to bring someone in with the expectation they're going to be a main status raider if that's not what is going to really happen. In the end this will just cause animosity and they will probably just emo out. Be very clear with what they should expect if they're invited to the guild so that there can't possibly be any hard feelings.

8. 18+ is required.

Granted, I'm only 18 myself, but this rule seems to be huge. We had an Arms Warrior recruit we were gearing up at the time who got into an epeen argument with another warrior over aggro, and ending up leaving the raid after Supremus. Suffice to say, he was 16 years old and very emo, despite us telling him we'd solve the problem and to get back in the raid. This was pretty much the last straw as far as exceptions to "mature enough people younger than 18" went. Stick to an age you feel comfortable with, and don't hedge on it.

9. No e-whores.

This one is pretty important if you want to avoid drama. If during the interview they seem to be overly flirty with you, or if during their trial period they flirt with every single guy in the guild, it's probably in your best interest to drop them. In all likelihood they probably aren't any good anyways, and the only reason they keep getting invites is because one of your officers thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread.

10. Have a long enough trial period so you can get a good gauge of your applicants.

This is pretty important, and it's something we luckily managed to catch. While there is the "amazing recruit" that comes from time to time and doesn't need a trial period, it's generally a good idea to not right away promote anyone to full member status. That 3rd week you might learn just how much a tool said person really is, and then you'll be in trouble because you already promoted them to member!

Well, that's what I've managed to learn so far! Granted, there is a ton more to learn in the coming weeks, and I'll be sure to update this post accordingly with what I learn!