What are the elements of a good guild recruiting post?

[Scorpienne]

So with the excitement with server transfers, there are likely to be a lot of people changing servers and guilds. Therefore, as a GL, I want to make sure my guild's recruiting post is a good one. Heck, I want all the guilds on my server to have good recruiting posts.

 

So what is in a good guild recruiting post?

• Guild name
  
• Guild faction
  
• Server
  
• Guild focus (RP, raiding, PvP, socializing)
  
• General idea of what your guild does (overview, raiding, PvPers, etc.). This may be a guild mission statement summarizing what your guild does and how they do it.
  
• What kind of people you're looking for (classes).
  
• What times your guild raids.
  
• What you have cleared so far.
  
• Whom to whisper for information.
  
• Guild website.
  
• Strictness of policies about salty language.
  
• Availability of VOIP and expected usage.
  
• Age limit or lack therof.
  

 

The way your message is presented says something about you as the guild leader and about your guild. What image are you trying to project? Serious? Fun? Professional? Silly?

 

Other non-message considerations include:

• Must be posted in the right place in the recruitment forums (it's stunning how many are not!)
  
• Must be honest (for instance non-family-friendly chat, as well as focus, number of people, accomplishments).
  
• Must have a clean layout and be easy to read.
  
• Must have proper grammar and punctuation. As a corollary, leet speek is right out if you're trying to appear to be professional or serious.
  
• Don't waste people's time, should be as consise as appropriate.
  

 

What other kind of recruiting information would you find helpful?

 

 

Paige

Edited June 6, 2012 by Scorpienne

[TheBBP]

The number one element is that it gets posted in the guild recruitment forums.

[Oxiiimoron]

Well, I think any good Guild recruiting post should include the Guild name, what you're looking for, and what times your Guild raids, and possibly what you've cleared up to date. Some people add 500 !'s and other random crap that nobody cares about... haha. So just keep it simple.

 

<My Guild> Is currently recruiting Healing Sorc's & BH/Assassin Tanks for our 16 man OP group. We raid Tues - Thurs from 7-11pm ST and are currently working on HM Denova. PST for more info or visit http://www.myguildsite.com.

 

Something along those lines. When people PST you for more info, you can go more indepth on Loot/Attendance policy, and how your guild is structured.

 

Just my thoughts.

[corvuscorvus]

Try to give people an idea of what your guild community is about--are you hardcore PvPers that started out in a FPS? Are you more into PvE content, rushing to clear it as soon as BW releases it? Tell people why you want them to be a part of something that you enjoy. Be clear, concise. Don't waste people's time.

 

If you have a guild site, point to it.

 

Above all, be honest; for example, if your gchat isn't family-friendly, say so. Let people know what they're in for.

 

Good luck out there!

[Scorpienne]

Okay, good suggestions. I'll edit the OP.

 

Any other ideas?

 

 

Paige

[ScarletBlaze]

Be sure if you are more focused on roleplay (for roleplay guilds) that they know that. Some people on rp servers would rather have a rp guild than a pvp or even pve even though they might like to do it. If someone is looking for rp that is usually what they look for first.

[Aenene]

as a GL and a prospective member, i always like to see posts with clear and concise information displayed in a good clearn layout. (ya, this post may not have this but) Proper Grammar, punctuation and spelling all go a long way for me. A certain vibe can be attained as to the leadership of a guild by their post. If its totally "Holy LoLzers n00bz" i stay away, as that type of representation imparts something i am not interested in.

 

good suggestions on your list already, esp the not-so-obvious maturity level of the guild. Storytime: A long time ago, i joined a large, friendly and helpful guild with a group of friends. One day, one of my friends said the word "Damn" in one guild message, and "Hell" (referencing the place specifically) in one that followed. He was talked to by the leader and officers and put on probation for it. Needless to say, our group parted ways at the point, as this was too strict for our liking. It had not been covered anywhere, so i didnt even think to ask (my fault). Its now something that i verify with every guild i may join, or any prospective member into one i run.

 

Perhaps also include if VOIP is available, and what the expected uses of it are. Some groups want it mandatory if you are online. others just during raids, etc.

[Sauska]

Age limit, or no age limit if you don't enforce one.

 

I'm always on the lookout for guilds with a min. age limit myself

Edited June 5, 2012 by Sauska

[Scorpienne]

Okay, new things to add... I'll again edit the OP.

 

Guild focus (RP, raiding, PvP, socializing)

Must have a clean layout and proper grammar and punctuation.

Strictness of policies about salty language.

Availability of VOIP and expected usage.

Age limit or lack therof.

 

Good suggestions!

 

What have you seen in a guild recruiting post that really made you excited about a guild, or alternately really turned you off?

 

Paige

[corvuscorvus]

On our forums in the general area--the first public section--we have a list of policies and procedures that is stickied. We also have some posts in the Recruitment section that help to give a feel for what The Incredibles are all about.

 

Having the equivalent of a mission statement, and a list of what's acceptable (and what's not) will indeed go a long way toward folks weeding themselves out, or wanting to be a part of your community. If that's not been done, I would urge all guild leaders (and their leadership) to take the time to create those guidelines. You'll save yourself a lot of headache in the long run.

[Sauska]

What have you seen in a guild recruiting post that really made you excited about a guild, or alternately really turned you off?

 

Paige

I know, I won't win any popularity contests by saying this, but leetspeak and/or grammar/spelling mistakes in guild recruitment posts really make me discard that guild immediately.

 

On the other hand, originality makes me check out their website straight away

Edited June 6, 2012 by Sauska

[TheBBP]

I know, I won't win any popularity contests by saying this, but leetspeak and/or grammar/spelling mistakes in guild recruitment posts really make me discard that guild immediately.

 

I see no problem with that statement.

[Scorpienne]

The medium is as important as the message! Leet speek is right out...

 

Mission statement added.

 

Note for originality added. But then again, what's original? Pretty much everything has been done before, it's just a matter of finding a new take on it.

 

Paige

[Sauska]

The medium is as important as the message! Leet speek is right out...

 

Mission statement added.

 

Note for originality added. But then again, what's original? Pretty much everything has been done before, it's just a matter of finding a new take on it.

 

Paige

Originality is hard to define, and even harder to find, lol. Basically, it's a message with a twist.

 

Personally, I like a short, to-the-point and humourous message. Any recruitments posts longer than one screen, as in posts I have to scroll, I discard. Refer interested people to a website, don't cram all your guild info in the recruitment post. Instead, use some teasers to get people to check your website.

 

So, for originality. I guess it's the wording of the message which piques my interest, assuming some of my basic requirements are met (casual hardcore, suitable raiding nights and times, min. age limit). There are plenty of guilds out there which meet those basic requirements, so I'm mostly looking for posts which make me smile at least, preferably laugh. I remember a guild recruitment post set up as an army recruitment message, it stood out from the masses. To me, an original recruitment post means a guild with a lively imagination, fun events and more importantly, a fun gchat

[Scorpienne]

Thanks, Sauska. I've got a lot of respect for your opinion because I like the way you comport yourself on the forums.

 

With all of the furor around transfers, do you y'all think it's important to mention whether you're likely to transfer off of your server or is that immaterial at this point?

 

Paige

[Oxiiimoron]

Thanks, Sauska. I've got a lot of respect for your opinion because I like the way you comport yourself on the forums.

 

With all of the furor around transfers, do you y'all think it's important to mention whether you're likely to transfer off of your server or is that immaterial at this point?

 

Paige

 

I think that's a very worthy thing to disucss with potential guild members. With server transfers just around the corner, and many people unahppy with their servers population, if your guild is considering moving off the server (if that's an option) I think that's very important. New Guild members who aren't comfortably established in your guild and know everyone & their personality might not be willing to leave their server. Or, they may be just as unahppy with it and ready to jump ship and move on to better pastures, so to speak haha.

 

I'm an Officer in my current guild and this is something we discuss with new recruits before we even invite them to Guild just in case it happens. We don't want anybody feeling abandoned.

 

And I agree... don't make a Guild Recruit post on the Fleet and have it misspelled. Also, leetspeak and millions of *****'s and !!!!!!!!!'s and @@@@'s or whatever drives me insane. It doesn't make you look intelligent by any means hahaha.

[Sauska]

Thanks, Sauska. I've got a lot of respect for your opinion because I like the way you comport yourself on the forums.

Thanks! The feeling is mutual, you're a great contributor to the forums and community