Just spending about half an hour of reading applications, everything seemed reused or said in different ways over and over again. It gets boring and it is very hard to stick out of the crowds of applications.

So I wrote down some notes while making my own in trying to make mine stand out.

Also while making my application, A series that Myrmidous is making Humorous Mod Application Reviews helped me think of things to write for my own.
His responses are also very enjoyable to read.​

Humor -

Of course this is a comedy in itself is an art. Very hard to pull off and everyone has a different taste in humor, different places of origin and etc, etc. But if you are able to make this flow in your application, it pays off with a lot of people.​

Personalize it -

This is your application. Make it reflect who you are. Anyone can say things and make it sound boring. But you want to stand out, No? Then say it like you own it.​

Colors and Format -

Yes this is not needed at all for an application. But unless if you want it to look like a huge wall of text- you must make it appealing to the eye to read and easy for the reader to digest.​

That is all for now, but feel free to list things that you find that makes a good application and I'll add them to the list ^^​

 

Huh
Maybe someone should come along and put everyone of these application help threads together

 

AnnaPlushie ​

While your grammar is a little odd, your heart is in the right place Ms. Plushie. I hope you don't mind if I add some thoughts to your thread...? I'll remove this if it bothers you. But for now please:

It only costs you some sense.​

===================================================================​

This addendum is for those in the community with no experience interviewing for a job that does not involve shaking fries in a pit of boiling oil. Anyone with a no-kidding, honest-to-God résumé can safely avoid all of this content. You have paid your dues.

===================================================================​

So you have decided you want something but (shock!) there are only a couple of... whatever it is. Which means you will have to deal with competition. To get your shiny new __________ you'll need to make an appeal to whoever can give the shiny to you while beating out the other, lesser people. This is very much a competition and you do not get prizes for participation. (Except in politics)

There are two ways the person in charge of your shiny toy can choose who gets it:

Popularity All-Star <or> Direct Appeal​

Popularity All-Star

In this type of application you appeal to the community at large. You try to be personable and have everyone like you; the more attention your application receives the better you are. Job seekers using the Pop All-Star method go to great lengths to be noticed, often advertising their applications and involving as many friends and strangers as possible to generate interest. The hope is that the owner of the Golden Toilet Plunger sees how many people like you and promotes you to keep everyone happy.​

Pros:

Extremely good approach in any "mass audience" arena or anywhere the business owner depends exclusively on a large number of easily-swayed crowds. Promoting an all-star will draw more new people in and give the "regulars" a feeling that they have more control over the process.​

Cons:

You are selling an image and personality, not an actual set of skills. You must maintain your popularity at all times, if you start acting in a way your followers dislike they will stop supporting you. Likewise any bad behavior will ruin your position.​

Direct Appeal

With this application you are speaking directly to the owner of the Flaming Hot Retainer that you want. You explain how your particular skills and attitude match what he/she/it is looking for and how you will help them pedal Satan's Bicycle directly to the Oven Olympics for the gold medal in Pitchforking. You emphasize your experience and motivations over any personal relationships in the hope that a "business first" approach is what the boss is looking for.​

Pros:

Preferred approach for most businesses looking to fill an exact role: President, Loan Manager, Janitor, Forum Moderator (in that order). Any position that requires you to follow well-written guidance benefits from a Direct Appeal: The head person in charge knows you understand what they require and can follow through.​

Cons:

You Better Be Freaking Qualified. With no popular support to smooth over any accidents your work will have to stand up for itself. Guidelines must be followed exactly. Requirements must be met perfectly. Over time your record will speak for itself but initially any small mistake will set you back.​

Look over any Moderator application and you can tell very quickly which of these approaches is being used.
All-Stars will go out of their way to talk about how good they are with people, listing everything they can think of that will make others happy. They also tend to copy already-popular applications to appeal to a "pre built audience". Direct Appeals will take the template as the literal Ten Commandments: You'll see detailed explanations to "template questions" but very few outside-the-box or personal additions.

Interestingly this breaks down into age groups: Young players are very firmly in the "All Star" camp, they're social media butterflies and want their friends to like what they are doing. Old players are applying for a position, not a social status: They tend to be largely in the "Direct Appeal" group.

Is one of these "better" than the other? No. Different skills are needed for pretty much anything: If the Quirky Hat Boss happens to need a popular person to promote the business then an All-Star will be at the top of the list. Likewise if productivity/quality is slipping then guess which Direct Appealer gets a call? It's about management tools.

But the important part is:
BE BETTER AT YOUR ROLE THAN EVERYONE ELSE​

There are very few "hybrids": People who are popular, socially dominant and also strictly professional and results-oriented. These styles are almost direct opposites-- If you cannot be 100% sure of pulling off that "bridge" application then you need to focus on your strengths and show them off the best you can. Give examples of what you're good for. Provide testimonials or work samples. Really consider what the ___________ (thing you want) really means, what it will require and how your talents fill that niche.

Still with me here?​

Like it or not: IRL, face to face, the beautiful people with a little talent get more opportunities than ugly people with genius.
BUT when we are talking about online... you are only as good as your grammar.

Well-spoken people destroy everyone else on a forum. They get more attention, more support and (ultimately) more opportunities. You may be the most amazing administrator to ever exist but if your application reads like a spastic troll smashed his a*** into the keyboard a few times... well good luck with that. Review your freaking application. Read it out loud. Get a friend to read it out loud to you. If something sounds weird then rephrase that part. Consider your message: Are you staying on-topic or diving into personal WTF stories?

If I had five seconds to tell an applicant something before I died then I'd probably shout "PROOFREAD YOUR POST, FOOL". (Optionally I might go with "Bury me in a bulldozer, sucker!")

But no matter how Godly your grammar is or how atrocious your app may be you still need to pay attention to the feedback you receive. There will always be people taking time to b****, moan, whine and point out your flaws because:

They. Don't. Know. You.​

Most of the time if you are getting a bad review or a non-support then there is something you need to address in your application. Because what you wrote is the only way we know you at all. The people leaving comments are being honest-- sometimes a little bit trollish also-- but they don't have a reason to lie to make you happy, either.

The absolute worst thing you can do is over-react and lose your mind over a comment you don't like. You can disagree simply by ignoring the input; going to extreme lengths to annihilate a (probably honest) appraisal will say more about you than anything else you wrote.


tl;dr:

1. Decide if you want to be popular or get the job done. Write an application emphasizing one or the other.
2. Review your application. Check grammar, spelling and (for the love of God) punctuation.
3. Read non-positive input. It's probably honest, they have no reason to lie to make you happy. You don't have to listen to them but don't explode about it either.
4. Edit your application over time. If it hasn't been accepted then you are missing something. Fix it.​

Good luck to you all. I look forward to reading the Applications forum in the future with one eyebrow raised and a Jack & Coke firmly held in my free hand. Cheers.

===============================================================​

Credentials / why you should pay attention:
• I am a career military sergeant. I've been taking worthless kids and training them in do-or-die situations for ten years.
• I'm a hiring manager for contractors on a $14.8M installation. I review résumés and conduct interviews with the exact level of humor you're seeing here.
• Absolutely no concern is made for your feelings: I'm not for you, I'm not against you. I don't know you, I don't want to know you.
• My degree is in Communications. I can "move a message" and speak to an audience when necessary.

 

You used all of this in your application, but I don't think it's working out that well. I prefer a formal, concise application, that answers the questions and nothing more.

 

LMFAO MS JESUS ILY

 

LOL

 

lmao