Guild recruiting for the rest of us
If there is anywhere that I am deficient as a guild leader it is in the recruitment department. It is the one aspect that I simply do not want to do and I am not very good at it. During my Iniquity days I was fortunate enough to have Thax who was, without a doubt, the finest recruiter on the face of the planet. Now that I’ve given you that little bit of information you might think, “Then why on earth would I want to learn recruitment from you?” Despite my distaste for the work I do have a good grasp of how recruitment works and how to do it right. Here are some tips that work for those of us who might not be as silver tongued as my esteemed colleague Thax.
The first lesson that any guild recruiter must understand is that guilds are like opinions. Everyone has one and they usually aren’t very good. Most players these days are quite jaded when it comes to guild membership and will frequently think you offer more trouble than benefit. With that knowledge in mind you must find your hook or niche and accent it. There needs to be something that your guild focuses on and does well. You can be the best quest completing guild or the finest role-playing organization. It really can be anything just be sure you’re not over reaching. A new guild claiming it will be the number one raid guild on the server never ends up as it. The ones that do keep their heads down and let their achievements do the talking. In short, be sure your guild can cover the check your mouth is writing.
Once you’ve identified your niche and are sure you can support it, you need to decide how you’re going to get your message out. There are numerous methods by which you can do this but I want to keep it brief. The absolute best method of recruitment is word of mouth. When you and your guild members are out filling the niche they can invite outsiders. When those players see how great your guild does that activity they will want to join or will tell people looking for that type of guild about you. They might just need some subtle coaxing from you. If you’re going to use a website be sure it looks good. Nothing will turn potential members off faster than a sloppy, unprofessional website. Finally, don’t spam your guild recruitment speech in open channels. It is acceptable to do this every now and then when you’re trying to fill a specific slot. A general message that promises a lot, however, usually does more harm than good.
When you have an interested person there are a few keys to recruitment that a lot of players miss. The first is being positive and interested regardless of the class, level or name. You’re at a key point here and everyone that talks to you won’t do so via their main. They might be worried about losing their spot in their guild and wish to feel you out anonymously first. Treat every tell as important. Otherwise you might lose an amazing person to your own assumptions. It is also of dire importance that you ask a lot of questions. You should ask why the person is applying. What their expectations of the guild are. What type of player are they or want to be? Find out why they think your guild would suit them better than their guild. Finally, subtly find out how many guilds they’ve been in. Someone who has played for three years and has been in two guilds is far more stable than someone who has been in twenty.
Those are some basic tips for how to do a decent job of guild recruitment. This is by no means a detailed or exhaustive “how to” but some of the tips there will go a long way. Feel free to drop a note or two with tricks that have worked for you!
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