 Staffing FAQ
As at the end of every term, we have the always-exciting changing of the staff. Regretfully, we say goodbye to old staff members, but it is also an opportunity to welcome new professors to the team and to infuse the RPG with new ideas and enthusiasm. My personal opinion is that the RPG becomes a little richer with each new staff member we bring on board, just as it becomes richer with each student that involves him or herself in the plot (both school-wide and personal).
Hiring Process
A few weeks prior to end of term, I will, as the HM, post a questionnaire for existing staff to fill out. The questionnaire is a great way for staffers to privately let me know whether or not they plan to return, and to give me raw feedback on how they feel the plot went, how they are getting along with their costaffers, etc. Staff members also recommend RPers for open staff spots and prefect spots with this questionnaire. Although each staff member looks at the school through a different filter, their recommendations reflect responsible and active students who are engaged in classwork and the school plot. As HM and because I ultimately do the final hiring, I do not nominate students. I am also the only School Staffer who looks at the questionnaire results, so the results are really honest, really fair, and really kind of a double-blind.
Once all the questionnaires have been submitted, I carefully consider all the suggested RPers and the number of times they are mentioned. I discuss my options sometimes with the staff (especially in the case of prefects and staffers who may have taught more than one subject previously) and then I offer positions to some. This process has worked VERY well in the past and Ern set a great precedent of leadership for me to follow. That being said, I am a Roro. I CAN be a little unpredictable in how I do things and I'm always trying to keep stuff fresh, so just always stay on your toes!
Questions
What are the characteristics necessary in choosing new staff members?
New staff members are selected from students who demonstrate the following: highly active in the RP, excellent character development and above average writing skills (you don’t have to be a professional writer or even a native English speaker, but you must show proficiency in spelling and grammar and your posts have to make sense), previous leadership skills demonstrated on the site (either an appointed position or an assumed one within the RP), a demonstrated interest in how the school runs and the RPG plot, a thorough understanding of HP canon and lore, the ability to commit time and energy to the RPG, the ability to work on a team and get along with others, the ability to take and give directions, creativity and original thought, and the ability to follow rules.
Why don’t you look at how long someone has been a member?
Length of time as a member doesn’t mean that someone demonstrates the skills necessary to be a staff member, and it doesn’t demonstrate a commitment to the site or RPG. Sometimes you can be a member for years and only occasionally play in the RPG, and sometimes you can be a member for only a few terms and show that your skills will add to everyone’s fun.
Why don’t you just hire more staff members/replace the existing ones more often since so many people want to be on staff?
Ultimately, the staff of the RPG are site mods with specialized skills. Just as we couldn’t allow everyone who wanted to moderate on site to become an Auror, we have to consider the staff just as carefully. Our school RPG is very special and is unique on the internet so far as I know, and we can, in large part, thank our excellent staff for this. The well-planned lessons, the multi-layered plots, the depth and breadth of the school as you know it is all thanks to choosing the perfect staff leaders to run it. If you enjoy the RP, then you can appreciate why we have to be so choosy sometimes. And it never makes sense to get rid of someone doing a good job in favor of hiring someone unknown.
What if I have a warning/infraction?
That is definitely something we look at, but I understand that we’re all human and make mistakes. The real test is whether you can learn and grow from those mistakes. If you’re a chronic spammer, you get into fights with members and mods, or you just can’t seem to stop posting inappropriate material, then you’re probably not ready to be considered for staff. If you double posted that one time when you were a new member, I think I did it too. We can be reformed double-posters together.
Why can’t we apply to be on staff?
In a perfect world, this would be the very best way to hire a new staff. We would still use the system of watching and taking note of excellence, but we would also know who was interested and be able to cast a special eye on them. It would also be more canon.
So that’s me saying we’d LIKE to do it this way. The reality is that we’ve done it in the past. It didn’t go as we would have liked, and it resulted in lots of hurt feelings. Until we can figure out a way to open applications in a way that is fair to everyone while still maintaining our standards of excellence and policy of providing a safe and comfortable place for our members, this idea is still on the drawing board.
How can I get noticed in the RPG?
Since the best way to become a staff member someday is to be spotted in all your awesome glory, you might be wondering what it is that sets someone above the others around them. In a word... they're enjoying the RPG the way it is intended to be enjoyed and not worrying about who notices. Go to class and do homework as your schedule allows, RP with other students and the staff members, and nose around in everyone's sub plots. Get to know your own character and have FUN. Trust me... we'll notice.
The worst way possible to try to get attention is to obsess over getting on staff. I can assure you that no one ever got a job on SS by asking for it. If you're more concerned about getting a staff position than you are with having a good time, then you may miss out on making great new friends and enjoying what's going on right NOW.
Why do we have so many subs nowadays?
This is a question to Ro from Ro. Hehe. First of all, let me tell you that I have had MANY people turn down staff positions from me. You guys are getting so attached to your school charries ---- and I think that's great! That being said, I am also a cautious badger and I don't want to hire someone for the sake of hiring. There is a lot of OOC training and IC character development that goes into staffing someone, and a prestigious school like Hogwarts should NOT have a high turnover rate, whether that is IC (new characters coming and going) or OOC (new staff members coming or going). So if I am hiring someone, I want to make sure they're a right fit for the subject, a right fit for the mix of personalities we currently have on staff, and most of all, I want to make sure they're a right fit for YOU, the members. Some people are AMAZING student RPers but are not-so-great at making their adult characters stick. And vice versa!
While you may see these red-bold accounts teaching a term and may just assume it's "another mod" or staffer or admin behind the facade... don't be so quick to assume. Subs are a great way to "try out" a person for a staff or mod job and sometimes it's better to have a sub than to have no one at all. 
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