Application

With yesterday's release of Team Alumni applications, I thought I would make a comment or two about the process of becoming a TA and, perhaps even offer a few tips to the application.

As I've mentioned before, the process to join TA really began this summer:  who showed to the Summer Reunion and NPR event?  Who has helped plan the Fall Reunion coming up next week, and who will be there?  Who came to our program year kick off meeting in October?  Who is now helping with recruitment?  You don't have to be able to say "yes" or "I did" to all of these questions -- they're just pieces of the puzzle.  And we want to be able to say we have the complete puzzle when we're done.  Let me state it now for the record, and this is incredibly true:  there is no "formula" or point system for choosing Team Alumni.   The process has both subjective and objective components.  It's the only fair way.  We have to balance who is contributing with the skill sets each individual will bring.  We have to balance the time they have given to HOBY with the time they have given to their community because of HOBY.  I teach science and math for a living, and even I know you cannot simply just put a number to everything to evaluate which is greater.

So, what of the application?

One:  Honesty.  If you're checking off every box because you think you're going to impress us, you're not.   We've seen that before, and can tell who is trying to tout themselves, being cocky, or showing off.  Trust me, humility goes a long way.  Personally, I'd much rather have someone who has a firm grasp on what they know and what they don't know, than someone who thinks they know everything and can do anything.  I admire the person who says they can do anything -- but there is a difference between saying I can do anything right NOW, and being able to do anything once given instruction on how it needs to be done.

Two:  Professionalism.  I recognize we have high school students who are filling out the application, not professionals, but we hope and expect they will treat the application with the seriousness of a real job or college application.  That legible, not perfect mind you (trust me, mine own I recognize needs work) writing does count for something.  If you can't do that, than take the time to type it.  That you need to read the instructions carefully:   it says COUNTY not Country; rank your top 5, not give a 1 to 5 value for every possibility.  Little things add up.  Don't forget the Code of Conduct.  Don't forget your photo.  And most of all:

DON'T TURN IT IN LATE OR THINK WE'LL GIVE YOU AN EXTENSION

You've had two months to complete this.  That's more than enough time for an applications of this size, for a job you want, that requires so little writing.  Procrastination is your business, but when it affects others timelines, you shouldn't expect that they'll just grant you a free pass.

Three:  Be Yourself.  You were selected for HOBY because you're a great individual.  Let that person shine through.  Everyone will be coming to this team with something different.  In HOBY, about 80% of folks are extroverts, 20% introverts.  But that doesn't mean we don't want introverts even though they're rare (trust me, I'm one).  It takes that diversity to make sure our team run efficiently.  We need people who want to be in front of the crowd, and people who want to be working behind the scenes.  We need people who like to write, and people who would rather talk.  We need people who are creative and we need people who understand structure.

All that said, we'll take time over the following weeks to put together that diverse team -- and then the work really begins.

The selected individuals will have to keep working on recruitment and they'll have to raise $180 or more to pay for their expenses.  They'll need to come to meetings and training, and there will be a lot of hard work in between.

Yesterday, I reflected on my own HOBY experience and the fact that when I joined there was no application.   I created the first one to help create competition in becoming TA.  It was 5 pages of forms, with just a page or two of supplements.  I was only allowed to take 12 on my staff.  Today, the application is only 3 pages plus a signed code of conduct, but it's got 9 pages of supplements.  We'll allow for 25 individuals.   The point is still the same:  who wants to be here the most?  Who believes in the purpose of this organization so much that they want to give what they learned to others?

Who wants to continue the HOBY Ripple Effect?

The Team Alumni Application is available at http://www.hobymd.org/2011taapp.pdf