So you’ve been thinking about it for a while, and you finally decided that you are going to apply for a spot in that guild you have been looking at. With that in mind, you want to set yourself up for success, and the easiest way to do that is to properly apply for that spot. This is often the most important and greatly overlooked secret when it comes to getting into a guild, a good looking application will easily hide some of the faults you have with your character.
There are two main ways that a competent guild will recruit and screen potential members. The first and more often seen is a simple forums post where you are asked to follow a certain format, where as the second is an actual form on a website. Regardless of the actual format used, the procedures are still the same.
One of the most important parts of the application is proper grammar. There are few things more unbearable than a grown man or woman typing like a five year old would speak, and there are few things more delightful than having a young man or woman who is articulate enough to properly type out an answer to a question. If you know that you aren’t the best of spellers, the best way to fix this is to write your answers out in a document program with a spell-check function. This way you are ensured that what you type will be correctly spelled.
The visual appeal and how easy it will be to read your application bares a big part in the selection process. Regardless of how well geared, or how experienced your character is, a sloppy or poor looking application is highly frowned upon. A sloppy application shows that the applicant is lazy, and not willing to take the time to make a good first impression. Proper spacing and indentation are key for a visually appealing paper. If you choose to change the color of the text, do so in a favorable way. Do not select a color that is bright, where as your large wall of text will blind and strain a readers eyes; however don’t change the text color or font to where it is too dark to read. A visually appealing application will keep the attention of the guild you are applying for, and will show that you are greatly interested in their guild, and you are serious with your application.
The application is going to have several different questions on it, some of which are standard to every application. Similar to how you would answer questions for a job interview, there is a certain way a question needs to be answered. The rule of thumb for answering questions on a guild application is to be honest when you answer the question, but don’t showcase your problems. To better illustrate the point, here are some examples of questions you will see and how you should answer them. Keep in mind that when answering the questions, you don’t want to copy the answer given here, but you want to understand how the question was answered.
-Why do you want to join this guild?
Improper: I have heard that you guys are pretty well progressed and have certain raids on farm status, which would help me gear my character out.
Proper: I have heard that your guild is well organized and performs very well as a team. I pay X amount of dollars a month, and would like to see the end game content that I have been paying for, and what better way to do that, than to do it as a well oiled machine.
You want to convey the fact that your aren’t there for the loot. While everyone and their mother knows that part of the reason you are there is because of the loot, no one wants to hear it. Instead, they want to hear what you are going to do for them.
-What is your guild history and why did you leave your current guild?
-Improper: The last guild I was in was Super Pony Adventures. The guild leader was an idiot and didn’t know what he was doing. I didn’t want to listen to some jerk who thinks he knows everything when I could have clearly done a better job.
-Proper: The last guild I was in was Super Pony Adventures. I had a few issues with the policies put in place by the guild leader; I tried to talk to him to work out my concerns, however they fell on deaf ears and felt I could put my skills to use somewhere else.
Trash talking a GM or Officer of a guild, regardless of how good or bad they are, never looks good. It gives the impression that you are an immature player, and guilds aren’t going to want to put up with your childish behavior.
-Can you farm mats/supplies etc…?
This is an obvious answer. If you honestly can’t do this, there are two things that will need to happen. The first is you learn to lie your ass off, because you need to say yes to this question. The second, you learn how to farm and or acquire what you need as soon as possible. Your potential guild mates aren’t going to take too kindly to a player that isn’t able to support himself.
The point of filling out the form is to determine the maturity level of the applicant, and what his true intentions are, in regards to getting into the guild. The objective is to prevent trash players from getting into the guild while picking up the quality gems. Using common sense and good judgment, as well as knowing the proper way to answer the questions presented will easily turn the scales to your favor for getting into the guild of your choice.
