Everything I needed to know about life I learned in Recruitment
 

This is a take off of the book "Everything I needed to know about life I learned in Kindergarten".

Something came up at work the other day and I was thinking there are so many things that we do in or in preparation for recruitment that apply to everyday life. So post your experiences here. I'll go first...

The one that happened the other day was the need to prepare mock phone calls for training purposes.

First reply! :)

Actually, I already knew this, but I refined it during Recruitment:

Always be prepared to talk to both kings and commoners - there will always be people better and worse off than yourself. A lady can speak to both with ease.

be a gracious hostess to whom ever is your guest and appear interested in getting to know her. you want her to leave feeling good about herself and to think the best of you and your organization.

Wear comfortable shoes and always carry an umbrella.

(learned during the pnm side of recruitment, but still a good principle twenty years later ...)

Floss your teeth :D No one wants to see what you ate for lunch...

Good manners and being polite will always get you far (in recruitment rounds and in life!)

Smile:D

Stick together in your house or Recruitment groups and recruit fairly. :)

*Smile, smile, smile.

*Even if you feel you are getting along well with someone, always be asked to sit before doing so.

*Never refuse a glass of ice water/lemonade when offered.

*Even if they say it is acceptable to not wear pantyhose in summer, do it. A lot of people still believe the same basic fashion rules as their mothers. And truthfully, it really does make you look a lot more put together.

1) Always be genuine and polite.

2) First impressions count.

3) Remembering names, stories and faces will get you far.

4) Don't just talk, listen.

5) Learn how to dress well (ie, dress to the situation and to flatter), learn how to put on makeup, and present the best looking side of you. (I suppose this goes along with "First impressions count")

6) "You can not be in 1 week what you aren't 365 days a year."

Dont forget to have asprin in your purse. It gives you a headache from all that cheering and singing!

It's funny...at my school, it is a HUGE no-no to wear nude pantyhose. The rule is black (with black pref dresses of course) or none at all. Most opt for none at all. At first I thought it was silly, but after my big told me she thought it made anyone's legs look "old," I could almost understand. And if you have the kind of legs that you feel must be covered up, the black does look better (as long as it matches of course...)

Anyone else follow this rule of thumb?

This was at my school as well. The rule our Recruitment Chair would always yell as a last reminder... "No Nude Hose" - it has stuck with me, I never wear them. Black, Navy, Ivory, Champagne, even faint pink(think DKNY nudes collection) are my colors of choice.

That's what I meant. Nude hose with a black dress and shoes only make your legs look bigger. Since almost everyone (at least at Auburn) wears something black on Pref Day, they wear black hose. Even just going sans hose in a black dress with black shoes makes your legs look bigger. So wear them black hose, honey child, or you won't look as good.

No nude hose in Pennsylvania! In fact, pantyhose weren't necessarily a requirement at all (but that membory could be influenced by my horror of pantyhose).

--->What I learned from rush (that I use everyday in my job as a focus group moderator and interviewer):

- Conversations go so much more smoothly if you can start out with something in common

- You can find something in common with anyone. Banal, perhaps, but everyone can talk about the weather, and people LOVE to talk about their home towns.

- Avoiding the topics of sex, politics and religion is not a bad idea in a work environment either (until you've sussed out that the other person is a fellow Jehovah's Witness, Republican, wife-swapper, or whatever)

Not everyone wears hose on pref day ;)

I've always thought black hose with a black skirt made your legs look old or like you were wearing pants underneath a skirt.

---a good introduction can go along way.

this is what i learned as a sister bumping in and out of pnm conversations. the intro can spark new conversation, make a great first impression, or leave a convo flat

---everyone likes to feel special

whether it's your name on a plate of cheesecake, a formal introduction at pref, or the pat on the back for the hard working party head.

---team work is worth the sacrifice

you may have to give up some of your own ideas, ways of doing things for the good of the group, but the sisterhood and accomplishment that comes from it is well worht it.

---you can't always get what you want...but that's ok.

you may lose your rush crush, your chapter may not make quota, or a girl you weren't particularly fond of may end up in your chapter, but after the recruitment dust settles you will probably realize that the outcome you got was a good one, maybe even better than your ideal.

---respect your elders!!!

we would be so sunk without alum help during recruitment week! they deserve thanks!

---never serve red beverages when wearing nice clothes in a c rowded room.

nuff said.

:D