Recruitment: What do you look for?

[Firehouse]

That's an interesting question.
There are a lot of similarities between college football recruiting and college fraternity recruiting. A top Division I football program will screen propsective recruits for what the program needs to win. One top D-I coach said this: "First, we screen for speed. Next, we screen for athletic ability. Last, we screen for character. Character is last not because it is the least important - in fact character might be the most important - but because character is the hardest thing to determine."
If you have a big-time fraternity chapter that places value on its competitive position among its peers and rivals, then rush has the same goal for you that recruiting does for the top D-I program: seek out and find the top players/leaders that will make your organization a competitive success.
Here's how one top fraternity conducts their rush/recruiting: first, screen for looks - it's the easiest thing to determine. Next, screen for compatibility - does he have the desire to be in your type of fraternity? Does he have the ability to help you maintain your position? What does he bring to the table?.
Finally, you screen for character - not becasue it's the least important, but because it's the hardest thing to determine.
Rush happens fast; you have to seek out the best candidates, and you have to make fairly quick decisions. The best rush programs seem to be those where a rush chairman is in command and makes all the decisions with the help of a veteran rush committee. The chapter, its reputation and the active participation of the members, are the tools.