Information For Applicants
— the application kit
The Process
For your information, below is a summary of the application process from start to finish, as well as the first couple of weeks as a liaison.
Step One: Meet the criteria
These have been explained in the criteria page.
Step Two: Talk about it
We have made a few notes on these pages that we hope are useful to you in coming to your decision to apply, but if you're really interested in what it'll be like, try talking to a few liaisons about their experiences. (Make sure they've got the time first, though!)
Step Three: Find people willing to vouch for you
You need to get two vouches for your application to go through. Vouches are a way other people in the mud can tell the creatorbase they believe you would make a good liaison. The people who vouch for you and what they have to say reflect back on your application, but how often and for who someone vouches also reflects back on them. It will improve your chances of getting hired if you can find people of good standing in the mud to vouch for you (these may be creators or playtesters, but also other players who are likely to be known in a good way to the creatorbase), but more importantly your vouchers should have a good idea of your personality and skills, and what the job entails (so they really have something of use to say).
If you have talked to one creator in particular about your application, you might want to ask them if they will recommend you or vouch for you. Most creators will want to talk to you at length, or refuse to do this at all if they don't know you that well, however. Needless to say, nagging several creators who hardly know you to vouch is counterproductive!
Step Four: Apply
Use the "apply" command to list the questions you'll get asked in your written application. Some questions are just asking for factual information, others will require thought on your part. This is a formal application for a position, so treat it like one. We recommend you work on your answers offline. We want you to prepare the best answers you can to the questions, and demonstrate your communication skills. Be sure to read and answer each question fully.
When you have everything finished and you are satisfied with the answers, use the "apply" command to apply to the liaison domain, and type/paste in your answers to each question in turn, as prompted. Once you've finished, read over your entire application again, check again you've answered each question fully and don't have any horrible typos, and then decide whether or not you want to submit it. What? Well, of course you do, after all that work!
Step Five: Acknowledgement
Once two people have vouched for you (you may want to remind the people who promised they would that they did so) within two weeks from your application, it is posted to the application board (that all creators can see) and you will receive a mudmail saying it arrived. If information is simply missing, you'll be invited to re-submit your application.
Other creators now get to give input to liaison admin about you and your application. If direct questions arise, you may be approached by a member of liaison admin to answer these too.
Step Six: Response
After a certain period (usually 2 days up to 2 weeks, depending on how your application is received and the activity of the domain leadership at the time, whether someone is on vacation, etc.) you will receive an initial response from the domain leader or a domain deputy, stating either that we would like to proceed to an interview and to arrange a time, or, alternatively, that your application was not successful. In the latter case, the mail will include some hints on improving your chances next time, if you decide to apply again to Liaison or another domain.
Step Seven: Interview
Didn't see that coming, did you? Well, this interview will be conducted in an interview room (another surprise!). You'll be there, and at least one of the domain leader or deputies will be there, but usually there will be two present. The interview will start with greetings and a discussion of what will take place. Then logging will be turned on, and the official part of the interview begins. The logging is to allow the members of liaison Admin not present to read over the responses given during the rest of the interview.
The interview will last for an hour or two (depending on the quickness of answers!), and consist of a series of questions, covering a number of topics, and asking for more information if you give a particularly exciting answer. The topics covered might include: elaborating on answers in your application, real life and how you've handled past experiences, general knowledge about Discworld, and hypothetical situations. A roleplay, where you take on the role of liaison dealing with a situation, is often part of the interview (don't worry, you are not expected to already be aware of liaison policies).
Step Eight: Response
Within not too long from the interview (again, this depends on activity and presence of the domain leadership at the time, and also on how much room for discussion your application and interview left!), you will receive a response about your interview. It will either ask for you to make yourself ready to become a liaison, ask for another chat to clear up something missed, or, alternatively, that your application was not successful. In the latter case we will include some hints on how to improve, should you decide to apply again.
Step Nine: Hiring
If your application is accepted, a time will be arranged to employ you; you may have business to put in order first, like giving items away to friends and settling debts, as you can not do this anymore once you are a creator.
Your life as a liaison will then start with an introduction, where the most basic things are explained and you will be pointed to the important help files that need to be read and things that should be practised in your first period.
Step Ten: Newbiehood
Following this, you will spend your first week or so invisible, learning the ropes by working through help files, getting talked through situations and short roleplays with other liaisons, practising commands and trying out tools, and occasionally be sent to players to get some experience with simple but common problems like fixing missing item receipts.
Once you and the members of liaison admin feel you know the basics, you move on to the second phase, where you go visible "under supervision". This means that you will only be visible when an experienced liaison is around and available to help you with difficult issues, and in the beginning also to watch along when you deal with situations as they come up, both to get a bit of a feel for your style and to give feedback.
After a while, if you and liaison admin feel you're ready, you will be invited to go visible on your own. Of course, you can still come to other liaisons with questions and postpone decisions until someone can help you with them; this stays true even after your newbie period (although as you get more experienced in the domain you will be expected to make some decisions by yourself).
If all is still good after two months, your "probation" period ends, and you are considered a full member of the domain. Make us proud!
And, that's it!
If you'd like to know anything else, or if anything's missing from this file, drop a friendly liaison a tell or a mail. Good luck!
