Recruiting 101: Sorority Rush

by Matthew Stollak on Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Is that PTO I see in the upper left?


If you feel your career as a HR recruiter is going nowhere, why not go into....prepping "chicks" for sorority rush.  Yesterday's New York Times featured three women who, after seeing the trials and tribulations their daughters went through, have put together a consulting firm called "Rushbiddies" to help prepare girls for that all important decision of which sorority to choose:
About 50 mothers and their “chicks,” as the Biddies affectionately call them, attended one of their two-day workshops in April ($100 a couple), complete with mock rush party, wardrobe hints and paperwork prep.
And there is a mound of it. The smart rushee, the Biddies advise, will have a résumé stressing community service, leadership, academics and teamwork, letters of recommendation from alumnae of each chapter, preferably on the campus in question, and reference letters.
Also, featured was Rachel Lewis, author of  “Recruitment 101: an Insider’s Guide to Sorority Recruitment.”   In her e-book, she preps women with a number of critical questions:
Why should you choose sorority life?
  • What does it mean to be a sorority sister?
  • How is the campus impacted by sororities?
  • What are the future benefits you will have as a result of being in a sorority?
What exactly is “sorority recruitment?”
  • What is the process that you will go through?
  • What is expected of you?
  • What should you expect from the sororities?
How to prepare for the recruitment process?
  • What research should you do?
  • How do you choose which sorority is right for you?
I will also give tips that will give you an upper hand over the competition. Information like:
Recommendation letters
  • What are the they?
  • Why are they so important?
  • Where do you get one?
Suggestions for conversation
  • What do you talk about?
  • What are proper questions?
  • What are some of the most important things to discover about the sororities?
Your appearance
  • What should you wear?
  • What can you do to stay comfortable throughout the process?
Subsitute "Sorority" for the name of your organization, and is it any different than what you would expect an applicant to be doing as they prepare to find a job? Would this book be much different than what you would find in the business/management section of Barnes & Noble?

As much as I want to mock this whole thing, my guess is that the women who go through this preparation might actually be fantastic interviewees when it is time for the search for their full-time job.

2 comments

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by Ruby Claire on August 8, 2012 at 1:41 AM. #

The set of these points is rather a full one to me. I can't even think of other questions that should be asked other than those you've mentioned here. I also think that they could be suitable not for sororities only but for many other cases as well.

by Anonymous on August 31, 2012 at 8:06 AM. #

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