Recruitment can be difficult. When I went through I had 1000 things running through my mind the entire time. Here are a few helpful tips to get you through the same way they got me through!! Happy Reading and Happy Recruitment!
6 Tips to Recruitment:
- Be yourself.
- Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself.
- Ask all of your questions.
- Present yourself well.
- Keep an open mind.
- Make your own opinions.
During recruitment especially, you want to be yourself. These are the women you will spend the rest of your college career with. They will see you cry and see you laugh. They will be with you when you don’t get that A on the test you studied all week for and they will be there on the best days of your life. If you aren’t yourself from the beginning, then who will you keep pretending to be for the next four years? Don’t answer questions based on what you think the correct answer is! Show the sisters that you have an opinion and that you care about something.
The point of recruitment and each round is to show the sisters who you are and what you bring to the table. Humble brag about your awesome grades and all of the service organizations you have been in. Tell the ladies about your skills and how you can make an impact, not only to the chapter but in the school and community. It would always be better to share too much about your accomplishments than for a house to think you have nothing to contribute.
Don’t be afraid to ask your questions. Usually, all of your questions will get answered throughout recruitment and there are certain nights for certain questions. Go ahead and ask them to make sure you will either get the answer on another night or that a sister can answer for you. The sooner you ask your important and decision-making questions; the sooner you can find your home.
Make sure you know what the attire is for each day. You don’t want to show up in jeans if everyone else is in a cute summer dress! No matter what you wear, show off your style. Use your body language to your advantage. Always face the person you are talking to. You don’t want to seem uninterested and it is easy to look in different directions when you aren’t facing the person you are talking to. Eye contact is important because the conversation you are having could be what makes or breaks you in each house. Show your excitement to be there and have the best attitude you can, even if you aren’t enjoying yourself. A personal touch that I always try to add is to shake hands with everyone you talk to. Not many people our age shake hands anymore and a firm handshake initiated by you will surprise your future sisters and make them remember you! My final tip for presenting yourself well is to clean up your social media. They ask for your handles and URLs for a reason. If you present yourself in a certain way on social media, the ladies may think you present yourself in the same manner in person. You must be a great face for your future chapter in person and on all social media platforms.
Always keep an open mind. Just because you aren’t having a great conversation with the first girl you talk to when you walk in, does not mean that you aren’t in the right place. Be as positive as you can. You will have a good conversation with someone else. Remember that everyone on both sides of recruitment is as nervous as you! They are trying to show who they are and impress you just like you are trying to do with them.
One of the most important things is to form your own opinions. Keep your eyes and ears open. Just because your friend is interested in another house doesn’t mean that is your home, too. When I went through recruitment, my Rho Chi did her best to not let us talk to each other about where we wanted to be. I always snuck conversations with my friends. Although it was hard to hear that I probably wouldn’t be sisters with these girls, I knew we would all end up where we were meant to be.
