First year rushers

[AXOKatie]

RE: how you can mess up on the sister side of rush => during my year as a rushee, my best friend at school (who also became my sister ) went through a house-that-shall-remain-nameless during one formal round and was having a really great conversation with her, very smiley, very animated...when we exited the party and went to get a drink before the next party, emily looked absolutely mortified and a bit red in the face...i asked her what was wrong, did the sister at that house say something, she said "Nooooo...she TOUCHED MY KNEE!!!" she yelled the last part so loudly that the girl next to her was startled and spilled her lemonade all over herself!...so i guess the moral of that one is that sisters are afraid of little things like that that can make PNMs want to cut you like a whale on a fishing line

[AXO_MOM_3]

AOPi_LB93 - you are not alone! I thrive on all things recruitment too! It's a major high for me! I'm no longer advising my chapter, and am thinking about helping out my graduate school (which does not have an Alpha Chi chapter) as a panhellinic advisor! I just can't stop! I'm addicted!

[nauadpi]

Ok...I have to agree with everything everyone else has said...but one thing to keep in mind is that every once in a while you will get that women who just doesnt want to talk...And no matter the question seems to answer it in one to two words...What I give as advice here is just to keep talking about all the wonderful things...Just keep hoping that you can get more of an answer out of them...cause I have found only two reasons that this ever happens...1 they have already decided they dont like you...or 2...they are just really shy...so just keep remembering how much you love your chapter...and hope you can portray that to them...

[AOII_LB93]

I just remembered a couple more important things for recruitment and 1st timers, as well as the old folks(you know the ones who've done it twice )

a. Ask open ended questions, meaning questions that can't be answered with just a simple "yes" or "no", you can find out much more information about a person and their activities if you ask more than just the run of the mill types of questions. Who? What? Where? Why? How?

b. I understand that in essence we are trying to "sell" our chapters to these ladies, but talk about what makes YOUR chapter special and unique, not about generic "sisterhood". Speaking as someone who had lots of female friends in high school, but a much younger sister(by 13 years) I never understood the concept of sisterhood because I never felt that close to any one female around my own age, so having a whole bunch of girls gushing about their "sisterhood" confused me and made me feel weird because I just didn't understand it. It's something a lot of girls will not feel until they really get involved, go through their pledging ceremony, or get initiated...and sometimes even later. To be quite honest, I don't know how many people ever really experience it, I know I have, but I also know of sisters initiated at the same time as I do who never did and still don't.

C. Practice your conversations, as odd as this sounds, practice helps! Rush your dog, your RL sister, your friends, your non-greek friends, but don't let them know you are doing it. What it comes down to is recruitment is all about getting to know people- albeit in a very short period of time, but I digress- and having regular conversations with people and getting to know the person.

d. LISTEN! Listen to the PNMs!!! If you bring up a topic that she seems uncomfortable with, change it! Don't persist...and if she gets going on a topic that she really likes, be interested! You might learn something new/important/(in some cases bad) that will help you later with Membership selection. Try and ask questions that you know will help you remember her. I don't know how many Jennifers we had during recruitment last year, and it was hard for the collegiates to sort through them all, but if you remember certain things, it might help later.

I can't tell you how much all the recruitment workshops I have been to have helped me in my life/career. Because of all of them, I have learned how to listen, and how to ask questions to get the answers/information that I need and want to know.

Anyhow, if I can think of anything else, I will post it. These keep coming to me.

[AXOKatie]

LOL, the part about rushing your dog cracked me up...i can just see my little westie looking at me like "Huh?" if i started talking to him, saying "Alpha Chi is the best!..." but the part about practicing conversations is soooooooo true! it helps to get in the rush groove, especially right from the start, so that you know your stuff by the time recruitment actually begins

[ZetaLuvBunny]

Be prepared for anything. Most girls who come through will be somewhere in the middle of the road as far as being enthusiastic, talkative, etc. However, there are always a few exceptions.

~Some girls may want to talk your ear off and never let you get a word in edge-wise.

~Others are extremely quiet, either because they're shy, nervous, or they just don't want to be there.

~There is also the rare exception of a girl who may ask a very very unexpected, inappropriate question that will make you feel uncomfortable or upset. Last year, a girl I was rushing asked a sister and I, "Do you guys worship the devil?" We handled it well by responding with, "All of our rituals are based on Christian principles". We still don't know whether she was asking it because she was afraid, or because she was hoping that we do. LOL.

~No matter how tired you are by the end of the night, don't let it show. If you still at least pretend to have energy, that energy will rub off on the girls you're rushing.

~Try as hard as possible to remember the name(s) of the girls you meet and something they're wearing or what they look like to help you put a name with the face later on. You could even do word association in your head such as, "Patti has a pink shirt."

[Not a Mezzo]

At all of our recruitment events before pref, there are tables around the room with Phi Mu, pink, and lion-oriented items all over them which sisters bring in. If we have trouble talking to a quiet girl, that's always one avenue for jump-starting a conversation. Very, very few girls can look at a bunch of pretty scrapbooks with lots of smiling pictures and NOT ask questions.

[AUDeltaGam]

This is all great advice! Keep it coming!

This will be my first time on the "other side" as well as in recruitment! I joined a colony and never went through formal recruitment, so I'm a little nervous because I don't know what to expect!

[AOII_LB93]

just wanted to bump this up as recruitment approaches for all those first timers and girls who need brushing up!

[KSUViolet06]

I wanted to bump this up because I'll be a first time rusher this fall. I didn't do formal as a PNM, so I have no experience w/ it. We've had a ton of workshops already and rush isn't for 2 more months, but I'm already SUPER NERVOUS!

*bump*

[opaldragon]

Have faith in your sisters to help you out when you're having difficulties with a PNM. You may be nervous but know that your sisters, who have already gone through recruitment on 'this side', will help you out. When you're talking to a PNM, feel free to go off on tangents - that's usually where the best and most comfortable conversations come from and know how to bring it back somehow to something sorority related. Be able to poke fun at yourself because laughter eases nervousness and the PNM will also note that you're not a sorority nazi so she'll open up to you. That's all I've got for now. More than anything, just be comfortable and confident in yourself and in your sisters and that'll show through when you're recruiting the PNMs.

[FSUZeta]

will have on nametags. when you meet the woman you will be escorting for that event, repeat her name by using it in a sentence. for instance, say,"hi, jocelyn(pnm), i'm lisa. welcome to zeta tau alpha." then as you talk, use her name several more times. does anyone remember that rule of thumb about remembering a new person's name? isn't it repeat the name three times(appropriately) in succession. and if your mind goes blank, you can always sneak a peak at her nametag. don't be surprised if a sister comes up to meet your guest and you draw a complete blank and can't remember your sisters name! again, check out her nametag.

i was always told that everyone's favorite topic is themselves, so if you can get your guest talking about themselves, the conversation might flow. just remember that it is your job to keep the conversation going , to get to know the pnm and to let her know about your organization. foremost, you want each pnm to have a good experience and to think that your chapter is full of nice women. best of luck. lisa

[WhiteDaisy128]

Sounds easy...but KNOW WHO YOU BUMP!!!

If you use a bump system.

[ChiOKateO]

Originally posted by ZetaLuvBunny


~There is also the rare exception of a girl who may ask a very very unexpected, inappropriate question that will make you feel uncomfortable or upset. Last year, a girl I was rushing asked a sister and I, "Do you guys worship the devil?" We handled it well by responding with, "All of our rituals are based on Christian principles". We still don't know whether she was asking it because she was afraid, or because she was hoping that we do. LOL.
[/B]

omg...that would freak me out!! i'd probably have try not to crack up if that happened, but it's funny and sad at the same time.

[TigerLilly]

Originally posted by FSUZeta
will have on nametags. when you meet the woman you will be escorting for that event, repeat her name by using it in a sentence. for instance, say,"hi, jocelyn(pnm), i'm lisa. welcome to zeta tau alpha." then as you talk, use her name several more times. does anyone remember that rule of thumb about remembering a new person's name? isn't it repeat the name three times(appropriately) in succession. and if your mind goes blank, you can always sneak a peak at her nametag. don't be surprised if a sister comes up to meet your guest and you draw a complete blank and can't remember your sisters name! again, check out her nametag.

But please don't be obvious when doing the nametag check! My friend had it happen to her when she was going through recruitment last year: While walking to the door to leave, the rusher said, "It was so nice to meet you ... Sarah!" with an obvious pause where she blatantly checked the nametag. If you as a rusher blank on a PNMs name, just do try not to be obvious about the nametag check.