I have been getting a LOT of questions from people wishing to become a staff member, so I thought it was time to write up this post that I’ve been thinking about on and off forever.
First thing you should know about being a staff member, is that there is NO application process. I don’t post openings, and I do not accept applications in any form, whether a simple “i want to be staff” to a full out application with cover letter, etc. If I think you’d be the right fit, I will contact YOU.
In order to be considered you have to bring something to the table. All the people who have been asked to become staff have been long time contributors/helpers to the site, whether manually searching new names all the time and sending them to me, or going through the Lost list all the time and sending me the names of adopted pets (usually a combination of the above.)
I look for consistency, and a desire to help, just for the sake of helping, with no expectation of anything aside from a thank you in return. A lot of people come an go, and while I greatly appreciate every bit of help, no matter how big or small the contribution, I cannot make every single person a staff member. Many people really get into it, help loads in a short span of time, and then fall off the face of the earth, whether it’s because they were expecting to be made staff and are disappointed that 3 weeks later, they still aren’t, or because their Neopets interests have changed, or whether they’ve just gotten really busy in real life, or even just lost interest in Neopets altogether. The only people I consider are people who are around frequently for a LONG period of time. (Lauren my first hire was active and consistent for YEARS before being asked aboard. While I don’t quite wait that long anymore, it will be many months at minimum, often longer.)
A staff member has to earn my trust, and I have to feel like I know them inside and out before offering them anything. We have to be friends. So I’m sorry but if you annoy me, or we just don’t mesh well, you’re never going to be staff. While not technically a requirement, all current staff members are adults.
If I ever feel the time is right, I must be able to contact you, this seems obvious, but the thing is, I can’t contact you about the site through neomail. So if you are only willing to neomail, you’re automatically out of the running.
Even if you can’t be staff, there’s no reason you can’t help out anyways! Contact us if you know of a pet stuck in the pound, or if you notice a pet has been adopted and is still listed as lost! If that’s not your thing, we’re always on the lookout for more buttons and banners for the site, as well as many other things, as listed in our FAQ!
Had a nice long 4-hour board tonight, posted lots of painteds/LEs/etc, and will have plenty more to post soon!