Recruitment Solitaire

by Vince Fabra

In order to stay sharp, we at Phired Up challenge ourselves to see just how many things we can actually relate back to recruitment. Recently, I took on one of these challenges. While passing the time in the airport, I was playing a game of solitaire on my phone. I thought, “How do I relate this back to recruitment…?” This is how. BOOM!

Which recruitment card game are you playing?

• Go-Fish
• Texas Hold ‘Em Poker

or

• Solitaire

Is your recruitment like Go-Fish?

You have a haphazard pool to choose from… you pick cards at random… hoping for a match.

Is your recruitment like Texas Hold ‘Em Poker?
It’s risky… It takes a great deal of time and money… and you are more worried about what everyone else has in their hands.

Or is your recruitment like Solitaire?
You intentionally place cards depending on where they best fit… The only competition is you… and it is a game that requires a great deal of commitment and attention to detail. It is a game of personal excellence.

As you gear up for spring recruitment, here are a few tips to help you and your chapter have the single solitaire-y best spring recruitment you have ever had.

1. Figure out which cards are a good fit for your stack. Use the Values Based Selection Process to quantify different qualities your chapter values.
2. Move the cards you have access to in order to gain access to more cards. If your campus’ spring recruitment is usually much smaller than the fall, you will need to work harder to get more names on your names list. Chunking is a great way to use the “cards” you have access to in order to gain access to more “cards”.
3. Remember the name of the game. “Solitaire” root word – Solo. This is a game that is played by only one person, and in this case, recruitment is a game played by only one chapter. Try not to be concerned about what other chapters are doing for recruitment. A mindset that is detrimental to many groups is striving to be “the best on campus” or focusing on outdoing a rival chapter. Rather, hold your own members accountable to the values of your organization and you will see big results.

I hope that you ace recruitment this spring by recruiting kings and queens and passing on the jokers. Reach the hearts of potential new members by showing them your chapter is not just any other club. So if you have to, call a spade a spade in order to get all hands on deck, and go find those diamonds in the rough. DEUCES!!!