Behind The Cube #7 - Helper Trial, Recruitment and more!

[Abysss]

That was a very well written and in depth explanation. It’s nice to know how things work and the process for becoming staff.

 

[ayakos]

Crazy to hear! I hope all of the consideration time has been worth it towards the new helpers to assist with CubeCraft's moderation.

 

[nostalgicag]

Hey I really want to help make cubecraft a better place I am familiar with all the rules and can speak English I say good luck and ggs before and after every game to make people enjoy it more. I really want to help bring new ideas to make cubecraft even better than hive even though it already is

 

[Goefy]

Hey I really want to help make cubecraft a better place I am familiar with all the rules and can speak English I say good luck and ggs before and after every game to make people enjoy it more. I really want to help bring new ideas to make cubecraft even better than hive even though it already is

Ahh yes, good reasons to accept you

 

[LoveSpectre]

Hello, CubeCrafters!

Have you always been interested in how our recruitment team works? Do you wonder what being a Helper means? Are you curious about what changes we pushed out with our latest update? If that's the case, you're at the right place, as we'll cover it all in this thread!

Member → Helper

It's no secret we have an amazing recruitment team ready to handle all of your applications. When you create an application, it gets added to the list of dozens of other applications. A new application will appear at the top of the list, which is why our team always starts handling applications from the bottom. This is in an attempt to ensure everyone's application gets handled between 1-3 days. Our desire is to have this process be amazingly fast!

View attachment 207000
(Unfortunately, a lot of these applications do get denied. In fact, according to Priley's statistics, only 1.3% of applications make it to the successful stage. Prior to 2020, this was 0.1%.)

Considering Stage

If an applicant meets the minimum requirements and does not get denied right away, they are being considered. We use this stage to filter out the candidates we deem unfit and where we move the ones that really stand out along in the process. In this stage, the recruitment team takes a deeper look into each applicant, into their posts and report history, to try to figure out if they are dedicated and a good fit overall.

Sadly not everyone is accepted. This can happen for multiple reasons; we might feel their activity is not satisfactory, or that their behaviour is not up to our standards, or a combination of those and other factors. If the applicant doesn’t go through, we always explain the reason behind our decision in the denial message. If you want to improve your chances of making it through, check the Applicant Guidelines section on this article for some qualities we are looking for!

Meanwhile, if an applicant is one of those that stood out, they move on to the interview stage!

Interview

This may be one of the scariest moments for our applicants. Just the thought of getting in a one-on-one call with a SrModerator seems frightening. Yet, afterward, a lot of candidates feel relieved as it wasn’t too bad of an experience.

One of the most important things for us during this whole journey is guidance. We have all been there, even I had interviews back in 2017. We know how stressful it can be, which is why we want it to be as relaxed as possible. The last thing we want to achieve with our interviews is scaring or stressing out our applicants.

There are a lot of backend things we need to take care of when setting up the Discord. For most of it, we, unfortunately, can’t go too much into detail. However, sometimes things do not go as planned.

View attachment 207001

Steps & Double Checking

When adding waves, we have to go through a few steps in order to be fully prepared for that wave. We need to make sure all the groups are properly divided. Depending on numerous factors such as languages, time zones, and versions; we try to put people together who are a good fit. Usually, we prioritize version first, then language, then time zone.

These Helper groups need to have Mentors and even SrModerators assigned to them. Mentors are the main teachers during the trial, ensuring our Helpers reach their full potential to work their way to the Mod rank. They handle their reports, handle training sessions, and overall chat, all while ensuring our Helpers have a fun and meaningful experience. SrMods are the backup, so to speak. They are there to help out mentors when necessary, along with providing our Helpers with daily reports.

View attachment 207320

Once we have our groups in place, it's time to add the necessary equipment to get the ball rolling. We work a lot on Notion as it allows for us to get everything organized and keep it all simplified for Helpers. Once the templates are all in place, we are good to go!
Then when everything is ready behind the scenes, we'll start inviting our Helpers.

Wave Changes

One of the things you might have noticed by now is that trials have become a lot shorter. Months ago, we did not have a set in stone trial that gave us the necessary flexibility to structure our waves. Waves could take up to months before the final Helper got promoted.

The length in time between becoming a Helper and the last one becoming a mod would cause fewer waves. Since we now have almost doubled our efficiency, we can take on twice as many waves as before. This ultimately leads to faster considering stages as well! Half a year ago, it could take up to four months for someone to move from the considering stage to the interview stage. At this moment in time, the average waiting time has been decreased to a month! What an upgrade!

View attachment 207319
(We try to plan our waves as precise as possible. Our goal is to let a new wave in when our current wave has finished its trial.)

What Makes It All A Trial?

Faster waves do not suddenly happen overnight. In order to do so, we had to change the trial as a whole. Our current system did not meet up to the expectations of the word trial. There was an extremely high success rate and almost everyone who got to Helper, eventually got to Moderator. Therefore, the whole aspect of a trial completely falls apart. We wanted to change it up, which has been an adjustment for us all.

Our main goal was to shorten waves and make them more challenging. Therefore, we went from having very flexible waves to now having a more structured trial, keeping it to a rough twenty days in length. When the trial is completed, a Helper either has a chance to succeed or fail. How that works will be discussed in a later topic. Everything within the trial remains the same, but the length of it has decreased quite a bit but remains slightly flexible if there is a specific reason that the Helper needs a little more time.

When a Helper completes their trial and meets up to the expectations required to be considered Mod-ready, they get a chance to take on the final test. This will decide whether they get promoted or, unfortunately, removed from the team. These results are considered alongside their entire trial period.
In the past, most Helpers had the chance to do a second test in case they failed the first one. As of now, we changed it to one chance. One chance might seem harsh, but roughly 70-80% of all Helpers succeeded on their first try. However, do not worry, just because you may fail, doesn't mean you're blacklisted or excluded. If you do fail the trial, you'll get a small time-out and are always welcome to apply again in the future! This ultimately shows your dedication and perseverance! We encourage people to try again because sometimes all you need is another chance. As the saying goes, hard work pays off!

There are several other changes we made during our brainstorming sessions, but there is too much to cover in this thread. We have been thinking about these changes for almost two months, and with these changes in mind, we as a team are extremely proud of where we're at right now and being able to watch the system evolve over the years.

Taboo?

Unfortunately, a trial is meant to bring ups and downs. It's a learning process for everyone and will not always bring the perfect outcome. We know it came as a surprise to everyone that quite a few Helpers got demoted over the past few months. Removals from the Helper team rarely happened before and therefore, everyone associated it with a bad thing. When you see someone getting removed from the team, you can only think of one reason: they did something bad. However, that is no longer the case!

The trial has gotten slightly tougher and Helpers have less time to finish the trial compared to how we handled it months ago. This includes the requirements a member needs to apply for the position. With the changes to those, we had desired to allow for us to train the Helpers rather than have a 'Mod ready' mentality. However, this does mean some may not be able to meet up to the standards, while others might just need more time. Just know this is not a bad thing at all! If you see someone getting removed from the trial, give them a little support! I'm sure they'll all appreciate it!

Fun Statistics

Just like the last Behind The Cube I thought it would be fun to add some fun statistics. All data starts after the implementation of forums applications from February 7, 2020:

• In general, roughly 6,400 applicants were unsuccessful
• On the flip side, roughly 100 applicants were welcomed to the team! (Some multiple times)
• Both combined currently give the position an acceptance ratio of roughly 1.5%
• 72 Helpers made it to Mod
• Our most common reasons for denial are inactivity and bad behaviour.

Thank you!

We've made these changes with one reason in mind: to make our Helpers the best version of themselves, while ensuring we have a smooth process along the way! Our applicants are always our number one priority and we want what's best for them. Our system is far from perfect, but we're learning every day!


Thank you all for reading all the way through! Good luck to everyone who wants to apply!

ok so i do understanding applying here is difficult but if we know some of the mod's or we have a rank or something else that prove's we're good people and we have good moderation or behavior,will that increase our chance's? or it will stay the save as 1.5%

 

[nostalgicag]

Ahh yes, good reasons to accept you

Is it actually? Can I please help? Be a dream come true!

 

[LukaG_]

Hey I really want to help make cubecraft a better place I am familiar with all the rules and can speak English I say good luck and ggs before and after every game to make people enjoy it more. I really want to help bring new ideas to make cubecraft even better than hive even though it already is

Is it actually? Can I please help? Be a dream come true!

Becoming a helper (or a staff member in general) isn't exactly simple and you have to be, so to say, quite a "complete package" to be accepted. There are ofc the requirements and time commitments and since that is very well explained in other places (and this thread) I'm not going to go into it, but I'll focus on what you told in your post.

So you say that you know the rules and can speak English. Those are ofc one of the most important traits that any helper should possess. Rules are at the end of the day your guidelines on what you have to enforce on the server and what is punishable. English on the other hand is the language that most people speak, it is the main language on the server and is also the language the staff team uses to communicate with each other.

Taking a look further into your post, you also say you like to write good messages to people in the game and bring new ideas to the table. Creating a nice environment for the players and being there for them when they need help, or just want to have a good time is actually the other important part of being a staff member. You are, at the end of the day, there to be a link between the community and the admin team. And already being active and integrated into the community can only be helpful for your application.

So yes, as @Goefy said, what you said are good motives for someone who wants to join the staff team. If helping out and being staff on Cube is something you are really interested in, I suggest you take a look at this helper thread, look at the requirements and make sure you have them all and when you are ready, apply for a helper. I wish you the best of luck and follow your dreams!

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, otherwise have a great day!

~LukaG_

 

[nostalgicag]

Becoming a helper (or a staff member in general) isn't exactly simple and you have to be, so to say, quite a "complete package" to be accepted. There are ofc the requirements and time commitments and since that is very well explained in other places (and this thread) I'm not going to go into it, but I'll focus on what you told in your post.

So you say that you know the rules and can speak English. Those are ofc one of the most important traits that any helper should possess. Rules are at the end of the day your guidelines on what you have to enforce on the server and what is punishable. English on the other hand is the language that most people speak, it is the main language on the server and is also the language the staff team uses to communicate with each other.

Taking a look further into your post, you also say you like to write good messages to people in the game and bring new ideas to the table. Creating a nice environment for the players and being there for them when they need help, or just want to have a good time is actually the other important part of being a staff member. You are, at the end of the day, there to be a link between the community and the admin team. And already being active and integrated into the community can only be helpful for your application.

So yes, as @Goefy said, what you said are good motives for someone who wants to join the staff team. If helping out and being staff on Cube is something you are really interested in, I suggest you take a look at this helper thread, look at the requirements and make sure you have them all and when you are ready, apply for a helper. I wish you the best of luck and follow your dreams!

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, otherwise have a great day!

~LukaG_

I meet all the requirements I even report anyone who looks suspicious for hacking. I have counted up I have got 17 people banned in total. I really wanna join lol

 

[LukaG_]

I meet all the requirements I even report anyone who looks suspicious for hacking. I have counted up I have got 17 people banned in total. I really wanna join lol

If becoming a helper is something you really want then apply and I wish you the best of luck in your application and achieving your dream!

 

[nostalgicag]

If becoming a helper is something you really want then apply and I wish you the best of luck in your application and achieving your dream!

I have applied nothing said back

 

[JingleWarz]

I have applied nothing said back

Patience is key when becoming a staff member, though we do tend to reply back to helper apps within 2-3 days. Though sometimes it may take longer than this

 

[LukaG_]

I have applied nothing said back

Since you replied to me, I might as well answer... I think @SpringWarz already said it very nicely. I really suggest that you don't try to rush things too much or have very big and unreachable expectations. I'm sure that they look at all of the applications and that they will get to you as soon as possible.

Also maybe keep in mind as well, that asking about your application like this is not the best impression you want to leave for the application team to see, since it might show, that you are still lacking some good staff qualities. Although at the end of the day, this is still only my speculation and opinion, the final decisions are in the hands of Sr. Mods and Staff managers.

 

[Qwerty12453]

Wow, Thanks for the little Sneak Peak into the Applications.

 

[zNightss]

I really like to became a helper on cubecraft :')