Related Pages in this Manual
- Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships: Captains
- Recruitment & Hiring: Coordinator Interviewing Tips
Sample Materials
Captains
It may make the most sense to recruit and hire your green living program (GLP) captains as early as possible because their vision is crucial for further developing the program. After all, one of the main goals of a GLP is to tap into the wealth of inspiration, creativity and talent students have to offer. Securing two captains to be strong leaders will help ensure a good first year. If any students have been involved in encouraging the creation of the GLP, then they may be perfect beginning captains for the program.
When determining the time commitment for your captains, you will need to decide how many hours per week your program can afford to spend on student salaries. The Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) GLP employees its two captains for 10 hours per week each. Your captains' hours will also depend on the responsibilities you expect them to fulfill.
This page includes tips and suggestions on the following facets of recruiting captains for your program:
- Application Deadline
- What To Ask For in an Application
- Publicizing the Job Opportunity
- Interviewing and Selecting Applicants
Application Deadline
Be sure the application deadline allows enough time to interview all the applicants, select the top candidates, offer them the job and fill out all their paperwork before the expected start date. You will need a deadline that ensures the captains are on board in time to help with the application and selection process for the program's other student employees, or "reps." Ideally, the captains would be selected before the school year ends to allow them to work as interns during the summer, preparing for the year ahead.
What to Ask for in an Application
By asking for students' resumes, you will be able to see their past interests, responsibilities and achievements. It is great to have student employees who have been involved in environmental issues in the past because that knowledge will benefit your GLP team down the line. At the same time, be open to student applicants who do not know much about environmental issues but are willing to learn and have demonstrated their capacity for learning a new subject in the past.
Ask for a cover letter to see the potential captains’ interest in applying and how they articulate that on paper.You could also ask them to prepare a sample checklist or yearly calendar. If an applicant prepares a well-researched and exciting checklist, you know they are great captain material!
Consider asking for a separate writing sample from the applicants, but keep in mind that the captains' impact will mostly be through their personalities and face-to-face interactions with campus administrators and fellow students. Also, you may receive a large number of applications, so asking for writing samples may set you up for a mountain of reading.
Publicizing the Job Opportunity
Campus listserves are excellent vehicles for posting advertisements for GLP captains. Any of the following organizations might have a listserve you could tap:
- environmental groups
- student government
- dormitory
- academic departments
Another important method of publicizing the positions is by hanging posters around campus—on reused paper, of course!—in highly trafficked places like the residences, student center and dining hall, if allowed. You could also place an ad in campus publications or employment websites. Call the student employment office to ask about their different venues for getting the word out about on-campus jobs.
When writing your job descriptions, try to think up catchy phrases that speak to students in their own lingo. Design slogans and posters that will catch their eyes, while also properly describing the work involved. Be sure to list the up front benefits of being involved with your GLP.
Contact students who have directly expressed interest in your program to alert them about the application deadline. After all, you will want student employees who have shown investment and commitment to campus greening before the program even started!
Use existing student organizations as a means of recruitment. Speak personally to the leaders of the campus volunteer environmental student group (if there is one) and ask if they know any students who would be interested in the captain position. Ask if they can help spread the word about the opportunity. For example, maybe they would include a job announcement on their postering route, let you present at their fall orientation, or email students directly for you.
Plan to have the option of continuing recruitment beyond the initial trial period in case you do not receive enough applicants.
Interviewing and Selecting Applicants
You will have to interview captain candidates by yourself (or with a colleague); however, as co-leaders of the program, the new captains should help you interview for the rest of the program reps.
In your interviews with potential captains and reps, you will want to find applicants with the following characteristics:
- articulate
- excited about environmental issues
- enthusiastic personality
Depending on your school's calendar and your vision for the GLP timeline, you could choose your captains in the spring, work with them over the summer, and have them ready for interviews in the fall. If you bring on your captains in the fall, you may feel more workload pressure because you will have to orient the captains, conduct startup tasks for the fall and recruit, interview and select the reps.
The captains are ultimately the leaders of a GLP, offering their strategic student input and vision. You will want captains who give you a positive vibe, present strong ideas and commitment towards campus greening, and who have a sparkling personality and inspiring character.