Application Guide
How To Write An Application
Applications are used almost every single day here at HIA! They are the root of achieving all things that you desire, ranging from Apprentice to Special Units. Therefore, with applications being such a huge importance, we have written this guide to better help you in applying for various units and roles. Whether it be your first or thirtieth application, there might be something here to help you!
Take your time
Rushed applications are usually filtered out almost instantly, as they repeat the same mistakes each time. Rushed applications typically have basic answers, giving no insight to you as a person or will include consistent mistakes throughout, such as grammar, punctuation, and typos. . If you take your time it will allow you to filter out errors, as well as giving you the opportunity to put more effort and detail into your answers, so double check your application before you submit! Another thing to keep in mind is to find someone you trust to proof-read your application before you submit it. A second set of eyes is always beneficial!
Meet their interests and requirements
Ensure you are aware of what exactly the Special Unit or role is looking for. This will help you to match your skills and traits in your application so that it is more appealing for the iCs to read.
For example, if you’re applying to the Training Supervisors Unit, you could perhaps mention your experience of communication with other members, your friendliness and professionalism. These 3 traits are of huge importance to Training Supervisors, and so your application will stand out.
Remember to always research the Special Unit and/ or Role you're applying for before filling out the application. There may be some stuff that you don't normally see and you might not feel comfortable doing those required things. It also helps with outlining what you are capable of doing.
For example, if you’re applying to the Training Supervisors Unit, you could perhaps mention your experience of communication with other members, your friendliness and professionalism. These 3 traits are of huge importance to Training Supervisors, and so your application will stand out.
Remember to always research the Special Unit and/ or Role you're applying for before filling out the application. There may be some stuff that you don't normally see and you might not feel comfortable doing those required things. It also helps with outlining what you are capable of doing.
Sell yourself
Write your application in such a way that your strong points stand out and that your bad points sound like strong points. Try to refrain from any negative sentences about yourself, always try to show the best of yourself within the application even while describing situations which can be seen as your weak side.
For example - “One of my weaknesses is that I can be too demanding of members, as I always wish to see everyone performing to the best of their abilities. However, this can sometimes come off in the wrong way, which I will be willing to improve on.”
For example - “One of my weaknesses is that I can be too demanding of members, as I always wish to see everyone performing to the best of their abilities. However, this can sometimes come off in the wrong way, which I will be willing to improve on.”
Keep it relevant
While you may want to include every little bit of experience you have, it’s important to grab the reader’s attention, which means you should only write down the information that is relevant to the SU/Team. Anything that isn’t linked to the SU/Team or their requirements should be left out or should be mentioned briefly at the end. If your application is long and winding, it may lead to the iCs losing interest in reading the application, so be sure to keep it brief and to the point! However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t include detail in your answers, as this still holds huge importance!
Include examples/situations
Always include examples and situations where you have shown your skills and expertise. If you mention a specific skill or trait, it's always good to provide any and all examples of when you have displayed this. If you have problems thinking of situations it can be a good idea to ask someone close to you where your skills/traits have shown in the past.
Don’t use AI tools
While we know how helpful current AI Tools can be, they are strictly prohibited in the application process to units or teams. Tools like ChatGPT write the application for you, and completely take away the human aspect of the process. You may use tools like Grammarly to check your spelling, but please be careful and to not let it write your application for you! If you get caught using any AI Tools you may face disciplinary actions followed by our Code of Conduct!
What should I do if I’ve been rejected?
The first thing to do is to not worry at all! Special units and teams can’t accept every member into their team so if your application was lacking that extra something or even if your application was perfect but you applied a day too late, you may have been rejected. We would like to provide you with the following tips:
- Do not give up!
- Ask that individual SUiC for feedback and try again. If you applied for more than one, ask them individually as they will have different answers on why you were not accepted.
- You can apply as many times as you want and you can reach out to any Electives for help applying to any unit. All Electives want you to succeed during your time at HIA so do not be afraid to reach out.
- You can also refer back to this Guide for tips and to see what a great application looks like for inspiration.
- Don't take being rejected as a personal thing. Just ask the specific SU/Team what the reason is for your rejection and how you can improve for your future application.
- It's always better to leave a positive image to them if you wish to apply again.
Do’s & Don'ts
1. Question: Tell Us About Yourself
Don’t:
2. Question: Why Do You Want to Join This Unit?
Don’t:
3. Question: Why Should You Be Picked?
Don’t:
Don’t:
- I like to sleep and do nothing all day. I go on HIA cuz im bored and now i wanna join an SU cause im bored.
- Hi. I like to write. I think Art is cool and I like talking to people.
- Hello! My name is Sarah and I’ve been a part of HIA for about a year now. I’ve been wanting to join a Special Unit for a while now and now that I have the free time, I’m very excited! I love to write and I’m in my school’s journalism club. I also love to make art on my tablet and I love spending time with my friends and having fun with them. I hope to one day make a difference in HIA. I have made many graphical designs for members within HIA and I am about to study art in real life. Because of those experiences and skills I would love to be a part of this unit!
2. Question: Why Do You Want to Join This Unit?
Don’t:
- It was the first special unit I saw on Discord. I saw you could win 10c if you do the most supervisions a month so I really want that money.
- I like to judge people and grade them on how they do so this unit is good for me. I like to have power over people.
- I want to join Training Supervisors because making sure trainers are doing their job properly is such an important part of HIA. Training sessions to make sure that all future members of HIA are well equipped with the proper knowledge they will need to carry on HIA. I have also trained a lot of people and have been supervised before so I know how to host a training session well. I am very passionate about HIA and I really hope it continues to flourish in the future!
3. Question: Why Should You Be Picked?
Don’t:
- Cause I'm better than everyone else. I'm more important and a higher rank and I have priority. I know Kate is also applying for this spot and you should not pick her cause she's terrible at hosting events.
- Cause I'm a perfect fit for this job. I will do what you want to be done.
- I have tons of experience hosting events and I enjoy doing it greatly! I just love seeing how excited people get while playing, how people interact, and how it can liven up a crowd. I am a very fair and fun person and I am very timely and detailed with reports that I will need to submit. I also have ideas for a few new games that we could possibly try out. My creativity is a skill that makes me different from the rest, I can think of very nice solutions for recent problems. This shows through the detailed reports I’ve made in the past.
Application Steps
This section will grant you more information on how to properly apply for a Special Unit and how to prepare yourself to write a perfect application. Special Units and Teams are very important within HIA because it grants you more experience which you can use later on in your career. The steps that can be followed before applying are as follows:
1. Gathering information about what you are applying for
There are multiple options to get information about SU’s:
> Go to the Special Units page on our website:
This section will grant you more information on how to properly apply for a Special Unit and how to prepare yourself to write a perfect application. Special Units and Teams are very important within HIA because it grants you more experience which you can use later on in your career. The steps that can be followed before applying are as follows:
1. Gathering information about what you are applying for
There are multiple options to get information about SU’s:
> Go to the Special Units page on our website:
> During the weekly General Meeting, every Sunday at 4:00 PM UK Time, is usually where new members are announced, as well as if their applications are open, so be sure to attend to see if you made it!
> If you can’t attend the General meeting, you can read the weekly bulletin by the Chief of Staff Team or the Meeting Minutes on #internal-alerts within the HIA Discord server.
> Check the Discord #apps-forms channel to find information about SU applications.
2. Checking whether you meet the requirements
> Pick the SU you wish to apply for from the drop down menu on the website.
> If you can’t attend the General meeting, you can read the weekly bulletin by the Chief of Staff Team or the Meeting Minutes on #internal-alerts within the HIA Discord server.
> Check the Discord #apps-forms channel to find information about SU applications.
2. Checking whether you meet the requirements
> Pick the SU you wish to apply for from the drop down menu on the website.
3. Contact an iC about the Team/SU you want to apply for
> Find the SU page like was mentioned in step 2 and scroll down till you see the iC system of the SU you wish to apply for
> Find the SU page like was mentioned in step 2 and scroll down till you see the iC system of the SU you wish to apply for
> Use the search button on Discord to find the iC you want to contact and send them a message on Discord.
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4. Application through Google Forms
> Go to the website and find the application button
> Check #apps-forms discord channel and click the link that brings you to the form
> Fill out the form and click submit
5. Asking for feedback
Always ask for feedback when your application has been submitted, however please do wait until the new members have been announced. This way they can see that you are truly dedicated and interested in the unit/team as well as in improving yourself and/or your application. If you do so earlier, the iC’s might think you are hinting to be accepted in their Special Unit or Team.
Application Practice
As a last section to this guide we will provide you with a challenge to practice all the things you have learned from this guide. The challenge can be submitted to any Elective that is free for review. The Elective will provide you with any tips they may have for writing a better application.
> Please write an example application submission for any SU/Team that currently has applications open. It is important to follow the information that has been mentioned in this guide as well as possible. You are allowed to keep this guide beside you while writing the application. This will purely be for practice and to provide you with the required tools to write the perfect application.
> Go to the website and find the application button
> Check #apps-forms discord channel and click the link that brings you to the form
> Fill out the form and click submit
5. Asking for feedback
Always ask for feedback when your application has been submitted, however please do wait until the new members have been announced. This way they can see that you are truly dedicated and interested in the unit/team as well as in improving yourself and/or your application. If you do so earlier, the iC’s might think you are hinting to be accepted in their Special Unit or Team.
Application Practice
As a last section to this guide we will provide you with a challenge to practice all the things you have learned from this guide. The challenge can be submitted to any Elective that is free for review. The Elective will provide you with any tips they may have for writing a better application.
> Please write an example application submission for any SU/Team that currently has applications open. It is important to follow the information that has been mentioned in this guide as well as possible. You are allowed to keep this guide beside you while writing the application. This will purely be for practice and to provide you with the required tools to write the perfect application.
If you have any questions about the Application Guide please contact the Director General - Speaker or a member of the Chief of Staff Team.