Rush week can be a whirlwind of parties and activities all tailored around meeting potential new members for your sorority. As a recruiter, you have an essential role to play. You are responsible for finding the perfect candidates for your sorority. Finding the ideal members can take time and effort. The mission and philosophies of your sorority are important. You want to select the right girls that will stand for what your sorority signifies, and who you can trust will respect your sisters and uphold your values.

Recruitment is largely dependent on conversations. You’ve spent the previous months carefully planning your recruitment parties and events, to try and stand out from the other sororities also interested in finding the best girl for their chapter. This may seem easy enough, but round after round, active recruiters have to be able to maintain meaningful conversations with a wide variety of different girls. These conversations will help you to determine the best fit for your sorority, so it is important to be present and committed through each recruitment party.

When recruitment day rolls around, you’ll be ready. You’ll have your questions, conversation topics, and of course, you’ll be sporting yourrecruitment outfit for the new potential members to see your level of pride and commitment to your sorority.  

A good recruiter knows what their sorority needs. You aren’t just choosing someone you think you can get along with. You are choosing someone who you feel can help advance the goals and ideals of your sorority. Before recruitment week begins, meet with your sisters to discuss ways to help the sorority improve. This can help provide you with a focus on what kind of girl could help improve your chapter. If you know your sorority wants to get more involved in charitable work, you can focus on potential new members who enjoy volunteering and organizing events.

Even when you aren’t in a direct conversation, you can still be observing the way potential new members interact with each other and your fellow sisters. When you do strike up a conversation, observe what seems most important to that person. You want to choose someone who loves socializing, but you also want someone hardworking, studies hard, and loves giving back to their community. Paying close attention can help you notice the girls that are eager to be there. You want your new potential member to be excited about being there. You want to go with candidates who show a real, genuine interest in being part of your sorority.

As a recruiter, you are going to encounter a lot of girls in just a short amount of time. It can be easy to start being selective in who you talk to, or move on to the next person before really giving the person you are talking to a chance. You must make the dedicated effort to speak to all of the girls at the recruitment party and give them a fair chance to make a real impression on you. Treating everyone with value and respect can help put potential new members at ease. This helps to create an environment where they feel they can open up and be themselves. Start conversations, ask questions, and really get to know a person as much as you can within the time you have. A new potential member is a sister who is going to carry on the ideals of the sorority once you are gone. You want to make sure you are making the best choice.

As your chapter votes on different rounds throughout the rush week, take the time to try and learn more about your potential recruits. If you can find them around campus studying in the library, or the halls between classes, that is a great way to directly say hi and spark up a conversation. However, if you still feel like you want to learn more, social media can be a great place to start. There are numerous platforms where you can get to know a bit more about someone. While this is a great tool, you should be mindful of how much you are letting it shape your perception of that person. You don’t want to rely on social media too heavily to base your opinions on a person. Who someone is online versus real life can be quite different.

The way you structure your sentences can impact the type of response you receive. You want to make sure that the questions you ask can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. You want to ask questions that require some thought. This allows you to ask fewer questions, but get to know more about that girl. When it comes to asking questions, be mindful of keeping a balanced conversation - questions, and listening. You don’t want to bombard your potential new member with rapid-fire questions. You can learn just as much about a person through conversation as you can with direct questioning.

Awkward silences can feel stressful, especially for new recruits who are trying to make a lasting impression through short conversations. A good recruiter will have fresh new questions or conversation starters ready to redirect conversations that have gone flat. You don’t have to have deep conversations with every person you talk to. It’s okay to have tried and true conversation topics. There is nothing wrong with discussing the weather, the events of the week, or something happening around campus. You can even start conversations by discussing pop culture, sports, or non-controversial current events. It is okay to discuss topics that don’t directly relate to your sorority. It’s the best way to get to know someone.

Meeting and speaking to new recruits can be tiring. Rush week is full of events and different rounds of recruitment parties. You may have to ignore how uncomfortable your shoes feel or tune out the loud recruit that is talking next to you. Whatever may be challenging your ability to focus has to be pushed away. You have to make sure you are always at the top of your game, even when you would rather be doing something else. Monitor the way you are feeling, and the way you are talking to potential new members. Are you presenting them with the best version of yourself?

A good recruiter understands the importance of their role when it comes to securing the best potential candidates for their sorority. It is important to have an idea of what qualities you want to look for to strengthen your sorority. Recruitment is largely based on conversations. The better conversations you can have, the more you’ll get to know about the new girls. Having a set of questions and conversation topics can help you stay focused and provide variety to ensure you don’t get burned out on the process quickly. Remember, even though you have an important role as a recruiter, you can still have a lot of fun during rush week.