Being a part of the forum team is dream for many users, but a lot of times they are stumped on becoming Staff. Every administrator has their own attributes in which they determine users worthy of becoming Staff, here is my take on becoming Staff.
Know the Rules
If you ever want to be able to not only officially enforce the rules of a forum, but also do so accurately, you must know and abide by the rules yourself. Familiarize yourself with the rules. In our case, reference ForumKorner's Rules and Policies and the other help documents located under the Support tab. Be sure to read each and every help document thoroughly.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is the most important attribute any person can have, whether that be on an online forum board, or in real life. Trustworthiness is defined as a moral value, regarded as a virtue. A trustworthy person is someone in whom one can place one's trust and rest assured that their trust shall not be betrayed. Forum owners alike have put their trust into unreliable users and have witnessed the faults firsthand. No forum owners wants their forum to be regulated by some shady, two-faced dishonest user. After all, forum owners rely on their forum team.
Maturity
If there's one thing I know about @Philly it is that he doesn't want to babysit immature kids on his forum team. Do not be discouraged if you are young. Age does not have a bearing on how mature one is. Maturity is a choice. Maturity, however, is very easy to display. Act your age, not your shoe size, unless of course they correlate.
Professionalism
Professionalism is arguably the most important attribute a forum team member should have. I personally would dread dealing with a Staff member that does not portray professionalism. Professionalism can be portrayed through your posts and how you interact with Forum Korner's users. Professionalism is not a attribute that can be gained in a course of five minutes. It takes time. While good grammar and linguistics are a great way to show professional competence, you do not have to necessarily be a Grammar Nazi, though good grammar has never hurt anybody.
Communication Skills
If Staff has ever been a goal for you, you should know that communication skills are very important. As Staff, you will encounter times in which more than average communication skills are needed, not only by the day, but by the hour. As Staff, you will be consistently communicating with users and you need to do so adequately and of course professionally. You must be able to type clearly and assure that you get your point across.
Getting Recognized
Before becoming Staff, you must be recognized for the position. A lot of users think they must have excelling forum statistics to become a member of the forum team (e.g. high post count or reputation). Post count and reputation have very little to do with becoming Staff. For starters, they have very very little to do with determining one's ability to moderate the forum. A lot of users may argue with me that post count shows dedication, however, there are other ways to show dedication to a forum. Take for instance post reports. Reporting posts is a great way to get recognized because all forum team member are able to view your reports including @"Philly". Staff are not promoted through a popularity contest, so do not worry if you're not a Forum Korner's celebrity.
Showing You Are Determined
Determination is an attribute all members must have if they ever want to become Staff. There are times you will feel shot down. There are times you feel you will never earn Staff. You will see other users being promoted and you may get discouraged, but don't. I've been there and I have done that, twice. I was very determined. I did everything in my power to help @Philly, I helped reconstruct ForumKorner's help documents, I reported posts steadily and adequately, and I tried my best in aiding ForumKorner and its users. I for one, can tell you it paid off. All I can say if becoming Staff is a goal of yours, do not give up and do not ever be discouraged by others. I promise if you report posts frequently and help in any way possible your will be recognized.
Efficiency
Efficiency is one of those attributes that all forum team members need, but it is one that should be learned prior to becoming Staff. How might one do that? The best way to learn efficiency is to report posts not only efficiently, but frequently. Before you can become an efficient post reporter, you must know how to correctly report posts if you do not how to already. Read the Reporting Posts help doc to get started. Reporting posts is not everything because when you are Staff, there are other things that will need to be taken car of other than post reports. Time management is another very important attribute that falls under efficiency. As Staff, you must be able to manage your time.
Knowing The Right Time
If you were to take a look at out forum team as of now, you would realize that we are in no need of another forum team member, however, that does not mean you give up. If you're recognized during a time when Staff is not needed, you have good chance of being recognized when a forum team member is needed. Don't wait until someone resigns (or is demoted for whatever reason) to show what you're worth. If Staff is your goal, start as soon as possible. Perhaps now.
Once You're Staff
Congratulations on your promotion!
If you thought becoming Staff was it, you were wrong. Once you get Staff, you still have to prove that you are worthy of the position. Just because you were promoted does not mean you can slack off. Showing that you are determined and efficient are just as important when you are Staff as they were prior to your promotion, if not more important.
--------------------------------------
Note: I am obviously not @"Philly" and I am not telling you that this is what he looks for in users. This is my take on becoming Staff on a forum. It's not guaranteed to get you promoted. It's hopefully making you aware of a few skills that are necessary to become a forum team member.
My Background[/b]]
I became moderator for the first time in April of 2013. A mere year and half after my join date. I was moderator for a few months prior to resigning. I was then promoted to moderator (for a second time) in August of 2013 and was later promoted to Staff. I am one of two users that have been given a second chance on the forum team, the other user is the good 'ol @"Gr33d". FYI: I am recognized as Ex-Staff, however, I solely choose not to wear the Ex-Staff award for reasons I had mentioned in my Staff resignation thread which is now junked.
I became moderator for the first time in April of 2013. A mere year and half after my join date. I was moderator for a few months prior to resigning. I was then promoted to moderator (for a second time) in August of 2013 and was later promoted to Staff. I am one of two users that have been given a second chance on the forum team, the other user is the good 'ol @"Gr33d". FYI: I am recognized as Ex-Staff, however, I solely choose not to wear the Ex-Staff award for reasons I had mentioned in my Staff resignation thread which is now junked.
Know the Rules
If you ever want to be able to not only officially enforce the rules of a forum, but also do so accurately, you must know and abide by the rules yourself. Familiarize yourself with the rules. In our case, reference ForumKorner's Rules and Policies and the other help documents located under the Support tab. Be sure to read each and every help document thoroughly.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is the most important attribute any person can have, whether that be on an online forum board, or in real life. Trustworthiness is defined as a moral value, regarded as a virtue. A trustworthy person is someone in whom one can place one's trust and rest assured that their trust shall not be betrayed. Forum owners alike have put their trust into unreliable users and have witnessed the faults firsthand. No forum owners wants their forum to be regulated by some shady, two-faced dishonest user. After all, forum owners rely on their forum team.
Maturity
If there's one thing I know about @Philly it is that he doesn't want to babysit immature kids on his forum team. Do not be discouraged if you are young. Age does not have a bearing on how mature one is. Maturity is a choice. Maturity, however, is very easy to display. Act your age, not your shoe size, unless of course they correlate.
Professionalism
Professionalism is arguably the most important attribute a forum team member should have. I personally would dread dealing with a Staff member that does not portray professionalism. Professionalism can be portrayed through your posts and how you interact with Forum Korner's users. Professionalism is not a attribute that can be gained in a course of five minutes. It takes time. While good grammar and linguistics are a great way to show professional competence, you do not have to necessarily be a Grammar Nazi, though good grammar has never hurt anybody.
Communication Skills
If Staff has ever been a goal for you, you should know that communication skills are very important. As Staff, you will encounter times in which more than average communication skills are needed, not only by the day, but by the hour. As Staff, you will be consistently communicating with users and you need to do so adequately and of course professionally. You must be able to type clearly and assure that you get your point across.
Getting Recognized
Before becoming Staff, you must be recognized for the position. A lot of users think they must have excelling forum statistics to become a member of the forum team (e.g. high post count or reputation). Post count and reputation have very little to do with becoming Staff. For starters, they have very very little to do with determining one's ability to moderate the forum. A lot of users may argue with me that post count shows dedication, however, there are other ways to show dedication to a forum. Take for instance post reports. Reporting posts is a great way to get recognized because all forum team member are able to view your reports including @"Philly". Staff are not promoted through a popularity contest, so do not worry if you're not a Forum Korner's celebrity.
Showing You Are Determined
Determination is an attribute all members must have if they ever want to become Staff. There are times you will feel shot down. There are times you feel you will never earn Staff. You will see other users being promoted and you may get discouraged, but don't. I've been there and I have done that, twice. I was very determined. I did everything in my power to help @Philly, I helped reconstruct ForumKorner's help documents, I reported posts steadily and adequately, and I tried my best in aiding ForumKorner and its users. I for one, can tell you it paid off. All I can say if becoming Staff is a goal of yours, do not give up and do not ever be discouraged by others. I promise if you report posts frequently and help in any way possible your will be recognized.
Efficiency
Efficiency is one of those attributes that all forum team members need, but it is one that should be learned prior to becoming Staff. How might one do that? The best way to learn efficiency is to report posts not only efficiently, but frequently. Before you can become an efficient post reporter, you must know how to correctly report posts if you do not how to already. Read the Reporting Posts help doc to get started. Reporting posts is not everything because when you are Staff, there are other things that will need to be taken car of other than post reports. Time management is another very important attribute that falls under efficiency. As Staff, you must be able to manage your time.
Knowing The Right Time
If you were to take a look at out forum team as of now, you would realize that we are in no need of another forum team member, however, that does not mean you give up. If you're recognized during a time when Staff is not needed, you have good chance of being recognized when a forum team member is needed. Don't wait until someone resigns (or is demoted for whatever reason) to show what you're worth. If Staff is your goal, start as soon as possible. Perhaps now.
Once You're Staff
Congratulations on your promotion!
If you thought becoming Staff was it, you were wrong. Once you get Staff, you still have to prove that you are worthy of the position. Just because you were promoted does not mean you can slack off. Showing that you are determined and efficient are just as important when you are Staff as they were prior to your promotion, if not more important.
--------------------------------------
Note: I am obviously not @"Philly" and I am not telling you that this is what he looks for in users. This is my take on becoming Staff on a forum. It's not guaranteed to get you promoted. It's hopefully making you aware of a few skills that are necessary to become a forum team member.
TL;DR
