The Time is Now, Part Three: Getting Noticed

The Time is Now is a five-part series on joining a raiding guild before the expansion. Part One covers reasons that now is the best time to join. Part Two details how to go about finding what you’re looking for in a raiding guild. Part Three describes how to get noticed by and join your chosen guild. Part Four goes into further detail of the pros and cons of joining a guild pre-expansion. Part Five is a cheat-sheet summary with final thoughts and response to any reader commentary or questions.
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So you’ve found yourself a guild or two or three that you find attractive.

Now what?

Well, you want them to notice and consider you, correct? Then you have some work to do, my friend.

Dress For Success
Always, always, always log out in your gear when you are going to app to a guild. Even if you just begin to talk to some members of a guild, they’re going to look you up. And if you’re decked out in your PvP gear with a Frost Spec when you stated you raid Fire, it puts the person you’re communicating with the undesirable job of attempting to visualize the gear and talents you explain to them. Though easier on a forum to link a talent build or to explain a basic, well-known spec, if you’re just getting a feel for the leadership before you leave an application, it’s best to be wearing your full PvE gear each time you log out.

Talent builds can be explained, but gem choices, enchants and itemization decisions generally take some visual cues to give useful information to a prospective guild.

Use the Looking For Group Channel
This is a very simple trick. Open Looking For Group, click Looking For More, and pick an old-world raid, one that almost never gets any attention from anyone (AQ40 is one such raid), and park yourself in it. This should open your Looking For Group channel. Check who is soliciting for people of your class or role. Are any of them in the guilds you want to app to? If you have the time, then go with them. If you do a good job, are courteous and helpful, as well as that rare “good pug,” it can leave a good impression. It doesn’t hurt to casually ask them about their guild as you’re running, as long as the talk doesn’t distract you from casting Swiftmend at the opportune moments.

Do Organized PvP with Them
What! PvP isn’t raiding!

So what? Lots of people remember that healer who saved their butt back in EotS or that fearless defender of Stables. Just don’t fight in the roads, and do what the premade leader tells you to do. Don’t get upset or frustrated or defiant. Be calm, reasonable, rational. Seasoned raiders become foaming at the mouth frustrated quicker to PvP than a few hours of raid wipes; set yourself apart by not being one of them.

Go on Their Lower Content Raids
No one’s ever really done with Karazhan, and many people can still use upgrades from Gruul’s, Mag, TK and SSC. If someone in your prospective guild runs that sort of content regularly, and it is open to all comers, see about joining up. You are getting your name out there. You want to show up ready, repaired, with all your consumables, reagents and in a PvE spec. Remember, you’re getting your name out there, so always make sure you’re making a good impression.

When you can, be on Vent. It’s always good to hear how a guild interacts with its members and with its PUGs.

Apply to the Guild
Of course, this seems like a no-brainer. If you want to be in a guild, you apply, right? Remember that I said to always log out in PvE gear; well, now it would be best to log out in your PvE spec. Prospective guilds will want to see how your talents interact with your gear, and are likely unwilling to do the calculations themselves.

In general, look at past applications, follow all directions and take more than five minutes to fill it out. Be courteous, responsive, and explain anything you feel you may be lacking. Use any “other information” slots to your full benefit. Do you run old world raids? Do you have six gear sets? Do you have that ultra-rare pattern no one can seem to find? Let them know.

Do not trash players, your old guild or specs. You never know who is reading.

For a more in-depth look into applying to a guild, I urge you to check out Chick GM’s series on applying to guilds. She explains what to do, what not to do, and gives several examples of good and bad applications, recruitment, interviews and the initiation period.

Now, all you can do is wait, and, if you’ve done your homework, you should be seeing at least one acceptance!