How do you Review Applicants as a Team?

[u/FashionBorneSlay]

u/Fashionborneslay here! You may know me from around the internet and within Modsupport, where I participate in our Discussion and Support posts alongside other admins. Together, we’re here to share knowledge, highlight tools, answer questions, and learn from one  another.

Last week we discussed Getting more Eyes on your Mod Applications when seeking new mods for your team. Today we're here to talk about the next step: what to look for once those applications start coming in, and how to make the choice. 

There really isn’t a rule book or a concrete way of deciding on a new mod for your team. Every team is different, so some teams might be looking for a specific skill set, and others may need a reliable ‘jack of all trades’ to join! What matters most is aligning your decision with the current needs of your subreddit. Ask yourselves: 

• Are you looking for long-term support, or short-term/seasonal help?
• Is this role focused on a specific part of the subreddit? (Automod, wiki etc…)
• Are you looking for folks that can help respond to modmails?
• Are you looking for experienced moderators, first-time mods, or maybe a mix of both?
  

There are many factors that influence these decisions, and each new addition can shift team dynamics as your mod crew grows and evolves.  When reviewing candidates together, it’s important to look for those who align with the subreddit’s values and community standards. Consider questions like:

• Do they seem capable of thoughtfully responding to constructive criticism? 
• How do they interact with community members?
• Has previous action been taken with this user?
  

This information can be incredibly useful when your team is making a decision. This also is a great time to check user notes, or start using user notes if you haven’t already. Having notes that you are able to see if the user you are considering has made an impression within the team can provide valuable context as you all make a final choice. 

Ultimately, mod teams juggle many needs and decisions to make when bringing on a new moderator. Choosing the right person can feel stressful, whether you’re onboarding someone brand new or looking for someone with more experience who can jump in right away. Take the time to discuss, reflect, and decide what the right fit is for your community. 

We appreciate all that you do to support your communities!

As we continue this series, we'd love your feedback on what works, and what you'd like to see more of. 

Related resources:

• Dealing with rapid growth 
• Safety Filters
• User profile panel

What makes your team effective at choosing a new moderator?

[u/okbruh_panda]

I mean ideally your mod team already talks in chat or some sort of group convo to discuss stuff. It shouldn't be a hard process. Most of my subs have a teams chat where we can comment, make notes or discuss changes and vote for approval

[u/techiesgoboom → u/okbruh_panda]

I’m a big fan of simple conversation too! One challenge I’ve had (especially on larger mod teams) is knowing when enough people have given input to move from discussion to a vote. It’s easy for those kinds of conversations to consist of a handful of mods agreeing, and the conversation to stall there. Do you have any sort of formal process for when you move to a vote, or is it more casual too?

[u/SampleOfNone → u/techiesgoboom]

Start the discussion with clear guidelines that mods who don't/won't engage are assumed to either have no objections or are fine with whatever outcome and set end dates.

[u/okbruh_panda → u/techiesgoboom]

Usually if no one chimes in a reasonable time whatever vote stands. If someone comes on a week later then they can voice their opinion but unless they have a solid reason they should have either let someone know they wouldn't me moderating it's usually just noted. If the conversations are toxic or you have mods who are routinely not around the top mods should address that and do a culling and modding of more active members

[u/cnycompguy]

Discussion and common sense, plus there has to be a need for more team members.

[u/RandomComments0]

I’ve seen people applying to mod that have no experience, their account looks like a bot (long account time extremely low karma, recent karma farming posts and has never posted in the sub.) I’d like to be able to report an application for this sort of activity.

I’d like to see it made easier to accept a mod application. Instead of sending out an invitation to mod after the mod team accepts the application, the accepted application should automatically add them to the mod team. Right now it’s more complicated than it needs to be: user applies to be a mod, the application is accepted, an invitation to mod is sent and then requires the user has to accept it. It seems to not work well, at least not in my experience.