Vortex Application & Instructions

[Scythe]

Potential Applicants,

Thanks for your interest in Vortex. You'll find our application form below. Please take your time and fill it out completely as it represents your first impression to many (if not all) of us. You can either post your application as a new thread in this forum or e-mail it to applications (at) vortex-guild.com. Only Vortex members have forum access. You do not need to be a registered member of the forums to post your application. To make sure that you don't lose valuable work in case your forum session times out, we recommend that you compose your application in a text editor (Notepad, etc.) and then post the completed application here.

We have a five-step application process.

Step 1:
Check to see if we're recruiting your class. You can do that by visiting our Vortex Class Needs post at http://forums.vortex-guild.com/index.php/topic,44.0.html. While we're always looking for exceptional applicants, that post will contain the list of classes that we're specifically looking for and is updated regularly.

Step 2:
Complete and submit your application. Once we receive it, we'll move it to an internal members-only forum where the entire guild can read and comment on it. That initial feedback will determine whether you'll move on to Step 3 of our Application Process.

Step 3:
Applicants with strong applications will be invited to talk with our guild members on our Ventrilo server. This group will include at least one officer and several of our guild members with experience in your role and/or class, but it's quite common for a large portion of the guild to show up and listen in. This gives us a chance to know you better and also gives you to ask us questions about how we work. We'll also traditionally invite applicants at this stage to spend a raid night (or portion of it) with us on Ventrilo to get a feel for our raiding atmosphere so they can decide if it's an environment that they're comfortable with. Feedback from this stage will determine you'll move on to Step 4 of our Application Process.
 
Step 4:
Applicants with continued positive feedback at this stage will be asked to raid with Vortex for one full night (and occasionally more) during our regular raid schedule. These runs gives us a good feeling for how you interact with groups of people as well as your skill level.  The Vortex members that group with you will add their comments to your application for others to see. Applicants at this stage of the application process should be prepared for any encounter that Vortex has completed up to that point as well as any progression content that we may be working on. 

Step 5:
The entire guild will be asked to vote on whether you should be admitted. This is a difficult step for some, but we feel strongly that our members should be able to chose who they play with. If accepted, you become a full member of the guild immediately. If you've put in the committment necessary to complete our application process, we need to show you the same committment in welcoming you to Vortex.

All Applicants, Please Note:

Vortex operates as a 10-man Strict guild as defined by GuildOx. This means that we do not run 25-man content (either in-guild or via PUG) that offers higher iLevel gear than what is available via the top-end 10-man content available.  Members are welcome to run 25-man content that offers gear that does not meet this criteria and we often do so short-handed for fun.

While your character do not have to be "strict" eligible in order to apply to Vortex, we expect all our members to abide by our instance restrictions while a member of the guild.


Potential Transfer Applicants:

We know that changing servers to join a guild that you might barely know is a major leap of faith, so we wanted to discuss our policy regarding transfer applicants. We do require all transfer applicants to go through the same process that Turalyon applicants follow, albeit a little differently. We recommend that if you're interested in joining Vortex, apply before transferring to Turalyon so we can review your application and let you know if we think there could be a good fit for you with us. If we feel like this might be the case and invite you to transfer over, we will guarantee you an opportunity to raid with our members prior to our Guild Vote (described in Step 4) on your application. We'll also offer you a temporary guild invite on your transfer over so you have a place to call home while we continue the application process.

Please note that these are the only differences in our application process for transfer applicants and we will only guarantee raid time and heroic instance runs to those we invite to transfer.  If you decide to transfer without us formally inviting you as part of the application process, you do so at your own risk.
 

Confidential Applications:

Individuals wishing to submit their application confidentially can do so by sending it via e-mail to applications (at) vortex-guild.com. Please state very clearly on the application (preferably both on the subject line and in the body of the e-mail) that you are submitting it confidentially so we can label it accordingly when we move it to our internal forum for discussion.


How To Fill Out This Application:

Please cut and paste the application below in a new post to our Application Forum with the title as follows:
"Character Name - Class (Specialization)" (without quotes). You can also e-mail it to us at applications (at) vortex-guild.com

You may add additional information at the end of the application as you deem it necessary; however you must complete every question to the best of your ability to be considered. Every question is designed to help us gauge if you will be a fit for us.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and we thank you for your interest in Vortex.

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General Information:

Character Name - Class (Specialization):
City/Province/State:
Number of hours played per week (avg):
Where can we contact you if we can't find you in-game (an e-mail is required, alt names, etc.):

Guild History:

Current Server & Faction (If cross-server/faction applicant):
What guild are you in? (if applicable):
Why are you leaving that guild? (if applicable):

Specializations & Raid Experience:

What is your current talent spec? (Ex. 51/20/0 - Holy/Prot):
Why did you choose that particular specialization?
What do you feel is the most important talent in your spec? Why?

What is your primary off-specialization?
Do you have a properly maintained set of gear for that specialization?

Please include a link to your armory profile in main spec gear:

What kind of raiding experience do you have? (Please include any and all up to, and including WotLK):
What do you enjoy about raiding?
What do you hate about raiding?

Personal Information:

Why are you applying to Vortex?

What about 10-man "strict" raiding appeals to you? What doesn't?

Do you know anyone in Vortex? If so, how?

Our raids, while generally laid back, can occasionally be quite demanding. Are you comfortable with constructive criticism?

We typically raid Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 7:30pm to 11:30pm Server Time (ET).  We expect 66% attendance (or better). Can you regularly attend these raids?:

What do you feel is the most important factor in playing your class well?

What do you feel you do well with playing your class?

What do you feel you need to work on to be better at your class?

Would you be comfortable if we ask you to change your specialization temporarily or, much more rarely, permanently to fill a necessary role in the guild?

Describe your gaming computer and internet connection. Can they be relied upon consistently?

Post a URL to a screenshot of your UI in a raid (and preferably combat) situation. Please also describe the 3 most important features of your UI in terms of helping you accomplish your role in a raid.

Please include a recent WMO/WoL raid parse (if available). Please also comment on any particular aspects of your role in the fights covered by the parse that you think is important for us to know.


How would you rate your skill at playing your off spec? (Choose 1):

• 1: Very Good. Wouldn’t know it’s an off spec.
• 2: Good. Still needs some work, quite viable.
• 3: Ok. Not as comfortable, but can hold your own.
• 4: Not so good: I am not comfortable raiding off spec.

Discuss (briefly) the following topics:

• Girls don't play WoW:
• DPS on off target. Let 'em die?:
• Your favorite cookie and why?:
• Barrens Chat:
• Retrograde Motion:
• Mitten Kittens:

Anything else you’d like to add that we should know about you?

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Thank you for taking the time to apply to Vortex. Once we've received your application, you should be contacted by a Vortex Officer within 3 days. While you are waiting, please also take whatever steps are necessary to prevent e-mails from the vortex-guild.com domain from being filtered by your anti-spam software in case we need to contact you via e-mail.

If you have not heard from us in that time, please feel free to contact one of the Vortex Officers directly.