Hello everyone!

My name is ACap, and on behalf of SMJHL HO, I’d like to introduce this guide that will hopefully assist people looking to apply around the League. Many people fresh to sim leagues are unsure of how to apply, both literally with the process, and more abstractly with how to write an application. We hope to fix that and provide more clarity on any questions or hesitations people may have when it comes to applications. We’ll be breaking all of this down into the following sections:

1. Why apply?
   
2. How do you apply?
   
3. How do you write an application?
   
4. F.A.Q.
   
5. The disclaimer
   

1. Why apply?
Say you want to get more involved in the League for whatever reason. Maybe leading a team to victory sounds fun. Or, maybe you think you can do better than others in a position. Maybe you want to see what happens behind the scenes. Whatever the reason, if you want to get more involved in the League, then you’ll want a job. And if you want a job, you must apply. Simple as that! Despite the obvious question of “Why would I want to do extra work?” jobs can offer some incredible fulfillment and help you leave your mark on the site. In addition, all jobs offer salaries that help pay for training and coaching. For some people, jobs are great for feeling like you’re helping a League that you love. For others, they help pad your bank account, so you don’t need to write media. Numerous reasons exist, but all you need is one to apply for a position.

2. How do you apply?
No, you do not write “Applied” in the hiring post. Instead, you write an application and send it to the appropriate person. Hiring posts can be found in the “Job Postings” subsection of the forums here: https://simulationhockey.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=388. While no standard format exists for hiring posts, they will usually feature the following information:

• What position is being hired
  
• What the responsibilities are
  
• How long the term of the post is
  
• How much the compensation is
  
• Potentially some useful questions to answer in your application
  
• Whom to send the application to
  

Should one aspect of these be missing and you really want to know, it never hurts to send a direct message to the person who published the job posting asking, or politely reply to the post. From there, to apply to a position, you send all “application materials” to the person/people listed in the post. For example, if J HO posted to hire a new SMJHL GM and you wanted to apply, you would send the application materials to the current SMJHL Commissioner (at the time of this post being published, that person would be ACapitalChicago) or SMJHL Co-Commissioner as they would be listed in the hiring post for it. Applications can be sent over the forums or on Discord, whatever gets all the materials to the right person. So, what are “application materials”? These are all documents, screenshots, letters of recommendation, and more, but most importantly the application itself, all of which should show why you are the best person for the position. An application, in its simplest form, is a message that tells the hiring person that you wish to apply and why they should pick you. This can be a simple PM, a .pdf, a word document, or more, but those are the most common ones.

3. How do you write an application?
So, you’ve decided you want to apply for a position. The first question you should ask yourself is “Are there questions to answer listed in the hiring post?”. If so, answering those will make up the bulk of your application. If not, no worries! Skip ahead to where we begin explaining a suggested template to use. For a lot of jobs, the questions provided will amount to “Who are you, what have you done before this, and what will you do with this?”. These come in many forms like “What’s your username”, “What previous positions have you held”, “What are your ideas for this position” and so on, but they may vary slightly. You’ll want to answer the questions in order of how they are asked, and clearly show which one you’re answering. For example, a posting for the SMJHL HO Intern position might ask the following:

• What is your username?
  
• What is your Discord handle?
  
• Have you held any positions prior to this? If so, what are they?
  
• Interns must approve all newly created players. This is done using a spreadsheet to confirm legal ratings, posting on the player’s page, moving them to the appropriate subforum, and then notifying the SMJHL GMs in their server. What are your thoughts on this?
  

So, we would suggest the following broad formatting guide for jobs with questions:

Introduction paragraph
This is a somewhat brief paragraph that introduces who you are. This should be somewhere between 3-4 sentences. Use it to introduce your name, one or two immediately notable things, and then a broad overview of what you are about to say.
For notable things, this can be an important job you have or even the team you play for.
I.E., “I’m a player for the ______” or “currently a Backup Updater”
For the broad overview, briefly touch upon the answers to the questions you’re about to provide.
Using the above 4 questions for an SMJHL HO Intern, you could say: “I’ve had previous experiences such as _____, & _____, and am interested in learning the nuances of what goes into approving a player”. Short and to the point while giving you the opportunity to elaborate later.
Thus, an example introduction paragraph might look like:
“My name is _____, and I am applying for the _______ position. I am a member of the ______ and currently work in the League as a _________. I am interested in this position because _______, _______, & ________.”

Response to the question(s) paragraph(s)
This is the meat and potatoes of your application. This is where you answer all the questions being asked to the best of your ability. Answer them in the order they’re asked, and make sure you indicate which question you’re responding to.
I.E.:
1. My username is ________.
2. My Discord handle is _________.
3. I have/have not had positions prior:
3a. I have been/am currently __________
3b. I have not held any positions prior to this; however, I do X, Y, & Z that I feel are helpful to this position. (And then explain each of those and why they are helpful.)
Even if you haven’t held a position before, that’s not an automatic denial by any means. First, many jobs are specifically looking for people who have not held positions before, to help them get involved in the League. Second, just because you haven’t had an official job doesn’t mean you can’t have done things to help. Maybe you could mention how you start most conversations in your team LR, and that means you’re on Discord enough to handle anything quickly. Maybe you post screenshots after the games, showing you’re good at gathering details. Maybe you created an entirely new tradition for your team, to show that you have a creative mind. Take something positive you do to help and explain why it would help in this position; it will absolutely be helpful to your application.
(Alternatively, should you have held prior positions) I have been in the following positions: ____, _____, & ______. From these I have learned ______ and gained the following skills _______.
Take the positions you’ve had and explain how each has provided skills that will enable you to succeed in the position you’re applying for.

Thus, an example set of response paragraphs might look like this:
1. My forum username is _________.
2. My Discord handle is __________.
3. I have previously worked as a ________. In this position I learned _________ from ______. This/These skill/s would help me in the position I’m applying for because of __________.  In addition, I assist my team by ________. This would also aid in the position by _______.

Anything else important paragraph
This is for anything else important that is not covered by your responses to the questions. This includes, but is not limited to, if they did not ask about previous experience and you have some relevant ones (like similar jobs in the league), you have new ideas for the group (like a better way to do things), or even letters of recommendation (people who are willing to vouch that you’ll do a good job).
This can be multiple paragraphs if necessary.
An example might look like:
In addition, outside of the SHL I am involved in ______. In ______, I do _______ that ___________ which would be beneficial to this position. I also have some ideas on how to improve the ______ role. Perhaps if we did ________ or introduced a new process of ________ it could make things run faster and/or smoother.

Concluding paragraph
Basically, another introductory paragraph, but this one is at the end. You should thank the person/people you’re sending the application to for their time. Then, restate a lot of the information you’ve already provided in a summary format, such as a brief explanation of why you’re applying, why you’re qualified, and then what you’ll do with the position. Again, this should all be a brief summary, think two-three sentences maximum. Sign off with a catchy closer, maybe a restatement of how important this is to you or something else that leaves a (good) impression on the hiring person/people.
So, for your last example:
I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read through my application. I wish to be a _____ because of _______, and my involvement as ________ would be beneficial to this position. I hope to improve the position with my ideas to ________, and eagerly await your response! Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at _____.

However, for jobs without questions, we would suggest a similar yet still different format:

Introductory paragraph
This is a somewhat brief paragraph that introduces who you are. This should be somewhere between 3-4 sentences total. Use it to introduce your name, one or two immediately notable things, and then a broad overview of what you are about to say.
For notable things, this can be an important job you have or even the team you play for.
I.E., “I’m a player for the ______” or “currently a Backup Updater”
For the broad overview, briefly touch upon the things you intend to cover in your application, which we recommend as the following paragraph topics: why do you want the position, what experience do you have, and what sets you apart as the best candidate
These should be brief and part of a single sentence or two at most
For the J intern example, "I'm interested in this position because I want to learn more about the league, I'd like to expand upon my experience as _____, and I wish to bring new ideas like _____ and ______ to the table.
As an example, an introductory paragraph could look like:
“My name is _____, and I am applying for the _______ position. I am a member of the ______ and currently work in the League as a _________. I am interested in this position because _______, _______, & ________.”

Reason(s) for applying paragraph
This paragraph should be an explanation of all the reasons you’re applying for the position. Like explained earlier, there are far too many reasons to list here. Perhaps you just want the pay or the compensation of the job. Maybe you want to give back to a group that you’ve come to appreciate. Maybe you just think you can do better than everyone else. Whatever the reason, now is the time to explain it. Go into a little detail about the history of why you’re applying, talk it up and make it flashy. Show why this is important to you and why it’s important you be selected. In addition, don’t be afraid to talk about what you hope to get out of the position. Maybe you want to be a GM in the future, and this lets you see how people GM their own teams. Maybe you want to do more administration, and this is a good foot in the door. Whatever it may be, it helps show you’re serious about this and displays other beneficial factors for your application.
So, for an example here it’s more difficult than most. A lot of this will be personal feelings or reasons that’ll change from person to person, but an extremely vague outline might look like:
“I’ve always wanted to be an SMJHL Intern because ________. This position is particularly interesting to me as ________. I hope to learn about _______ & ______ and apply these skills elsewhere by __________.

Qualifications paragraph
As was explained in the other blueprint outline, this is where you talk about the various qualifications you have, be they other SHL jobs, positions held in other leagues, or even real life experience should it be applicable. Again, should you feel you don’t have any direct qualifications, such as no previous work history within the SHL, try to think outside the box. Do you post screenshots for your team? Do you help with scouting? Do you start every morning with a good morning that wakes up your LR? Take these things and explain why even as unofficial positions they can still be helpful to you in the position you’re applying for. Explain that posting screenshots shows diligence and reliability, scouting gives you the ability to adapt and evaluate different people and circumstances, being a driving force for your LR shows you’re always available through Discord. All you must do is think outside the box and explain it well.
So, examples for this paragraph could be:
“My previous qualifications include ______, _______, and ______. As a _______ I learned how to _______, _______, and _______. These skills would help me in this position by _______.”
And so on for each previous position.

Ideas paragraph
Here, you want to explain the ideas you have for the position. It helps show you’re serious about what you’re applying for and have thought about it a lot. One quick word of warning, though. Do not force yourself to come up with a half-baked idea if you can’t think of anything. Instead, write what comes naturally and what you think could improve things. For applying to be an intern, maybe you have an idea on how to streamline the process by doing X instead of Y. There are many possible ways to improve things, but in the end one of the most important things to show here is that you’re serious and have thought about this position.

Concluding paragraph
As with applications for positions with questions this is basically another introductory paragraph, but this one is at the end. You should thank the person/people you’re sending the application to for their time. Then, restate a lot of the information you’ve already provided in a summary format, such as a brief explanation of why you’re applying, why you’re qualified, and then what you’ll do with the position. Again, this should all be a brief summary, think two-three sentences maximum. Sign off with a catchy closer, maybe a restatement of how important this is to you or something else that leaves a (good) impression on the hiring person/people.
So, for your last example:
"I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read through my application. I wish to be a _____ because of _______, and my involvement as ________ would be beneficial to this position. I hope to improve the position with my ideas to ________, and eagerly await your response! Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at _____."

4. F.A.Q.
So obviously you might have some questions after all that, here I hope to answer some of them preemptively before people start flooding my DMs (Please do so anyway, I always enjoy questions)

Quote:Is all this necessary?

Not really if you don’t want it to be. If you think you have a better process, or you like a different order for things, or you outright think this was a waste of time, that's totally cool. At the end of the day, it’s your application, and if you are satisfied with it, and it gets you hired then that’s all that matters.

Quote:Was this written because of anyone specific?

Inb4 I get someone asking, “Was it me that made you write this?”, no this was not because of any single person. Instead, through my many seasons of receiving applications, I’ve received many forms of people saying, “I want to apply but I’m not sure how/what they’re looking for”. I hope for this guide to explain to people who are newer and are unsure of how to apply what a good application might look like.

Quote:Can you have multiple jobs at the same time?

Yes, you can! Typically, a job will tell you if you cannot hold a specific position at the same time. For example, people serving on the Appeals Committee may not be a member of SHL HO or SMJHL HO, or how you cannot be an SMJHL GM and a SHL GM at the same time. However, for most things, overlap is fine if you get the position done. So be an Updater and a Media Grader, or a Fantasy Manager and a GM, or whatever reasonable combination.

Quote:How do I even know who to send the application to?

9 times out of 10 the person who posted the Hiring Post is the one who you should send the application to. However, you should always check the hiring post carefully because it will almost always be expressly stated who you should send it to. On those rare occasions it doesn't, send the author of the post a DM asking for clarity.

Quote:How do I know they received my application?

There are a few tricks you can use for this. Maybe you can outright say something like "Let me know that you got this". Or maybe you can include a question alongside your message including your application like "This opening closes at ____, right?". Or maybe they'll just outright tell you "Your application has been received!"

Quote:What if I don’t know how to respond to a question?

It’s entirely possible that a question being asked is confusing or you don’t understand what it’s asking for. In these cases, it never hurts to message the person who posted the hiring post about it. Simply send them a polite DM over Discord or the forums asking them what they’re looking for or what they mean by that.
However, maybe it's something different. As an example, maybe they're asking you a specific job related question as a sort of test. Like say "What type of file do you download or upload for lines?". In those cases, maybe ask those you trust for help on learning how to respond. Or include in your application that you may not know but you're willing to learn and have learned from similar positions like _______.

Quote:What’s the deal with Letters of Recommendation?

Letters of Recommendation, typically called Letters of Rec, are messages from people who are not applying to the position but support you being hired for it. Letters of Rec are messages, documents, etc., from qualified people you know that want to help you get hired. For example, if you’re applying to the SMJHL Intern position you could have a Letter of Rec from your SMJHL GM explaining how active you are or how detail oriented you are, and why they’d support you getting hired as an SMJHL Intern. Letters of Rec can either be included directly in the application message/document you send or sent directly by the person writing the Letter of Rec to the person accepting the applications. Letters of Rec are rarely required for a position in the League, but they will also rarely hurt your chances of getting hired.

Quote:What's up with plagiarism?

Plagiarism is, to quote Oxford Languages, "the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.". It is without a doubt, one of the absolute, stupidest things you can do here, and for many reasons. First, you're gonna get caught. For real, who actually would think to plagiarize an application for a fake hockey League? It'll be noticed nearly instantly. Second, it will almost immediately result in the dismissal of your application or you from the position entirely. Third, it will torpedo your chances in the future for any other position as no one will longer trust you, nor your applications. Fourth, between the SHL and other simulation leagues as a whole, news (and primarily ~drama!~) travels faster than light or sound. Not only will you be nearly blacklisted entirely here, but word will spread to other leagues and you will permanently be known as "That guy". And that's 100% not a good thing. So to summarize, it's dumb to copy someone else's work and pass it off as your own.

Quote:This is dumb and stupid and pointless

ph


5. Disclaimer(s)
So, three things. One, this guide does not cover everything. Two, use your best judgment. Three, don't give up.

      I’m human, as is the person reading this, as is everyone in the League (Except for J EBUGs but we don’t talk about them). It's entirely possible that something in here is unhelpful or outdated. Who knows, maybe by the time you're reading this we have more bots than J EBUGs or not even those anymore. Maybe someone else has a better way of applying to things. Maybe this is all overly formal and the position you're applying for is taking it much less seriously and you don't know what to do. The League is a constantly evolving space and a solution from even a month ago may not apply anymore. In those cases, you should really go on to the next step, which is…

      Use your best judgment. As with all things said on the forums, it’s entirely possible for there to be a specific situation where this guide or some of the advice given in it doesn't cover anything. Like the annoying kid we all had in Middle School that said “Well actually…” to poke a hole in any possible statement, sure there could be an instance where the advice given here doesn't fully apply. For example, as of time of writing the application process to be a Fantasy Manager is extremely lax and without much fanfare. You may not need to write a full application to the degree I've laid out in the many examples above. In those cases, use your best judgment. Maybe you do or don't need a Letter of Rec. Maybe you should or shouldn't list every single position you've held. Maybe you should or shouldn't include a witty joke you think the hiring people will enjoy. Use your best judgment.

      And lastly, don't give up. Everybody fails at some point. You're bound to get a rejection response at some point, it happens. The important thing is to not let it get to you. Find out what you could've done better and improve it for next time. Maybe the other candidates had more experience, maybe you lost out on what seems like a coin flip. Whatever the circumstance, don't give up. As they said in Meet The Robinsons…