[center][hr][b][size=25pt][color=#134A64]How To Make The Best Application[/color][/size][/b]
[hr][b][size=20pt][color=#0B6623]Guide Index[/color][/size][/b]

[i]Click on the links to quickly go that part of the guide.[/i]

[br][url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/general-discussion/96108-guide-how-to-make-the-best-application#682446][color=#20d11d]General Information[/color][/url]
[url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/server-applications/96108-guide-how-to-make-the-best-application#682448][color=#20d11d]SSRP[/color][/url]
[url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/server-applications/96108-guide-how-to-make-the-best-application#779496][color=#20d11d]TTT[/color][/url]
[color=#e81010]Prophunt link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Deathrun link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Surf link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Bhop link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Jailbreak link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Forums link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]TeamSpeak3/Discord link[/color] COMING SOON
[color=#e81010]Lead Team link[/color] COMING SOON
[hr][b][size=25pt][color=#0B6623]General Information[/color][/size][/b][/center]

[br][list][*]Introduction
[*]Ranks
[*]Criteria for Becoming Staff
[*]General Hints & Tips[/list]
[hr][center][b][size=25pt][color=#0B6623]Introduction[/color][/size][/b][/center]

[br]We're always looking for new staff members to help improve the server's experience for all its users.

There is one obstacle to this however. You can't just say "Make me a staff member please" and have your powers handed out to you. I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that. In some other Gmod communities, you can simply buy staff. In ZARP you can buy VIP and Booster Packs (the latter being purely for SSRP), but neither will grant you with any kind of power or authority but some extra features that can improve your experience.

Instead, you'll have to apply. For almost every staff rank there's a template that you have to follow and an application that you'll have to make. I'll go deeper into that later.
[hr][center][b][size=25pt][color=#0B6623]Ranks[/color][/size][/b][/center]

[br][center]The current ranking system goes as follows:[/center]
[center][br][b][color=#880088]Community Owner[/color]
^
[color=#8844ff]Community Manager[/color]
^
[color=#0066ff]Community Developer[/color]
^
[color=#880088]Server Owner[/color]
^
[color=#8800bb]Server Developer[/color]
^
[color=#ff8800]Head Administrator[/color]
^
[color=#ff0000]Super Administrator[/color]
^
[color=#0000ff]Administrator[/color]
^
[color=#00ffff]Moderator[/color][/b][/center]

[br]The staff team is broken up into sections. Moderators and Administrators are not in a section they are just normal staff. Super Administrators and Head Administrators are part of the staff team known as the "Lead Team". Server Developers and Server Owners are part of the staff team called "Owners". Community Developers, Community Managers and Community Owners are part of the staff team called "The Community Team".

You can apply for all positions apart from Server Developer, Server Owner, Community Developer and Community Owner. Community Manager you can apply for but only when it is open.

Note that each of these ranks are server based. For example, being an Administrator on our SSRP server does [b]not[/b] make you an Administrator on our TTT server. Apart from Community Developer, Community Manager and Community Owner.

I will not describe what each of these ranks do and what it means. If you want to know the difference between, say, a Super Administrator and a Head Administrator then go to [url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/staff-discussion/78891-all-servers-staff-rights-and-powers]this thread[/url].
[hr][center][b][size=25pt][color=#0B6623]Criteria for Becoming Staff[/color][/size][/b][/center]

[br]There are plenty of criteria for becoming a staff member. Firstly, you need to understand that the only way to become staff is by applying for one of our servers following the correct template. All applications will be reviewed in the weekly meetings, and all staff members with the correct rank will vote on your application.

What I mean with the last part is that say a Moderator on TTT cannot vote on Moderator applications for SSRP. However, an SSRP Administrator can vote on Moderator applications for SSRP. They can also vote on Administrator applications for SSRP, but Moderators on that server can not do so as they do not hold the Administrator rank on SSRP.

Basically, if you hold the rank, you can vote on all applications for that rank. An exception to this are the Community Team ranks (which we'll go deeper into some other time) and the Server Owner ranks (Server Owners are voted on, but you cannot apply).

However, what you're here for is an answer to the obvious question: How do I get accepted for staff?

There are several criteria that staff members will take into account when reviewing your application. It goes as follows:
[br][list][*][b]Activity:[/b]
For each server we recommend two weeks of consistent activity before applying for staff. This means that you have plenty of time every single day or almost every single day on the server. This is to ensure that you're familiar with the server, the gamemode, its users, its staff members and also to check whether you're familiar with the rules, as you can be easily punished during this time.

Note that all servers have a minimum activity requirement as well. For all servers, you need 3 hours of activity a week. For SSRP there is also a F1 requirement of 20 F1 per weeks.

If you do not keep up with the activity requirement (or in the case of SSRP, your minimum F1 count) after being accepted for staff you can, and eventually will be put up for demotion. Do keep that in mind.
[br]
[*][b]Recent Punishments:[/b]
When the staff team reviews your application, they'll also look at the number of recent punishments you have. This includes, but isn't limited to: warnings, gags, mutes, bans, jails, freezes, kicks etc.

Any punishment can, and will more than likely be, held against you. However we will not usually take them all into account. The staff team will only look at your recent punishments, and all punishments stay recent up to two weeks.

It depends on the server how harshly they take the recent punishments into account. Some servers have a very strict (unspoken) policy and will deny users the moment they have a recent mute, whilst other servers would even accept staff with multiple recent warnings. In all cases, any recent punishment is bad; however, on most servers 2 is the absolute maximum you can have if you want to be accepted. Keep in mind that people have been accepted with more and that people have also been denied with less. It all depends on what the staff members vote and how well you're doing on the other criteria.
[br]
[*][b]Attitude In-Game:[/b]
Attitude is a very big one. You might not break any rules, but if you're always acting immature, screaming down your microphone (but not too excessively to warrant a mute) and just generally acting like a bit of a kid staff will feel less inclined to vote 'yes' for you. Either because they dislike your attitude or because they have serious concerns about you becoming a staff member and do not believe you're fit for the task - it doesn't really matter. They choose who becomes staff and who doesn't, so try to stay on most of their good side if you can.

Being able to properly express yourself in English, acting mature and calmly and staying level-headed in all situations is a massive plus if you're applying for staff, as it shows that you're quite possibly capable of holding the rank and doing a good job.

Keep in mind that there's no age minimum for staff members on our servers. You cannot be denied for being young or being a child, but you can be denied for showing immaturity and incapability.
[br]
[*][b]Application:[/b]
The application is the way you present yourself to the staff team. This guide is there to show you how you can present yourself in the best possible way. As it is the first thing that some staff will see you need to make a good impression.
[br]
[*][b]Helping Out:[/b]
Helping out on the server can be a massive bonus as well. On SSRP this means making a lot of F1's and trying to report as many rulebreaks as you can. For example you're walking around and you see a base blocking the road, if you make an F1 about this (although it might not bother you directly yourself) it shows to the staff team that you're dedicated and try your best to help out on the server, even though you're not staff yet.

On TTT this means making reports and trying to help the staff member handling it. If you press F8 you can find the logs yourself. You could possibly help, or at the very least try to help, by copying the logs into the chat. You could also report rulbreaks using admin chat (@ [message]) and make ban requests on the forums when staff aren't online.[/list]

For all other servers, but especially for TTT and SSRP: try to not disturb the staff from doing their job, try to show a willingness to help even if you can't and report rulebreakers on the forums providing plenty of evidence to support your claims.
All of these can be equally important, depending on the staff team that's voting for you. Some people get denied with one week of consistent activity, others get accepted for it. The difference? The staff team simply voted "Yes" more often than "No". Although all conditions are the same, there's nothing that stops any staff member from voting "Yes" or "No". It's often opinion based, and staff will vote who they like more rather than who they think is the better candidate.

Do understand that we try to discourage our staff from voting in such a way, but there's nothing that stops them from doing so.
[hr][center][b][size=25pt][color=#0B6623]General Hints & Tips[/color][/size][/b][/center]
[br]
Here I'll go over some things that go for [b]all[/b] applications.

[b]Make it presentable[/b]. Your application will be the first thing that people will see when they discuss it in the meeting. Not just that, if they've never met you it's the only thing they can go by. So making it presentable is extremely important.

What I mean by this is that an application shouldn't have overly many grammar and spelling mistakes and should not seem extremely messy. Using BBCode is the best way to present your application, and you'll often see people use this. Some people also make applications using pictures, but we won't go very deeply into that today.

If you're unsure how you should properly use BBCode, then please go to [url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/11-help/51325-forum-bbcode-guide]this guide[/url]. It has all the necessary information you need. Don't forget that there is such a thing as using [b]too[/b] much BBCode. Especially in the case of colour differences will you encounter problems - using too many bright colours might give some readers a headache, which isn't exactly a good first impression.

[b]Don't be afraid to do something original[/b]. What I mean by this is that originality isn't bad in the slightest. You'll definitely have to follow the template, but don't be afraid to divert from it when you can. I've seen people add things such as pro's and con's to convince people whether accepting them is a good thing or not, and although nobody ever asked for it it has always been appreciated by people.

In the end, an application is supposed to show the best of yourself. It's supposed to convince us, the reader and most especially, the staff team that will vote on your application, that we should accept you as staff. This means that writing things like "To be honest, I don't care if I get it or not" and "I don't know what to write here" are [b]not[/b] good answers, as they won't convince anyone to vote 'Yes' for you in the meeting.

Being original means that you shouldn't be afraid to do things that other people, or at the very least very few people, like to do. Interpreting questions in a different way is never a bad thing, as long as you answer the question correctly.

Being original does not mean that you should add unnecessary questions to the template. I have, for example, seen people add questions such as this: "What would you gain from accepting me" or "How do I think I'd benefit the server". Note that both of these questions [b]are the exact same[/b] and, even worse, is already part of the template: "Why should I be chosen" means the exact same thing as the two questions I provided to you just now, and are entirely useless.

[b]Don't be afraid of what others will say[/b]. In the end, there will be people that will not support you. In the case of Lead Team applications, where there are only a limited amount of places for staff, there will be people that prefer other candidates over you. In the case of Moderator and Admin applications, there will be people that dislike you and the things you've done.

Don't be afraid to take the criticism provided by others into account. If someone tells you what they believe you've done wrong, take it as a compliment that they took the time to share that with you and try your best to improve on it. Don't be scared of the people that don't support you as they are not always the ones that make the final vote - the staff team does.

This does not mean that you should immediately believe that what everyone states is immediately the truth. If someone minus-supports you for reasons that you know are false or if the person that gave their feedback is a known rulebreaker themselves, feel free to entirely ignore them. Of course, if they say something that is actually valid you should still take that into account.

Listen to the feedback of Lead Team members. They're very trusted people in this community, that know better than no one what it's like to be a staff member and what it's like to make mistakes. If they don't respond on your application, ask them over Steam or on Teamspeak. They're there to help both users as well as staff members and will always help you if they're given the chance.

Also, if your application is denied, be sure to look at its reason and try to improve on it. Such a reason can be anything, but one of the more common reasons is having recent punishments. Punishments stay recent up to two weeks, so reapply when you know for a fact they've expired. Don't be afraid to message any staff member to send you your recent punishments, as all staff are able to see them. Also don't be afraid to message any staff for their vote in the meeting. Although staff members can't share what others have voted, they can state their own vote and their own opinions.

If you applied for Lead Team or for a Teamspeak/Forum position, ask any staff member that was in that meeting for their vote and their reasoning behind it.

[url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/server-applications/106283-applications-feedback-criticism]Click here for a good guide on how to treat criticism and feedback properly[/url].

[b]Be patient[/b]. Last but not least, patience is a very important one. [b]All[/b] applications are handled in the weekly meetings and will (or, at the very least, shouldn't be) skipped. Therefore don't spam applications. There are plenty of people that decide to post a second application after realizing that they've not received word whether they've been accepted yet or not.

Don't bump your applications 5 times each day either. Heck, I've seen people bump their application minutes after its been posted. Feel free to bump it when nobody has been posting feedback for a while and it's pages away from the front page on the "Recent Topics" page, but if you do it too much people could get irritated. It also gives people a relatively immature impression of you, which is not good when applying for staff.

Everybody loves to hear feedback, so you can obviously ask people in-game, on Steam or on Teamspeak to check out your application. Once again, don't say it every 5 minutes - as I said before, it could give people the impression that you're immature.

Also, don't rush things. If you've just gotten moderator, don't apply for administrator straight after. Wait a few days at least, or even better: wait a whole week. The more experience you get, the higher the chances of you getting accepted for a higher rank. Don't forget that time and experience aren't the same things - there have been people out there that got SA shortly after getting Admin, and there have been people that were Admin for months before finally getting promoted.

There's also the matter of trust. If the other staff don't trust you yet, the chances of you getting accepted for a higher rank are relatively small.

Meetings are held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Depending on which server you're applying for, your application will be voted on by the staff team on one of these days and the voting result will be posted on your application. There will also be a meeting outcome posted with the results of all applications, possible new Lead Team members and possible rule changes.

If you're unsure when the meeting is for whichever server you're applying for, you can look at [url=http://zarpgaming.com/index.php/forum/general-discussion/40978-zarp-meeting-times]this[/url] or the picture below (all meetings are held in the timezone GMT/UTC +0).
[br][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/G50RXIq.png[/img][/center]

Good luck!

This was the first section of my guide. The other sections will go into more detail with each server. You can either scroll down or click on the links up above to quickly go to a more in-depth guide to whichever server you'd like to apply for.