Association recruitment is an exciting time for new students as it marks an official start to their integration into campus life. Permanent bureaus and other associations introduced themselves to 1As and exchange students during both integration week and the association fair last month and are now finishing up their recruitment processes.
High competitiveness for many associations, particularly for permanent bureaus, can make the recruitment process quite daunting for new students. As Elsa Fabbrini, a new member of the BDE points out, permanent bureaus are “more intimidating with their application process because they’re a lot more open-ended and less niche.”
RIMUN, one of 7 permanent bureaus, is known by the student body for being highly selective. Paola Arantes, Vice President of RIMUN, explained that the highly structured application process, consisting of a CV, a cover letter and an in-person interview “creates the environment to get a good idea of the candidate’s skills and personality.”
This year, RIMUN attracted a record number of applicants. Yamen Alhiwali, a new RIMUN recruit noted that, at first, the prospect of applying to a permanent bureau was “slightly deterring” as it meant having to choose between the bureaus on campus. However, he did see the advantages of joining a “well-resourced and foundational association on campus” after his recruitment.
Certain recognised associations proved to be equally as selective but focused their review of applications on slightly different factors. According to Chiedza-Matipa Banga, Co-President of Expose, the fashion association on campus, they looked for people who “showed their personality immediately upon entering. Short, to the point, entertaining.” The recruitment process involved narrowing down a total of 38 applicants to 18 for interviews, from which only those with the “most confident and eclectic styles” were selected. As Chiedza pointed out, “to be fashionable you gotta think you’re fashionable, and that kind of confidence gets infectious.”
The first step in the process was familiarising fellow students with the association. In this regard, “integration week helped a ton,” Chiedza said. “We had interesting events with associations from all over the place [such as the Expose runway].”
Credit: Tantely Raharimanana
Some associations, such as French cuisine association Le Terrier, take a more relaxed approach to recruitments in order to emphasise the conviviality that is central to their purpose.
“The interview is chill compared to other associations; we ask candidates to bring something to eat or drink and join us for an apéro,” Enzo Mauger, the Head of Recipes for Le Terrier, said.
Enzo emphasised that this informal style made this association a popular choice for those looking for a “laid-back community that enjoys good food and shared culture” with over 53 applicants this year for very few spots.
With association recruitment drawing to a close, the results are being revealed and integrations are starting, marking the end of the beginning of student association life. “I most definitely enjoyed the final part of recruitment which is the event to officially welcome the new members to the association,” said Yamen Alhiwali. “ I thought the event was very fun and allowed us from the very beginning to have an intimate and personalised experience with the association.”
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