• June - August: Recruitment (See Recruitment Process below for details)
  
  
• Late August: You should be interviewing and deciding on a candidate.
  
  
• September 24 - 25: Dates for your member to attend their Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) in Montpelier. Supervisors will attend a one day session with the members on September 24.
  
  
• September 26: Date that members will start their term of service at your site. Supervisors should plan on conduction a thorough on-site orientation for your member beginning on this day. Members will serve through August 21, 2009.

Recruitment Process:

• You are responsible for recruiting your own member by running ads, etc. VCSP/VHCB will also advertise and outreach in many ways. When interested parties call us, we instruct the candidates to make application directly to the site(s) they are interested in (you!). If we receive application directly, we will forward them to the appropriate sites. (Remember!...when you receive an application, it may have been sent to more than one site by the member or by us.)
  
  
• Have materials and information ready for applicants who contact you. You should request a completed application (with completed and signed "legal section"), resume and 2 written references from them. You may refer them to a PDF of our application at www.vhcb.org/vcsp.html.
  
  
• Candidate Disclosure Sharing Form. You must inform the member that any information that s/he discloses in the interview process will be shared with the VCSP Director and possibly her supervisor. The Candidate Disclosure Sharing Form is available for this purpose and you should obtain the candidate's signature and retain this form with the other interview documents. The sponsor is then responsible to share any disclosures made in the interview with the VCSP Director.
  
  
• You should interview members and check at least two reference calls before making a preliminary selection; you need to run your choice by Joan before you offer the position. Take good notes. Fax VCSP their application materials and your interview and reference notes. Our fax number 802-828-3203. Call us to discuss any issues, red flags or with any questions that you might have before you offer the position.
  
  
• Once you have VCSP's authorization, you can inform the successful candidate that you would like to select them. If they accept, make sure to have them sign an Intent to Commit form. Fax this to VCSP at 802-828-3203 and we will send them a Welcome Packet with information about their orientations and a Permission and Eligibility Form. We will also collect W-4's from them, I-9 materials, an Enrollment Form and a Criminal Background Check Waiver Form.
  
  
• You should return ALL other applications to VCSP/VHCB with your notes on why they were not chosen.
  
  
• A reminder about language: Members are AmeriCorps Members or just members, not employees or volunteers. Members are selected for a service opportunity or position; they are not hired for a job. Members receive a living allowance, not a salary or wage. Using this language consistently protects all of us from potential future legal issues.

Sample Classified Ad for an AmeriCorps/VCSP Position:

• Sample Boilerplate
• Sample Ad for Full-Time Position
• Sample Ad for Part-Time Position

Interview Tips:

• What You Can Ask and What You Can't: A great overview of legal and illegal interview questions in PDF format. Read more...
• VCSP Interview Tips & Questions: A page with sample interview questions and helpful tips to guide you through the selection process. Read more...

Forms, Forms Forms!: Below are forms or print-outs relating to the Recruitment Process.

• Drug-Free Workplace Notice
• Candidate Disclosure Sharing Notice
• Member Intent to Commit Form
• Telephone Reference Call Form
• Interview Evaluation Form