7 Questions You Should Ask All New PVP Recruits

Ever have an awkward silence in a recruitment chat where you (in vain) try to remember all the questions you should ask? Ever finish a conversation and feel like you got nowhere, and know nothing about a new recruit, but don’t know what else to ask? Ever start flying with a new recruit and realize they are nothing like you thought they would be?

Many recruiters make the mistake of digging for facts, without asking the probing questions that can get to a heart of a pvper. They find out all the details, and necessary ‘information’ but fail to deduce whether the personality of the recruitee will be welcomed in the corp. It is important to ask a variety of questions that will help you not only find out the ins and outs about the capabilities of a toon, but to also learn about the personality behind the avatar.

First, you should always ask them about their previous experiences in Eve. Bad or good, what did they like or dislike about previous corporations? Where have they been? You can learn a lot about someone’s experience and style by checking out where they’ve been, and usually people are pretty comfortable talking about their past.

Second, don’t just ask what they can fly, ask what they like to fly. Being able to fly capitals does not mean a pilot is comfortable with or enjoys flying them. Ask them what ships they fly the most, and what they’d like to fly in the future. If they had a choice, what ship would they be in? What holds them back?

Thirdly, ask them to tell you about their favorite pvp moment in EVE. Was it a big fight taking hours to get through resulting in a downed titan? Was it a solo kill in a rifter? The moments a pvper enjoys tells a lot about their style of play, and can tell you a lot about whether they’ll fit right in, or be bored.

Fourthly, ask them when they play the most and how much they play. Are they a weekend warrior with a full time job and responsibilities? Are they night owls who live in one time zone technically, but play in another? The ‘correctness’ or their answer will of course be dependent upon what you are looking for.

Fifth, ask them what they are hoping to gain by joining the corporation. This will help you gain insight into their perception of your corporation and whether or not their perceptions are correct. Make sure you stop them if it’s obvious they have the ‘wrong’ idea.

Sixth, as them what they think they can contribute to the corporation. This often times puts people on the spot and you may get trite answers such as ‘I will help you kill your enemies, etc.’ Pry. Dig. You might have a blossoming FC on your hands, or someone destined for leadership.

Seventh, ask them if you forgot to ask them anything, or if they would have liked you to ask them about some specific. This can also catch people off guard, but you will get very interesting answers. Are they just dying to tell you about this new fit for a ship they found, or this battle that happened last night? Are they hoping you will ask them about their strange recruitment history because they have a story to tell? Give them something open ended…and just be surprised.