Lindsay Mays (third from right) with her fellow PA CF'ers.
We can tell you about Public Allies all we want, but it’s especially insightful to get the Ally perspective. Lindsay Mays, of the inaugural class of Central Florida Allies, volunteered her story over at Yahoo Answers to help someone who Read the rest of this entry »
Every Monday afternoon, we try to respond to Frequently Asked Questions from applicants. Yeah, we’ve been away for a couple weeks, but now we’re back to bring the thunder. This week, let’s break down the deadline thang.
The Public Allies Ally Application season is heading down the homestretch. Here’s a quick summary:
Here are some quick FAQs, around deadlines:
Can I apply to a site (or sites) after the deadline?
Milwaukee is no longer accepting Ally applications.
Delaware is only accepting Ally applications for its Summer Alternates List. If you submit an application for Delaware, then you will only be considered if they still have openings after their summer Matching Fair. For more info, e-mail PA Delaware.
Cincinnati has extended its Ally Application deadline to May 31, 2010.
May’s Ally Deadlines:
You should expect a decision on your application usually within 2 weeks of the site’s Ally Application deadline.
As our ol' pal Dave would say, "These are actual letters, from actual viewers..."
Every Monday afternoon, I’ll write a column that provides advice or insight on applying to Public Allies. The FAQ’s have been our most popular posts.
Hey there — this week, I’m going through my in-box and picking out some individual questions. These questions below are excerpts from actual e-mails.
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It's not THAT bad.
Every Monday afternoon, I’ll put together an entry inspired by actual questions from aspiring applicants. Last week, I wrote about how to “crush the application.” Well, this week I’m taking on how to “crush the interview.”
Before we get started, here are a couple of things to consider:
With that squared away, let’s get down to brass tacks…
It'll require a bit more effort than this
From time to time, we’ll post our best thinking around different questions related to the Ally Recruitment season. One question that keeps coming up is “What are you guys looking for?”
In the coming days, we’ll post videos from almost all of the sites that feature staff people sharing in their own words what they look for in Allies. If you can’t wait, this post will drop some science on how to handle your candidacy.
Keep in mind, there are three stages to becoming an Ally. Let’s hypothetically assume that you’re applying to a site that has 30 Allies this Fall. Here’s a brief overview :
The Application Phase. In this hypothetical case, we’re expecting 180 Ally Applications. Out of these 180, you can realistically expect a site to conduct interviews for 90-120 candidates.
The Interview Phase. The site will conduct live (and virtual interviews) for 90-120 candidates. This will include individual interviews, and group components. In this hypothetical situation, we can expect the site to select 40-50 Finalists.
The Finalist Matching Phase. The site will conduct a one-day matching fair (or a 1-2 week matching period) where the Finalists have an Read the rest of this entry »
It's all good, cause we take those, too!
We just launched our online application on April 1st. However, over 1,200 of you have already submitted PDF applications via e-mail. Those that already submitted those applications via e-mail/PDF do not need to submit an online application. You’re welcome to, but it’s not necessary. If you haven’t submitted an application yet, we encourage you to use the online application.
Are ya gonna go my way?
We often get asked about applying to multiple sites. This post looks at the different dimensions of that question.
Can I apply to more than one site?
Yes, you can. On our online application, you’ll be required to identify a primary site and an alternate site (or sites). Through this method all of the sites you select (primary and alternate) will be able to review your application. However, our sites have an agreement to honor the “primary” site’s priority in selection. If the primary site decides to pass on your application, then your alternate site (or sites) will make a decision on your application
Can I apply to a site if I don’t live there?
Yes. However, all site selection is done by the local staff. Sites tend to favor candidates that have an affinity for their city/community – Read the rest of this entry »
On another installment of Ask-A-Staffer, in just sixty seconds, Public Allies Arizona’s Andrea Glenn offers her insights on quality references.
Public Allies San Francisco/Silicon Valley’s Danise Sugita takes a minute to share her take on what makes a successful Ally.
A scene from Public Allies Chicago's core training
AlliesNext 