Applications close Friday 20 December.
I'm
incredibly excited to announce that we're now taking applications to be a
State Moderator!
State Mods are crucial to the functioning of the ATARnotes community - in some ways that are highly visible and some others that are less so. Before we dive into that, here's some of the benefits of becoming a state mod:
✅ Get involved with AN behind the scenes, and really significantly help forge the direction of ATAR Notes in the future
✅ Can lead to other, also brilliant, opportunities -
see here E.g. I'm now an author and have lectured for AN
✅ Help improve the education of thousands of students (yes,
thousands is right)
✅ Amazing banter in hidden sections of the forums
✅ Looks fantastic on résumés/LinkedIn
Continuing on:
Should I apply?Absolutely! There's no
rule where you can only apply if you have a certain number of posts, or have been on ATAR Notes for a certain period of time. However, we do expect state moderators to have shown a reasonable level of activity and contributions in the past - feel free to apply if you're unsure and we'll make the call. We're looking for people who can take their allocated boards to the next level. People who are happy to lead and be innovative. People who are passionate about ATAR Notes
You don't need to have graduated. In fact, there's no restriction on year level. If you're passionate about it, apply!
ALSO - more on this below, but scores aren't that important. If you want to help out in a subject board it's useful to know the content, syllabus etc. well and a study score is one way of showing that but there's more to being a mod than just answering subject questions. I don't care if you got/get a <30 ATAR, the question is, are you passionate about atarnotes and will you lead the community?
What are the responsibilities?Jamon wrote
this about responsibilities for new mods & it's very accurate so go check that out
For a more metaphorical description, I once wrote this:
Our job as moderators is not to reach the grandest destinations, but to provide support during the journey. We've all got our different approaches: some say "here's how you read the map, this is where you're at" (technical score discussion), same say "this is where you could aim for" (uni and admissions advice), some say "for this section, you might want to take this path, pack your bag this way" (subject and studying advice), some say "I'll bring you some distraction and levity" (games and casual chat), and many more. We take on a combination of different roles, but my impression from you so far has been "I understand how difficult this is; I will share the journey with you and walk together. I will help you find the strength to take the next step." This is not in any way a less valid way of providing support.
Is secret mod banter really good enough to be a benefit?Absolutely - you should go find out for yourself
When's the deadline?Applications close in exactly a month on 20th December.
Are you looking for a certain number of moderators?No - we'll assess each application on a case-by-case basis. We're not going to say "we need two more!", or "we need ten more!", because that would be restrictive. We conscious of not overloading the forums with too many mods but we haven't set a max or min.
What if I don't get in?We encourage applications from lots of people - and you should
absolutely apply and part of this also means that each year some people who apply won't get in. If you don't get in that doesn't mean we dislike you or that you aren't a valuable user, it just means that at that point in time the decision was that the role wouldn't be a good fit for you. This does
not mean we don't see mod potential in you, but although there is no cap on numbers, we can't mod everyone. I would encourage people to take a mindset of being able to apply in future years if you don't get it now - so you may as well try now, right?
Know somebody who you think would be perfect for the role?Give them a shout-out in this thread! Please also use this thread to ask any questions about the process - we will certainly be happy to help provide some clarity