Improving application

[asdofindia]

Goal:

Improve the reps application process to make it more objective, remove unnecessary hurdles, and make the process enjoyable to applicants.

Related Issues & Links:

Related to #391

Roles:

Responsible:

Accountable:

Supporting:

Consulted:

Informed:

Required:

Changes suggested

I shall quote from the current criteria, comment about it, and make the alternative I propose (this is just my proposition. There maybe better alternatives. The point of this exercise is not that I frame all the alternatives) in bold.

Explanation what the applicant has done regarding mobilizing communities (regional or functional), can also be outside of mozilla

What is it that is being looked for in the applicant? Is organizing events the criteria? If yes, what size should the event be?
Does mobilizing people over internet count? If yes, how do you measure that? Is the size of mailing list/telegram groups a good indicator?

Is the impact produced the indicator that is being asked for? How is this impact measured?

Should outside of mozilla be in communities that are relevant to mozilla’s mission? Or does any kind of mobilization of any community count?

How is this criteria connected to the other criteria: “What are the most important achievements of the applicant in the past 12 months in the mozilla community or in Open Source in general”

Should they be related? Can they be different?

Does the applicant have a focus area regarding mobilizing the community?

Should the applicant have one? If yes, what are considered as focus areas? Could there be a few examples?

Explanation if the applicant already organized or joined other mozilla events, also can be from other open source initiatives

What does this mean? Is this asking about event attendance? Is there a time frame that is being asked for?

Explanation of what the applicant learned on helping the community or projects that the applicant joined in the past

What is expected here? Could sample answers be provided?

Explanation of how the Reps program will enable the applicant to achieve their goals inside Mozilla and the local community

Can this put near the criterion about goals so that there is an easy to follow flow for the criteria?

What are the most important achievements of the applicant in the past 12 months in the mozilla community or in Open Source in general

What is the purpose of this question? What is being expected of the applicant here? Is it the activity in the last 12 months that is being questioned?

The applicant needs to be active within Mozilla for at least 6 months

Please clarify this (see the text about rejection message below) whether this refers to last 6 months or any 6 months in the past.

Also, please clarify what is considered as activity. How is objectivity brought into this criterion?

How knowledgeable is the applicant about the Mozilla project, our mission and our values?

This cannot be objectively assessed.

---

I suggest that an alternative form be created to capture these information if bugzilla cannot have extra fields to ask each of these as separate questions. Tech speakers program uses a google form that is nicely divided into many pages. For applicants to have a wiki open on another page and answer each question without missing anything, the applicants have to be comfortable with switching tabs and managing browser windows with ease which is an assumption we should not be making.

The form can be like this (I'm not writing the demographic questions and other contact detail questions):

Kindly fill the following questions in as many words as you can. Please include links wherever possible which the reviewers can click to read more about what you've written

Why do you want to join the reps program? As a community mobilizer, what do you plan to accomplish after becoming a rep?

Why is the reps program the right choice for your goal? What prevents you from continuing as a mozillian and accomplishing your goal?

Describe your experience as a community mobilizer (within or outside mozilla). Please write about events you have organized, the impact you have created, and your learnings

What would you consider as your achievements towards mozilla's mission in the past 12 months?

How have you been active within mozilla projects or activites in the past 6 months?

What does Mozilla mean to you? Why are you a contributor to Mozilla?

---

Simply asking questions in different way won't be enough. While screening applications, there may have to be a set of guidelines to follow. That may include things like:

1. Is there any reason to suspect the applicant is lying on the application? If no, please take the words at face value. Some applicants may not have the habit of writing blog posts about what they do or taking photographs.

2. Give applicants a chance to expand their answers if you find them too short. Ask them what specifically you are looking for. Some applicants may not be comfortable writing long answers unless they're given a lot of probing questions.

3. If an applicant has the energy and enthusiasm to contribute, and are rightly motivated by the mozilla mission, but lack past experience as community mobilizer, it is better to accept them into the program and encourage+train them to become community mobilizers than reject them and leave them no better.

4. If you have to reject someone, never do it in a hurry. Consider that the applicant spent effort and energy into filing the application and will be definitely disappointed at the end. Give them specific and personal reasons on why their individual application is being rejected and what exactly they have to demonstrate to be accepted in a future round.

---

You may disagree with some of these items. Feel free to make modifications that keep these more in line with the mozilla mission.