Member Recruitment & Selection
Timeline
March - Begin local recruitment
May 1 - Final VAD changes must be complete (preferably sooner)
Recruitment Deadlines:
June 24th (July 15th Start Date)
July 8th (July 29th Start Date)
July 22nd (August 12th Start Date)
August 5th (August 26th Start Date)
Prior to recruitment deadline:
Supervisor notifies VISTA program staff of interest in applicant
Supervisor makes informal offer
Candidate officially applies in MyAmeriCorps; references are complete
Candidate completes Terms & Conditions checklist
Candidate informally accepts
Supervisor completes the Candidate Nomination Form
Program staff "officially" nominates candidate in eGrants
Candidate clicks "accept" in MyAmeriCorps
Tentative: August 4, 12-1pm - Supervisor Program Orientation
This page includes a full list of member benefits, including those offered by AmeriCorps VISTA and Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact.
Equity Guide for VISTA Member Recruitment and Hiring
Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact is striving to better embody and integrate equity work into our strategies, approaches, and community impact. We are committed to supporting our VISTA host sites in recruiting and retaining VISTA members who reflect the identities and experiences of the communities they serve. As a result, IAMNCC has developed this Equity Guide as a tool for host sites to use when engaging in the recruitment and hiring of VISTA Members. The guide includes a variety of strategies, best practices, and additional resources related to equitable recruitment and hiring.
AmeriCorps Application & References
All members need to create a profile in MyAmeriCorps and officially apply to your specific position. Their application includes two references - references must be completed by the recruitment deadline as members cannot be selected for service until references are complete. However, supervisors do not need to wait for the application to interview/offer the position - sites often collect resumes/cover letters and go through their standard hiring process with VISTA members before a member completes the AmeriCorps application.
VISTA Candidate Terms:
Must be at least 18 years old
Pass a national service criminal history check
Hold one of the following citizenship or legal residency statuses: US citizen, US National, Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e. Green Card status), and persons legally residing within a state.
Examples of persons legally residing within a state may include those holding the following classifications: refugee, asylee, temporary protected status throughout VISTA service, and holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
Part-time education and outside employment are permitted if they do not interfere with VISTA responsibilities; requires advance approval from supervisor
The person listed on the Service Opportunity Listing will get an email every time someone applies to your position. Viewing applications is the only thing you do in eGrants - VISTA program staff will take care of everything else including the official nomination step!
You will have access to applicants for every host site in our program. The PDF below offers instructions for finding those who applied to your position.
We will set up your eGrants account together in our initial onboarding meeting (or we can schedule a quick call to get it taken care of as needed).
Note that the application deadline in the service listing is a bit arbitrary. We plan for a number of potential scenarios when selecting them and any changes have to be approved by VISTA. We typically err on the side of keeping them open longer rather than shorter to ensure they do not expire prematurely. You have no obligation to respond to or follow-up with applicants who apply in eGrants.
Navigating eGrants for Site Supervisors
ACTION Item: Member Terms & Conditions Checklist
The candidate will complete and sign a terms and conditions checklist from Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact to ensure they understand what they are committing to for the program outside of their responsibilities at the site. Once completed, the candidate should scan and send the checklist back to the IAMNCC team for record keeping. Supervisors should be familiar with the content of the document and share it with applicants at or before the interview.
ACTION Item: Candidate Nomination Form
Once a candidate has accepted the position with the site (still pending AmeriCorps approval), the supervisor will complete this form. VISTA program staff will enter the information into eGrants to "officially" nominate the candidate.
Once this nomination has gone through, the candidate will need to click "accept" in their MyAmeriCorps portal. This, along with information VISTA program staff sends to our program officer, initiates the enrollment process on AmeriCorp's end.