An objective selection process for Trailwalker support team

One thing that the Trailwalker team do make abundantly clear, is the importance of the support team!

It appears that unless the support team have the right level of skills and expertise, then walkers can be left floundering in the dark. Sometimes quite literally.

(It is rumoured that at least one team from 2010 is still out walking on the South Downs, after their support team swapped allegiances on the day - well during the night actually - and lent their "support" to a team of City Bankers (or I think that's what they called them).)

There are many qualities that need to be evidenced for those looking to be chosen to undertake this arduous & voluntary role, including the following skills: -

• Motivational,
• Organisational,
• Map reading, &
• Time Management

As well as a clean driving license (or at least one that has been recently dusted!) and an ability to remain alert when deprived of sleep for long periods.

Consequently, we had designed a selection process which was sufficiently robust to be able to provide unambiguous evidence of each skill, which could be rated against similar evidence from other applicants.

This series of aptitude tests, face-to-face interviews, multiple choice questionnaires and a mock exercise in the middle of the night, took some planning and whilst we had calculated that the process from start to end would would last 3 days, we were determined not to take shortcuts.

Nothing, but nothing, would divert us from our plan however much opposition we faced from the applicants. If this was the only way to ensure that we had the best support team available, it would be worth the time and effort for all concerned.

And then something odd happened.

As we came to the end of our walk on Saturday our plans were thrown into disarray!

At PRECISELY the same time as we finished our 20 mile walk, two cars appeared over the hill, and two of the support team applicants got out of their cars and muttered the immortal words...

"...Fancy a cold beer chaps?"

"You're hired!" we replied in unison.

And so it was that in 5 little words, so much planning was undone.

But how good that cold beer was!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad