RECRUITMENT & NOMINATION

Iowa College Corps AmeriCorps

RECRUITMENT

An overview of positions/benefits for the mentoring program can be found here.

An overview of positions/benefits for the nonprofit career readiness track can be found here.

RESPONSIBILITIES

HOST SITE

• Create position postings
• Advertise position(s)
• Screen candidates (i.E. Applicants)
• Interview candidates & outline program benefits
• Select candidates & offer position
• Nominate candidate to Seed Coalition once they have accepted the offer
• Work with Seed Coalition to communicate with candidate throughout background check process
• Ensure candidate completes their My AmeriCorps profile

Seed Coalition

• Provide guidance on AmeriCorps policies & procedures
• Share position postings (twitter, facebook, insider update newsletter)
• Process background checks
• Invite member to my AmeriCorps (official AmeriCorps website for members)
• Enroll member in program (i.E. Start their term)

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Individuals must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Members must be a united states citizen, a united states national, or a legal permanent resident of the united states
• Members must be at least 17 years of age or older
• Members must pass all three criminal history checks (sex offender, state, & FBI)
• Members must have obtained a high school diploma, GED, or be working to obtain one during their term of service

​

These are requirements set by AmeriCorps. Each site can add additional requirements based on position needs but must meet the basic requirements as outlined above.

​

​

MEMBER BENEFITS

LIVING ALLOWANCE

The living allowance is designed to help members meet the necessary living expenses incurred while serving in the AmeriCorps program. It is not a wage and, therefore, will not fluctuate based on the number of hours the member serves in each time period.

HEALTH INSURANCE

• FT (1700 hours) members only
• Healthcare insurance is offered if the member is eligible and not otherwise covered by a healthcare policy at the time member begins service.  The member is eligible for the program provided healthcare insurance if they lose coverage during their term of service as a result of service or through no deliberate act of their own. The member must notify the program if their eligibility status for healthcare insurance changes during their term of service.   

​

CHILDCARE ALLOWANCE

• FT positions only
• If applicable, the AmeriCorps childcare allowance will be provided by the official AmeriCorps child care provider (GAP Solutions Inc.) Directly to the provider, if the member qualifies for the allowance. Additional information and forms may be found online at: Americorpschildcare.com

EDUCATION AWARD

• Upon successful completion of member’s full term of service, they will receive an education award from the national service trust in the amount noted below:

​

​

​

• Abbreviated Time positions are limited and may be available upon request and program approval.

LOAN FORBEARANCE

• FT positions only
• Members can apply to put any federal student loans into forbearance while they are serving.
• At the end of their term, upon successful completion, if a member has loans in forbearance, then the national service trust may repay a portion or all of the interest that accrued during that time.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• All members will receive ongoing training opportunities (including the Nonprofit Professional Credential and Mentoring Credential depending on program track) from program staff throughout the year
• Additional training opportunities will be offered from outside organizations
• Recorded trainings are always listed on our member resource tab
• Civic Action Academy will be hosted in Nov. 15 and 16, 2024 in person

​

SITE-SPECIFIC BENEFITS

• What are the additional benefits that you, as a site, will provide members?
• Keep in mind…
• Paid positions cannot receive additional compensation for their AmeriCorps work directly.
• This means that they cannot be doubly compensated for their AmeriCorps work.
• If your FT member is a graduate student and they have a graduate assistantship on campus, they cannot be doing the same duties/responsibilities for both positions
• Unpaid positions can receive additional compensation for their AmeriCorps work.
• Most often this is in the form of work study or other scholarship.

LIVING ASSISTANCE

• Sites are encouraged to provide FT members with additional living assistance such as:
• Housing assistance (i.e., Free housing on campus, stipend each month paid directly to property manager)
• Food assistance (i.e., Meal plan on campus)
• Free Parking
• Gym Membership
• Keep in mind…
• Members cannot receive cash or gift cards directly from host sites for their AmeriCorps service

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

SUGGESTED OUTLINE

SUGGESTED OUTLINE

• Introductions: introduce everyone by name and responsibility
• Provide a brief overview of your organization
• Project: provide a brief summary of your AmeriCorps project & overview service activities
• Overview of interview process: review your timeline for interviewing and selecting. Ask if they have any questions about the process.
• Familiarity with AmeriCorps: what do you know about AmeriCorps? (After you have a good idea what the applicant knows, fill in the gaps.)

• AmeriCorps requirements: list the requirements of the Seed Coalition AmeriCorps program:
• This is a [11 month, 9 month, 3 month] commitment, and you will serve a minimum of [1700, 300, 100] hours.
• You can expect to serve [date – date, time – time] (i.e. M-F from 8 am – 5 pm, with some weekends and evenings).
• Outside employment is allowed but should be approved ahead of time.
• [FT only] - you can attend graduate school as long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties and you have discussed with your supervisor.
• All members are required to attend a Seed Coalition AmeriCorps orientation, which may not count as part of their service hours.
• Your start date will most likely be mm/dd/yyyy and your end date will be mm/dd/yyyy.
• All members are required to complete background checks, including a national sex offender registry check, a state background check, and a federal background check before they can begin their service.
• Questions about AmeriCorps requirements
• Do you have any questions about the AmeriCorps requirements?
• Are you able to commit to the full term of service and all service hours?

• Americorps benefits: list the benefits of the campus compact americorps program.
• FT, Paid MT only - a modest living stipend paid bi-weekly: $xxxx before taxes.
• FT only - health insurance and child care benefit
• Loan forbearance - accrued interest on qualifying student loans will be paid at the completion of your service
• Any other site-specific information: housing assistance, meal assistance, parking, etc.
• Education award: after successfully completing your service term, members are eligible to receive an education award of $xxxx, which can be used to pay for federal student loans or expenses at qualified colleges and universities.
• Questions about americorps benefits
• Do you have any questions about the AmeriCorps benefits?
• What challenges do you anticipate facing when living on the AmeriCorps stipend?

• Interest in position
• How did you hear about this position?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• What are your long-term career goals?
• What strengths will you bring to the position?
• What challenges do you anticipate facing? Follow-up: how would you solve that challenge?
• Assessing work habits
• Describe a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker or supervisor and how you resolved it.
• What has been your proudest achievement at work or as a volunteer?
• Transitioning to a new community and workplace [especially for FT members]
• How do you envision successfully transitioning into the AmeriCorps position?
• What do you know about our community? (Fill in the gaps.)
• Answer applicant’s questions: what questions do you have for us? About the position? About our organization?
• Review selection timeline

ILLEGAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

ILLEGAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• Various federal, state, and local laws regulate the questions a prospective employer can ask a job applicant. The job application, interview, etc. Must be related to the position for which the applicant is applying. The focus must be on: what do I need to know to decide whether or not this person can perform the functions of this position?
• Questions should be position-related and not used to find out personal information. You should not be asking questions about a person’s: race, religion, age, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, marital/family status, ability, nationality, or arrest record. Below are some examples for you to reference when preparing for your interview process.

​

ILLEGAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

ILLEGAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

IMPORTANT REMINDER

• The interviewee is under no obligation to answer any question that is not assignment-related.

​

• If they choose not to answer an unrelated assignment question, this cannot be held against them, nor can you choose not to select an applicant because they have answered the question in an undesirable way.

​

• In either case, not selecting the applicant for not answering the question or because you were not satisfied with their answer, is considered discriminatory.

​

CANDIDATE NOMINATION

PROCESS

• Once your AmeriCorps candidate (i.E. Interviewee, applicant) has accepted their position, you will notify Seed Coalition through the candidate nomination form.
• The candidate nomination form serves as the official notice to Seed Coalition staff that you are ready to move forward with enrolling your AmeriCorps member(s).
• The candidate nomination form is required for all positions.
• Once we receive your nomination form, our staff will reach out to the candidate to begin the background check and enrollment process.
• We will keep you informed throughout the entire enrollment process.
• Link: https://iacampuscompact.Formstack.Com/forms/cca_nomination_form

​

CANDIDATE NOMINATION FORM QUESTIONS

• Campus staff information
• Name
• Email
• Host Site (your institution/organization)
• AmeriCorps candidate information
• Position type nominating for
• Candidate Name (as it appears on their government issued ID)
• Email (confirm email)
• Phone number
• Is this candidate a returning member?
• Position Description certification

​

QUESTIONS?

An overview of positions/benefits for the mentoring track can be found here.

An overview of positions/benefits for the nonprofit career readiness track can be found here.