This page describes the key phases of the Ambassador life cycle from the moment an individual applies to become an Ambassador to the moment they leave the program.

Phase 1: Application

This is when a person applies to join the program and fills out the Ambassador Program Application.

After receiving the application, the A-team assigns a reviewer/interviewer/mentor to review the application and decide the next steps - to either schedule an interview with the candidate or reject the candidate if it is clear from the application that the person is not qualified to become an Ambassador.

Q&A:

• How does the A-team determine who to assign as a reviewer of the application?

• The A-team assigns reviewers/interviewers/mentors based on various criteria such as technology expertise area and geographical location/timezone.

Phase 2: Application Review

The application review can take up to two weeks, depending on the workload of the reviewer. The reviewer carefully reviews the application and can consult with the A-Team for feedback or guidance. Once the assessment is made to continue to the next step, the reviewer contacts the applicant to schedule an interview.

Phase 3: Interview

Once the application has been reviewed and the applicant is considered to have enough experience and the right motivations to become an Ambassador, the reviewer/interviewer/mentor sets up an interview where the applicant is asked a set of questions, mostly technical, on ONF projects, depending on the applicant’s area of expertise.

Q&A:

• How long is the interview?

  • A typical interview lasts 30-45 minutes but it ultimately depends on interviewer. The most important factor is that the interviewer gets to ask the necessary questions to make a sound decision.

• Should the interview be by video conference or by instant messaging?

• Video conference is strongly recommended.

• How many people from the A-Team should be interviewing an applicant? One? Several?

• One person interviewing is enough.

Phase 4: Vetting of the Applicant

Once the interview is completed, the A-team deliberates and decides if the applicant should be accepted to the Ambassadors Program.

Once the decision is made, the interviewer/mentor will contact the applicant to inform him/her of the decision. There are usually three outcomes from the interview: decision to accept the applicant to the program, decision to conditionally accept the applicant to the program, or to reject the applicant. In case the applicant is rejected, they are encouraged to re-apply once they have more experience and knowledge about ONF and its initiatives.

Q&A:

• What criteria are used in the vetting of the applicant?

• Knowledgeable about the ONF projects and networking technology in general;

• Passionate about the ONF projects;

• Keen to engage with and inspire new people to contribute to the ONF projects;
• Applicant has expressed a strong willingness to learn and acquire new skills.

• How long does the A-team have to decide on whether to approve/reject an applicant

• Suggested time to review and make a decision on an applicant is 5 business days.

• If rejected, how much time should an applicant wait before re-applying?

  • It is not about the time, but about the knowledge that the applicant is expected to gain during this period. Usually, an applicant should wait at least two months before re-applying, which gives him/her enough time to brush up knowledge of ONF and its initiatives.

• How is the decision made ? Using what tool?

  • If the interviewer wants to reject an application, he/she needs to write a short summary of interview and share with A-team so it can vote via email. The A-team has 72 hours to vote.

• Should there be a unanimous vote from the A-team? A majority vote?

  • Vote should be a majority vote (i.e., at least three votes favorable out of the 5-member A-team).

• Can an applicant appeal the decision? If so, how?

  • Yes, the applicant can appeal the decision by sending an email to the A-team and the A-team has one week to re-assess the decision.

Phase 5: On-boarding

Once the Ambassador has been accepted to the program, that’s when the fun begins. A mentor is assigned to him/her for the on-boarding period (usually a month or two) during which a mentor is on point to help the ambassador become familiar with the program and their responsibilities, but also provide any type of guidance and support necessary.

During the on-boarding phase, the new Ambassador must create his/her profile page and go through some mandatory training and reading, as advised by his/her mentor.

Q&A:

• How is the mentor selected?

• Usually, but not always, the mentor is the person who interviewed the Ambassador candidate. The A-team assigns interviewers/mentors based on various criteria such as technology expertise area and geographical location/timezone. 

• Is a mentor assigned to a Ambassador indefinitely?

• A mentor is a mentor for life . But, of course, if there are any issues or problems, both the Ambassador and the mentor can bring those to the attention of the A-team and a new mentor can be assigned.

• Is one or two months of on-boarding enough?

• This is the recommended duration of on-boarding process. We need the Ambassador to become active rather quickly so as to be able to assume his/her duties.

• Are the readings and training for the on-boarding mandatory?

• The mentor needs to strongly encourage the ambassador to go through the list of required readings and tutorials that all ambassadors need to go through once they have joined the program.

Phase 6: Regular Check-in

Once the on-boarding period is over, the Ambassadors is expected to "fly with his/her own wings" and start fulfilling their four core responsibilities as Ambassadors:

• Represent ONF and its initiatives in his/her region;

• Promote ONF projects and its mission;

• Inspire, recruit, and support new contributors;

• Document clearly all his/her activities for the benefit of the broader community.

As a way to ensure that the Ambassador is effectively supported and that the A-team has full visibility of the Ambassadors’ activities, needs, and concerns, a regular check-in is recommended between the Ambassador and his/her mentor. In addition, in January of each year, ONF will conduct a yearly Ambassador check-in survey where all Ambassadors can summarize their previous year's activities and plans for the next year.

Q&A:  

• How frequent should the check-in with the mentor be?

• Monthly check-ins seems to be an appropriate frequency, but you can agree with you mentor to whatever seems to work best for you.

• What is the minimum accepted level of activity for an Ambassador?

• The ambassador needs to have accomplished at least one activity that touches on one of the four areas of responsibility (as described above) every month.

• What happens if the Ambassador has not been active since the last check-in?

• The whole idea of the program is for Ambassadors to be active in their roles.  But since this is a voluntary program, no-one can force the Ambassadors to be active. However, extended inactivity will result in the Ambassador being removed from the program (see below). The key is communication, please communicate with your mentor to inform him/her of your plans.

Phase 7: Leaving the Program

"You can check out any time you like but you can never leave" - Eagles 1976   Just kidding...

There are two scenarios whereby the Ambassador leaves the program: an Ambassador can either voluntarily leave the program at any time or be removed from the program after an extended period of inactivity. In case of the former, the Ambassador needs to formally inform the A-team by email that he/she wishes to leave the program. In case of the latter, the A-team needs to inform the Ambassador that he/she has been inactive for an extended period of time and therefore it does not make sense to continue the membership and he or she will be removed from the program.

Q&A:

• How do we define “extended” period of time?

• If the ambassador has been inactive for 6 contiguous months without providing any explanation to the A-team or the Ambassador fails to fill out the yearly check-in survey (usually administered in January), he or she is considered inactive.

• Can the ambassador appeal the decision?

• Yes, the Ambassador can appeal the decision to remove him/her from the program and the A-team has 1 week to re-assess its decision.

• What if an Ambassador plans to be inactive for say, more than 6 months, but then plans to return?

• The key is communication. The Ambassador needs to inform the A-team of any such plans and case-by-case arrangements are possible. The final decision, though, lies within the A-team.

• Once the Ambassador has left the program, does his/her profile page remain but clearly shows that he/she is no longer active or is it simply removed?

• The profiles of inactive Ambassadors who have been removed from the program will be removed from the Ambassador Program website. The profile information is still retained in the system for accounting purposes and in case the Ambassador returns to the program at a later date.