1. HOW VOLUNTEER INTERVIEWS CAN HELP YOU SECURE THE RIGHT VOLUNTEER FOR YOUR AGENCY… …AND MAKE THEM HAPPY, TOO. Interviewing Volunteers

2. I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERVIEW II. ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS III. WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE INTERVIEW IV. EVALUATING THE INTERVIEW/INTERVIEWEE AGENDA

3. YouTube Video “Even Superheroes Get The Blues” http://youtu.be/rj6-8KAiJko

4. Why Should We Interview? Think about…  How many job interviews have you been to or conducted?  What did you learn?  What did you want to know before you accepted the position?  Did the interview help you decide if you wanted to work for the company or hire the candidate? Few of us have been hired to work somewhere without going through an interview. Usually the interview leads us to understand or think about whether or not that job is a good fit for us.

5. But It’s Just For a Volunteer Position! Volunteer interviews are no less important than interviews for a paid salary position. If anything, they are more important in that the potential volunteer will be donating their most valuable commodity… their time.

6. What Are We Looking For In An Interview? Volunteer candidates apply with a desire to share their time, talent, and resources productively. Volunteers have many different goals and needs. Our job is to find out where the volunteer will be best suited within the agency, if at all. An interview is an excellent way to discover what skills, time, and past experiences the volunteer has to offer.

7. From The Organization’s Perspective… From The Potential Volunteer’s Perspective… Promote Organization Expand on Information from Application Investigate validity of information received Obtain additional verbal and nonverbal information/cues Identify a fit Learn more about the organization, culture, programs, etc. Norms and values More complete understanding of roles and responsibilities Decide if it’s a good fit Dual Benefits of An Interview

8. The Interview Also… - Gives the volunteer sufficient information to make an informed decision about volunteering for your organization - Demonstrates that you take the volunteer’s involvement seriously

9. How Do I Come Up With Good Questions? Identify Core Competencies of Your Perfect Volunteer List all competencies required for the position Prioritize the list Pare down to 8 – 10 key competencies Use the competencies throughout the screening process Questions should measure key competencies Behavior-based questions are questions that elicit specific examples of a skill Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior/performance

10. Questions That Don’t Tell Us Much Closed-Ended Questions  Answered simply with “yes” or “no”  Do not foster additional information or conversation  Begin with “Can” “Do” “Will” “Is” Examples  “Do you type?”  “Can you work in the evening?”  “Do you enjoy working with children?”

11. Forming Good Questions To Learn More Open-Ended/Behavior- Based Questions  Require an explanation  Help you delve for more information  Start with “What” “When” “How” “Where” Examples  “How did you…?”  “Tell me more about…?”  “Give me an example when…?”

12. Group Activity Focus on … 1. Core competencies needed in a volunteer with your agency 2. Open-ended questions 3. Behavioral- based questions Briefly (in just a few sentences) tell your group what your organization’s mission is and the type of volunteer/volunteer position you are seeking  Interviewer practices asking a few open-ended/behavioral-type questions based on the volunteer role (~5)  Other person(s) ‘observe’  Observer makes some comments, helps prompt if needed  Switch so everyone has a chance to practice asking some questions

13. Some Questions We Like… Please tell us about your previous volunteer experience(s). How did it turn out? In what areas of your life have you had interactions with a person or people from a different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, or religious group? What do you see as obstacles for you while working in the volunteer role? Give me an example of a time in which you had a disagreement with another person? How did you deal with it and what was the result? What are your personal stressors? What do you do to manage stress? What do you hope to gain from volunteering with our organization? Do you have any questions?

14. Some Other Examples… To Gage Feelings/Thoughts… To Gage Preconceived Notions/Biases… To Gage Commitment Ability…

15. Tips for Becoming A Skilled Interviewer Look for concrete examples, not hypotheticals Probe as necessary/ask follow-up questions Remain objective Watch body language Look out for any red flags

16. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT? Do you want to engage this volunteer? What are the volunteer’s expectations? Why does the volunteer want to volunteer for your organization? What tasks are appropriate for the volunteer? What are the limitations that might influence what tasks the volunteer can undertake? What are the volunteer’s interests, skills, knowledge, and experience? When is the volunteer available to work? How much support or supervision will the volunteer need? What are the volunteer’s attitudes toward your organization – its mission, philosophy, constituency, etc.?

17. Schedule time to write up interview notes Summarize interview while impressions are fresh Summarize pros and cons – trust your first impressions Recall interviewee’s body language Were there any surprises / interesting / concerning answers? Are they generally a good match for the position / organization? What additional information is needed from other sources? Make a recommendation for next steps / explain next steps Evaluating the Interview

18. Some Of The Main Reasons… No flexibility in opportunities; Don’t understand what is expected of them; Asking too much or too little of a volunteer; No training or real vetting of volunteers… Why Do Volunteers Quit?

19. What If This Person Isn’t A Good Fit? Before recruiting people for volunteer work, your organization needs to have a clear policy on whether or not it will be able to find roles for all potential volunteers. Rather than rejecting volunteers outright, organizations need to look at handling these situations in a more positive and sensitive manner - this is often referred to as “counseling out” volunteers. Whatever the situation, it is good practice to have a contingency plan in place.  If volunteer work cannot be offered, for whatever reason, it is necessary to be open and honest with the volunteer. Further guidance should be given, such as referring people to alternative sources or organizations that may better fit their skills.

20. To Recap, The Volunteer Interview… Gives a prospective volunteer sufficient information and understanding to enable them to decide if they want to take up voluntary work and for you to determine whether they are a good fit. Interviewing volunteers is a key stage in the recruitment and selection process. An effective interview will enable a volunteer to feel needed and valued as an individual and that their contribution is being taken seriously. Taking time to develop a professional approach to 'the interview' is an investment well worth making.

21. When managed well by nonprofit organizations, volunteers can have transformative experiences and gain countless benefits including new skills, valuable career connections, and increased self-esteem. The interview helps make sure it is the right fit. THE POWER OF THE VOLUNTEER INTERVIEW

22. JEANNINE PANZERA PROGRAM MANAGER HENRICO COUNTY CASA PAN01@CO.HENRICO.VA.US 804.501.1673 Questions/Comments?