In the volunteer program in the institution in which I work every new volunteer begins their interactions with us with a brief phone interview. The phone call precedes the application and most other formal contact between the new candidate and the volunteer management team. There are a few reasons to do this. First, it gives me a chance to make a personal contact with the new person and to set myself up as a point of contact in the process. If the person is confused or has questions about the process they have a specific person to reach out to for help. Second, it gives the institution a chance to address any problematic applications before they get too deep in the process. There are a few conditions in which an application might be halted and discounted and it is best to get those conditions out in the open right away. Essentially it is a chance for us to weed out any candidates that would be wholly inappropriate to be interacting with the public. Lastly, it gives us in the institution a chance to get a feeling for the candidate, a first glance at their personality, an opportunity to assess what kind of support they might need to be most successful, and an idea of what kind of assignments they might be suited for.
Before we get into the details of the questions themselves I’d like to take a moment to talk about eliminating candidates at this stage. In short, it almost never happens. I recognize that I have biases, both conscious and unconscious, with which I need to contend and our program is such that there is little risk in giving a new volunteer a chance to perform well even if I was less than impressed by their phone interview. I am much more likely to make a note about anything questionable in order to keep an eye on the person as they make their way through the on-boarding process, giving them support as needed.
One of the ways in which I try to minimize the impact of my biases is to stick to a more or less word for word script for every call. This way it is standardized regardless of what I perceive, or think I perceive, of the person on the other end of the phone call.
New people interested in volunteering with us schedule a call with me using an on-line application to choose a 15 minute appointment from several choices I have carved out of my schedule. At the time they have chosen I will call them. When the phone is answered I ask to speak to the person by the first name with which they set up the appointment. The reason for this is to instantly set a personable and informal tone while giving the person the respect of being called what they want to be called.
Here is how the script reads, “Hello, may I speak to [name]? Hi, my name is [my name], and I am calling from the volunteer department of [institution]. Thanks for setting up this little phone call, I really appreciate it. I have some questions here for you but this is not a job interview it is just a chance for us to chat and get to know each other so if you’re ready I’ll start asking questions.” I have yet to have a person say that no, they are not ready. By telling the person that this is not a job interview I try to lessen some of the pressure of answering questions incorrectly and eliminate the idea that they might not be able to volunteer if I didn’t like their answers.
Question 1. What makes you want to volunteer at [institution]? This gets straight to the heart of the potential volunteer’s motivations and how the institution got on this person’s radar in the first place. Is this candidate looking to fill some court ordered community service hours? Do their motivations align with the mission of the institution? Also note that the wording of the question is important. I don’t ask, “why do you want to volunteer,” and this is deliberate. What I am looking for here are specifics. What is the thing or condition that motivated the application to contact our institution. Simply asking why gives the applicant more of an opportunity to be abstract. I am trying to get the person to tell me why my institution has beat out other worthy places that need volunteer help. By this question I learn the person’s motivations, their goals, and their enthusiasm level. At this point a person is also likely to mention anything they perceive as a potential problem or difficulty with their application process. If a candidate is hesitant or evasive at this question I am immediately on notice that this person might need quite a bit of support over their volunteer career. My expectation is that this should be a question that is easy to answer. It is also my expectation that the answer will reveal some personal connection to the institution or the work we do.
Some problematic answers I have gotten to this question include, “my Mom wants me to do it,” and “I want to prove to myself, a parent, or other person that I can do a thing like a job.” These aren’t so problematic as to be disqualifying but they do suggest that the mission of the institution and the work the candidate might be asked to do are not top of mind for this person. It suggests that this person has not found a personal connection to the institution.
I have discovered that this question also gets people to tell me how long they have been in the local area. More often than not I get one of two extremes, “I’m new in town and trying to make connections,” or “I grew up going to your institution, I love it, and I want to pass on that love to others”.
Question 2. What do you like to do for fun? This question surprises a lot of folks. My intention in asking it is to get the person to open up a bit and let me know some personal stuff about themselves. It usually puts a nervous person more at ease. There are certainly no wrong answers to this question and most interviewees pick this up. Additionally I like having the word “fun” near the beginning of the interview. In my mind it is another subtle way of setting the tone of the call but it also sets up a dynamic in which it is implied that what the candidate perceives as fun is taken into consideration in terms of their volunteering and that volunteering itself can be fun. On a more subtle level it also gives me insights into what skills this person has and what kind of things excite them. Answers to this question can suggest the tolerance levels this person might have in working alone or with others, levels of physical activity, or what facets of the greater community might be important to them.
This question also gives me a chance, as the interviewer, to make a personal connection to the person. “Oh, I enjoy that too,” or “I know nothing about that, tell me more”. I like to think it reinforces the idea that we value relationships on an individual level between the staff of the institution and our volunteers. On a related note it also begins to build some trust between the applicant and myself.
Question 3. What steps might you take to be welcoming and inclusive with all members of the community? The single greatest benefit of this question, beyond whatever answer they may give, is the implication that we want our volunteers to be thinking about being welcoming and inclusive. Because of the wording of the question I ask the candidate to speculate on what they could do on a personal level. Again I am interested in specifics here. For those applicants who already think about inclusiveness and apply that philosophy to to their professional or personal lives this question gives them an opportunity to let me know about that. Also a mention of any language skills will often come up in answer to this question.
Occasionally I get a person who is confused by the question for whatever reason. In those cases I will rephrase the question into something like, “if you were in the lobby of the museum and someone came in, what could you do to let them know that they are welcome and we want them here?” I don’t mind rewording the question to try to make it easier to answer because essentially this is a question about empathy. Can this person put themselves in the place of someone who may be unsure if they are welcomed or allowed to be in the space? Through the wording of the question I am hopeful that the candidate hears that all members of the community are welcome. The very few candidates who were still confused, unable, or unwilling to answer this question later turned out to be problematic in a guest facing role for a variety of reasons.
Question 4. Have you volunteered anywhere else in the past? The subtext of this question is all about expectations. Essentially I am asking, “do you know what volunteering is like?” At my institution there are a fair number of people, maybe a quarter of new applicants, who have never volunteered anywhere else. This is fine but I like having the heads up that this person may need some support in learning about the culture of volunteering at our institution.
Again this question gives the candidate an opportunity to let me know what other causes are important to them
Question 5. Tell me about a time you were frustrated. Ok, strictly speaking this is not a question. Its value comes mostly in its subtext. The messages I try to impart by asking this question are that frustrations are normal and not necessarily a negative thing, that small failures are learning opportunities, and that it is ok for the applicant to vent at me a little. The wording of the question is such that it is intentionally vague so anything qualifies. This is another question that seeks to build some trust between the person on the call and the institution.
One of the most problematic answers to this question is, “nothing, I never get frustrated.” I rarely believe this. I guess I could concede that one might have a strong enough control over their reactions to things that they never seem frustrated but I suspect that, even for these people, there is still the impulse of irritation that arises when outcomes don’t match expectations. What I hear when people say nothing frustrates them is that they do not yet trust me enough to tell me what frustrates them. There could be myriad reasons why they don’t trust me enough to tell me about their frustrations but at this point in the process it is almost never about me personally or the institution. Thankfully, this answer is actually pretty rare.
Question 6. What strengths do you feel you would bring to [institution]? Of all the questions in this interview this one has the widest variety of answers depending on the cultural background of the applicant. There are some people who will not answer this question for feeling prideful or conceited. On the other end of the continuum some will try to think of every possible positive adjective they can apply to themselves (or that they think I want to hear). I don’t penalize folks for taking either of these strategies. The greatest value of this question, though, is simply the answers people give. This is another instance in which language skills or efforts in equity might come to the fore.
The message I try to impart in the subtext of this question is that each volunteer has unique strengths that we want to honor and value. And that our institution is a place where these strengths can be applied.
Question 7. If you were magically given 10 million dollars, what would you do? This question has several helpful attributes. First and foremost it is a question that can address trauma. A question about money invariably brings up difficulties around money. It is not uncommon for people to tell me they will pay off debts or take care of themselves or family members who are struggling financially. Knowing about this potential trauma is helpful in how one approaches this volunteer candidate in future communications. Beyond people who might feel trauma around the issue of money this question will reveal how people feel about money in general which could give insights into how this person positions themselves in terms of privilege or social status.
This question can also be playful as people try to imagine what they might do with financial limits lifted. It can reveal their priorities and where they see themselves in the greater social fabric.
Question 8. What do you hope to gain from volunteering? This question was initially added to the interview as a way to catch those applicants who were applying to volunteer for the sole reason of it being a step toward being employed by the institution. And while this does sometimes happen it is rare enough that we feel we need to manage peoples’ expectations. But beyond this, this question goes to the goals of the volunteer. The relationship between a volunteer and the institution is best when both parties feel they are getting what they need from the relationship. By asking this question I am asking the candidate to tell me their goals and, by extension, how I can foster a long term relationship.
After they have answered this question my questions are done. Usually I thank them for giving me strong answers to my questions (no matter what the answers actually were) and then give them an opportunity to ask me any questions they have. Most often their questions are about the next steps in the on-boarding process or what the shift schedule is like. Rarely I will also get questions about what I like about my job or how I came to be there. Turn about is fair play, I think, and I try to answer these questions as honestly and openly as I can.
Before I wrap up this post there is one more important point to make about this interview and that is the importance I feel that this interview take place over a phone call. There is so much that can be conveyed through inflection and the pace of conversation, from both sides of the conversation. I tend to believe that answers that are spontaneous are more honest. Plus I like the idea that volunteers believe they can talk to me and that I am accessible. Having broken the figurative ice right at the beginning opens this avenue to all the volunteer who work with me.
All Willing Hands 