Making interviews an effective part of volunteer screening
By Scouters Dirk Garlichs & Liam Morland, March 29, 2009
The interview is an important part of the volunteer screening
process. Good questions are the key to a successful interview. The
questions below are a starting point for generating conversation with
the interviewee. Interviewers will learn far more from an open-ended
conversation then a simple question-and-answer session.
These questions are directed at interviews for potential new section
Scouters. Some of the questions may not appear to be appropriate if
someone is volunteering for a different position, such as a Group
Committee position. However it is advisable to ask these questions (or
modified versions thereof) since the individual may become a section
Scouter in future years.
Interview Questions
- What made you decide to get involved in Scouting as a (insert volunteer position: section Scouter, Group Committee role, etc.)?
- What is your understanding of what Scouting is trying to accomplish?
- What previous experience do you have working with youth or a youth organization?
- What did you learn from that experience that you can apply here?
- What aspects did you like the most/least?
- Were you involved in Scouting as a child? Which sections? What did you like most/least about it?
- What are the key things you can contribute to Scouting and the youth?
- In what ways will you be a role model to the youth?
- How do you see yourself fitting into the team of adults that run the program?
- How would you handle a disagreement over the program among the Scouters?
- What would make this Scouting year a successful year for the troop? For you?
- What do you look forward to doing this year?
- Tell us about your approach to discipline.
- How would you handle a youth who is consistently disruptive and/or abusive towards others?
- Tell us about a difficult discipline situation you faced and what you did to handle it.
- How would you deal with a parent who disagrees with the program and/or interferes with it?
- Give the interviewee a copy of the document "Keeping our Kids Safe: Duties of Adult
Volunteers" and ask them to read it. (They should keep their copy
for reference.)
Do you have any questions about the document?
- Do you have any questions for us?
