Questions for Interviewing New Adult Volunteers

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

  1. What made you decide to get involved in Scouting as a (insert volunteer position: section Scouter, Group Committee role, etc.)?
  2. What is your understanding of what Scouting is trying to accomplish?
  3. 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?
  4. Were you involved in Scouting as a child? Which sections? What did you like most/least about it?
  5. What are the key things you can contribute to Scouting and the youth?
  6. In what ways will you be a role model to the youth?
  7. How do you see yourself fitting into the team of adults that run the program?
  8. How would you handle a disagreement over the program among the Scouters?
  9. What would make this Scouting year a successful year for the troop? For you?
  10. What do you look forward to doing this year?
  11. 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.
  12. How would you deal with a parent who disagrees with the program and/or interferes with it?
  13. 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?
  14. Do you have any questions for us?