Interviewing applicants is essential in finding a volunteer with the right skills and availability to assist with your project. Please see below for some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of these calls!

Note: 1-hour consultation calls do not require an interview.

Scheduling Interviews

Once you find an applicant you'd like to interview, beginning the scheduling process is fast and easy with our automated calling system. Simply send over 5 time slots within a 14 day period to the applicant and once they choose one on their end you're all set!

Select "Review Application" button to the right of an applicant's name. Then, select "Schedule call" located underneath the applicant's name in the new window. Next, you'll be directed to a screen with a calendar showing dates and times two weeks from the date. Select at least five 30-minute time slots.

Scheduling Flexibility

We've found that sometimes Organizations with limited capacity to conduct interviews will want to schedule beyond the 14 day range. If this sounds like something that'd be helpful in your interview process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by using the chat bubble on the bottom-right of your screen (for keyboard-only and screen-reader users, please email us at help@catchafire.org) and we'd be happy to help you navigate that!

Opening Chat Portals

We've also found that Organizations that are strapped for time will sometimes want to ask applicants questions before scheduling an interview with them. To help with this process, we can open a chat portal between you and them on our end! If this sounds like something that'd be beneficial, please reach out to us by using the chat bubble on the bottom-right of your screen (for keyboard-only and screen-reader users, please email us at help@catchafire.org) and we'd be happy to help set that up.

Conducting Interviews

Preparing for the Interview

Before heading into an interview, it's important that you have a general idea of what you're looking for in a volunteer. That means solidifying what your Organization's mission is and seeing if this volunteer aligns with it, understanding the kinds of values you'd like to see in a volunteer, and if they have the skills necessary to work on your project! For tips on how to go about getting this information, please see below for some sample questions you could ask during the interview.

Sample Questions

Introductions
- Start your call by introducing yourself, your Organization, and your project. Make sure you communicate:
  - The deliverable(s) you need
  - Your desired timeline for the project
  - Who the key stakeholders are for this project
  - What information you will be able to provide to help the Volunteer get started
- Encourage your Volunteer to introduce themselves as well, and share why they're interested in volunteering with your Organization. This is a great way to build rapport and start your relationship off right.

Volunteer Motivations
- Understand what the volunteer is seeking from the engagement. Does this align with how you are viewing this partnership?
- Sample Questions:
  - Why are you volunteering on Catchafire (generally)?
  - Is there anything that drew you to this particular project?

Experience
- Don't forget to ask about their work experiences both on and off of Catchafire!
- Sample Questions:
  - Can you tell me about similar projects you've worked on in the past?
  - What was the outcome of those projects?
  - What was most challenging about that work?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us using the chat bubble on the bottom-right of your screen (for keyboard-only and screen-reader users, please email us at help@catchafire.org) and we'd be happy to help!

(For Small Organizations) Scheduling and Conducting Interviews