Screening & Selecting
Screening is by far the most time consuming and resource intensive stage of the selection process. It is an opportunity for finding out what people are looking for and what they have to offer. It is also about discovering if they are the right match for the position and your organisation.
These days the tasks and roles that volunteers are asked to perform are often vital to an organisation?s performance. Therefore, getting the right people for these positions is essential.
For some volunteer positions the selection process can be very informal i.e. a relaxed chat about the work and the potential volunteers' interests. However, if the role has some degree of responsibility, for example working with vulnerable people, handling money or dangerous equipment, then the selection process ought to be more formal.
It is important to note that there may also be legislative provisions that will guide your selection process, for example volunteers working with children or people in an aged care facility (see Background Checking Module).
Nevertheless, no matter what selection process is selected it is important that you have a clear and consistent process so all volunteers receive the same treatment. This can be achieved by adopting the good human resource practices outlined in this manual.
Common Screening Tools
Screening tools assist organisations select the most appropriate person for a position. They do not come with a guarantee of success, but are considered more valid predictors of a potential job success than your gut instinct.
There are pros and cons associated with each screening tool. However, by using a combination of screening tools you can often produce a better outcome.
- Referee checking
- Medical screening
- Criminal history
Application Forms
Application forms are recommended because they are generally easier for volunteers to complete than a letter. Nonetheless, application forms can lead to discrimination if they are used as a means of assessing literacy and literacy is not needed for the position. For example, if you are recruiting a volunteer to garden and literacy is not a requirement, then an application form may not be the most appropriate selection tool.
Best Practice Tip
- Include an example of how each question in your application from should be answered
Letters and Resumes
Letters are generally used as a selection tool. A letter should generally include a brief outline of why a potential volunteer considers that they are suitable for a volunteering opportunity with your organisation and express an interest for further contact i.e. interview or phone call.
If you require a resume be aware that resumes may be daunting to people who are considering volunteering as an alternative or entry pathway to mainstream employment. They may feel that their experiences do not amount to much when recorded on paper. It is generally more rewarding for potential volunteers and helpful for you to make a selection decision, if you request potential volunteers to list the skills they've developed when writing a resume. This approach can also be incorporated into the development of an application from. Additionally, it is always a good idea to provide an example resume as a guide.
Interviews
If interviews are designed appropriately and used correctly they can be relatively sound selection tools. However, if an interviewer asks inappropriate questions and uses unrelated factors (marriage status, race, gender, disabilities, socio-economic background) in their assessment of a potential volunteer then an interview is less likely to deliver a good result.
Be warned, we all have a tendency to recruit people who are "like us" so try and be aware of your own personal biases and keep an open mind when interviewing potential volunteers. The use of selection criteria can assist avoiding these pitfalls.
Selection criteria are commonly used in interviews and application forms to assess if a person could perform well in a position. By developing questions that relate to the tasks or attributes needed for the job and assessing applicants against those criteria a successful match is more likely.
Furthermore, stay positive, studies have found that positive interviewers tend to cause potential volunteers to draw positive inferences about the organisation than unfriendly interviewers and these inferences often lead to positive attitudes about the attractiveness of the position.
Also ensure that you take notes during the interview so that you can provide feedback to potential volunteers and have a written record that can be used when making a selection decision. Relying on your memory for such tasks is highly unreliable.
Additional Resources
Volunteer Resource Centres
Remember Volunteer Resource Centres are available to assist you in this process and provide a service of matching volunteers to volunteering opportunities. So if you have a volunteer position it may be a good idea to give them a call to find out if they have any potentially suitable volunteers that are ready to start. To find your closest Volunteer Resource Centre please refer the list in the Additional Resource Module p.
Selecting the Right Person
An offer to a volunteer should only occur after all selection processes including background checks (see Background Checking Module) have been completed. In addition, the selection and placement of a volunteer should be based only on the information you have collected during the selection process.
Selecting a volunteer is generally most effective when there's consensus between the volunteer themselves and the supervisor regarding the suitability of the volunteering opportunity. It is also good practice to either use a probationary period in which the volunteer and the supervisor can change their mind about the placement if it is not working out.
When making your decision ensure that your process is:
- Fair, consistent and unbiased
- Transparent
- Free from nepotism and favouritism
If you have any doubts regarding selecting the right volunteer always refer back to your volunteer profile for clarification.
Communication - Saying "No thank you"
It is important to let potential volunteers know when they will be notified if they are successful or unsuccessful, and to follow through with the notification. It is inevitable that at some time you will have to say 'no thank you' to a volunteer and although this can be difficult it is important that it is done.
You can refuse people by phone, letter, email or face to face but in all circumstances it is important to explain the reason why they were unsuccessful in reference to the volunteer profile and policy. You may also find it helpful to try and end the conversation by providing suggestions for building their experience and skills.
Flexibility
The ability to be flexible is becoming increasingly important to attract busy people to volunteer roles, for example, traditional styles of volunteering are often not attractive to younger people. Therefore, although you may have spent considerable time developing your volunteer profile, recruitment and selection processes it is also important to leave room for negotiation. For example, you may encounter a fantastic volunteer who would be great for your organisation but cannot work the exact times you specified.
Parents whose children are at school during the day can be excellent volunteers if you are willing to be flexible to their needs. Often parents have left the workforce in order to care for their children and have a wealth of skills and knowledge that may be an asset to your organisation.
Similarly, you may need to be flexible to accommodate people with disabilities or mental health problems. Many people with disabilities and mental health problems want to contribute to community life through helping others and have many skills to offer when opportunities are made available. For some people their disability or mental health problems may not allow them to participate in mainstream employment, however, volunteering opportunities with shorter hours and additional support (if needed) may perfectly suit them.
