Interview Questions

Volunteer Manager Interview Questions


Volunteer Managers hire and supervise the functioning of unremunerated workers (volunteers) usually in non-governmental organizations.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Volunteer Manager or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Volunteer Manager position, these Volunteer Manager interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Volunteer Manager Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Volunteer Manager interview questions.

  1. Have you used a recruitment database to recruit volunteers?
  2. How would you organize on-the-job training for a volunteer lacking a certain skill?
  3. What would you look for in prospective volunteers?
  4. How would you handle a volunteer who is underperforming and shows a lack of motivation?
  5. How would you encourage diversity among volunteers?
  6. How would you promote the recognition of volunteers’ work in the community?
  7. Imagine one of the most committed volunteers tells you they want to quit. What do you say?
  8. You will need to work with people who don’t receive any compensation for what they do. How do you motivate/reward them?
  9. Imagine you interview a volunteer who seems a nice, outgoing and enthusiastic person. Yet you find that they lack time-management and organizational skills. What do you do?
  10. If you didn’t have enough volunteers, would you take any person who applied? What would it take for you to refuse a volunteer?
  11. How would you rate yourself as a leader?
  12. Do you find our mission important and why?
  13. How does your experience make you right for this role?
  14. What’s your experience with databases? How would you use them to recruit volunteers?
  15. What system would you use to keep track of volunteers?
  16. Are you familiar with background checks? When would it be necessary to conduct one?
  17. What’s your experience in training volunteers/employees?
  18. What type of software do you think a volunteer coordinator needs? Have you used any in the past?
  19. What do you need to know to create a schedule for volunteers?
  20. Describe a time you dealt with an argument between volunteers
  21. Recall an instance in your time as a volunteer when you found it difficult to stay motivated. What did you do? What do you think a volunteer coordinator should have done?
  22. Tell me about a time you had to work while being short staffed. How did you manage?
  23. Describe a project/event you coordinated successfully
  24. Why do you want to work as a volunteer manager?
  25. Your goal is to find five new volunteers for our project. How will you proceed?
  26. Imagine that you lead a diverse group of fifty volunteers, from different cities. How will you communicate?
  27. Two volunteers argue and refuse to work together on a team during an event. What will you do?
  28. How will you motivate the volunteers to try their best each day in work?
  29. Describe your most successful managerial or coordinating experience.
  30. Imagine that you coordinate a small team of five volunteers who are responsible for delivering important leaflets to mailboxes around the city. But two of them did not come, you can’t reach them and you are understaffed. What will you do?
  31. What have you found to be the best way to monitor the performance of your work and/or the work of others? Share a time when you had to take corrective action.    
  32. Share a method you have used which has helped you maintain communication between governing boards, medical staff, and department heads.    
  33. What is the most challenging part of budgeting for you?    
  34. Tell me about your last experience recruiting, interviewing, or hiring an employee. What techniques did you find most effective in finding the right person for the job?    
  35. Name a time when your advice to management led to an improvement in your company or otherwise helped your employer.    
  36. Please share with me an example of how you helped coach or mentor someone. What improvements did you see in the person's knowledge or skills?    
  37. Provide an example of when you set expectations and monitored the performance of subordinates. What guidance and direction did you find most effective?    
  38. Describe an experience in which you identified the educational needs of your students and successfully developed a way to teach/train them.    
  39. In your experience, what is the key to developing a good team? (Look for how they build mutual trust, respect, and cooperation.)    
  40. Provide an example of a time when you successfully organized a diverse group of people to accomplish a task.    
  41. What is the key to success when communicating with the public.    
  42. Describe a time when you successfully provided personal assistance to a coworker or patron.
  43. As a volunteer manager, what is your management style?
  44. How would you communicate the impact of volunteers’ work in the community?
  45. What would say if a committed volunteer decided to quit?
  46. How do you motivate/reward unpaid volunteers?
  47. What would you do if an enthusiastic volunteer lacked time-management and organizational skills?
  48. If you were lacking in volunteers, would you take any person who applied?
  49. What would it take for you to refuse a volunteer?

Volunteer Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Volunteer Manager interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

  1. Why Do You Want This Job?
  2. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
  3. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
  4. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
  5. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
  6. What is Your Salary Expectation?
  7. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
  8. What is Your Greatest Strength?
  9. Tell Me About Yourself
  10. Why Should We Hire You?