Last updated by Kasey Murphy on 09/09/2020

Your resume looks good on paper, so they decided to call you and schedule an interview. Now you just have to be prepared to answer any question that comes your way, have examples, and be even better in person than on paper to get the job.

This is the part that really matters the most, impressing someone in-person leaves a lasting effect and a good attempt at showcasing how you would be in the role. An interview will provide exactly this. So, prepare yourself with interview questions for volunteer coordinators and understand how to conduct yourself while being interviewed! 

We’ll share with you the types of interview questions to be prepared for, some examples to practice with, as well as what the hiring manager is specifically looking out for.

Different Types of Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators 

There are many different types of questions that you could be asked. Interview questions for volunteer coordinators could be role-specific, operational, situational, behavioral, or characteristic questions. 

Remember - you candownload our folder of interview questions for volunteer coordinators, and some tips on how you should answer! 

Role-Specific Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators

These volunteer coordinator interview questions are going to be geared specifically towards this role. So, this could be anywhere from specific tasks that this role is asking, the organization you will be working with, or how well you work with others.

Be prepared to draw from your experience to back up your answers. If an interviewer asks, “Do you work well with others?” Do not just answer the question, back it up with a story or even just an explanation. 

These volunteer coordinator interview questions are going to be the ones that will help reflect how you will do in this position and specifically with the tasks you are given. 

Operational Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators 

These interview questions help showcase how you may be extra proactive in this volunteer coordinator position. An operational question may be a question for volunteer coordinators who plan to start their own projects. 

These interview questions are where you can showcase your creativity and your ability to tackle things on your own, not with something that is already in place. This may be asking how you plan to recruit volunteers or how if you plan on involving the community with certain events. 

Be sure to answer these questions honestly and creatively. All the volunteer coordinators that are being interviewed will have different answers to these interview questions, so be sure to stand out. 

These interview questions will help showcase which volunteer coordinators are proactive and which may rely on others. 

To see how you should be answering each of these questions, or specific questions that may be asked, download our interview preparation folder.

Situational Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators

These interview questions are always a bit tricky, so don’t be afraid to ask for a repetition of the question, or excuse yourself while you think. But, don’t take too long! You want it to seem like you know how to handle any situation thrown at you. 

For volunteer coordinators, sticky situations arise all the time. Volunteers get sick, events get canceled, conflict occurs. As a manager of both people and programs, it is your responsibility to handle this! 

So, these interview questions are a chance for you to show off your skills in handling things quickly and efficiently. 

Behavioral Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators 

These interview questions are similar to the situational questions, but they are more so about you, personally. Volunteer coordinators deal with a lot of different tasks, so these interview questions may be trying to understand more so how you operate. 

Not to be confused with situational questions, these answers are supposed to be a way to showcase how you handled a situation in the past and potentially how it may be handled in the future. So, while interviewing be sure to give insight to how you are and even add some personal anecdotes. 

These are great questions to explain situations that have made you a better volunteer coordinator, and a reflection of you. 

Characteristic Interview Questions For Volunteer Coordinators

You’ve definitely gotten these before. The most common one is: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Some of these interview questions don’t have anything to do with being a volunteer coordinator, they are just wondering more about you as a person. But, don’t forget to turn it back into what you are there for. 

Think about the strengths that you have as a person that can easily be related to being a volunteer coordinator. Think about weaknesses that it does not matter too much if you are a volunteer coordinator. 

While these questions do help the interviewer get a better idea of the volunteer coordinator as a person, they can always be used in an attempt to clarify how you will handle the job. 

Try to Gather What Type Of Volunteer Coordinator The Interviewer Is Looking For to Fill The Position

Study the job posting and the organization. This will help you gain a better understanding of the organization as a whole and specifically what they are looking for. 
What stood out to you in the job posting or organization? Mention this in your interview, because it is probably something they want you to notice! 

Not only does it showcase that you studied and are interested, it shows that you may have a specific quality that they are looking for. 

For more tips like these, download our volunteer coordinator interview question preparation folder! 

Don’t Forget About Red Flags in Interviews

Where you want to study the job posting for things the interviewer is looking for in a volunteer coordinator, you also want to read the fine print and see what they are not looking for. Remember- interviews for volunteer coordinators are also designed to showcase any red flags or things that the organization does not want!  A good volunteer coordinator is someone who is great at relationships, handles conflict well, and is also detail-oriented. Based on that, here are some red flags that you want to make sure you don’t have while answering your volunteer coordinator interview questions. 

• averse to conflict
• disorganized
• so focused on the details, that it takes priority over relationships
• afraid of networking and meeting new people
• don’t align with your organization’s goals
• don’t care about the cause, but just the job
• Speak negatively about others