Screening and Placing New Members

Narrow the field of candidates and make informed choices

If you take a systematic approach to screening and placing new members, it will pay dividends. You'll be more likely to match good candidates with the positions that fit best.

To see samples and successful strategies, click on the topics below that are tied to different stages of recruitment:

Screening applications
Interviewing
Checking references & conducting background checks
Making decisions
Before new members arrive

Screening applications

You have recruited a crop of candidates to review. Now what?

Here are tools to help you screen applicants:

Interviewing

Interviewing is just one step in screening an applicant and deciding on the appropriate placement or rejection. That said, however, the interview is probably your best chance to get a true feel for the person and should count heavily in your decision.

Check out these tried-and-true methods for getting the most out of each interview:

Checking references & conducting background checks

The reference check is often the most misunderstood step in screening an applicant. Although the information obtained can be highly subjective, these tips from the field can help you gather useful data:

See the sample reference call sheet for ideas on what to ask and how to capture responses. While this particular sample contains some questions for a rural, environmental program, it can easily be customized for different programs.
Look at this set of reference questions that were developed by an urban site.
Use reference checks to look for information that would change—not validate—your decision.
Know (or ask for) the reference's position in the organization.
Refrain from directly describing the position; rather, identify critical skills, attitudes, and characteristics. For example, ask questions related to the candidate's social skills, ability to network, introverted or extroverted personality, and communication style that supports the position.
Balance the conversation with open-ended questions. Direct questions provide specific information while open-ended ones may yield unexpected information.
Pay attention to what the reference is saying—note if he or she raises a red flag, avoids answering a question, or is vague. Probe deeper.
If a reference doesn't return repeated calls, ask the candidate to make the connection for you or request another reference.
Don't be afraid to follow up with a reference if you learn additional information and need clarification.

Although checking references doesn't always provide reliable information, you should always verify candidates' education and employment.

Conducting background checks is critical for programs particularly those whose members will be working with vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly or disabled persons.

AmeriCorps*State and National programs are now required to conduct background checks of applicants. Click here for resources and links to more information.
VISTA requires a criminal history check on all VISTA members Click here for more information
Check out the Staff Screening Toolkit [PDF] developed by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. This toolkit provides a practical approach to screening paid and volunteer staff.

Making decisions

It is important to rank applicants, since most positions have multiple qualified candidates. There are several ways to do this, including ranking them numerically and having multiple people review materials.

Here are some other ways to make the placement decision easier:

Determine the criteria for the specific position (be sure to get these directly from the position description). What skills are necessary? What skills can be taught and which ones should the candidate already possess?
Consider how the candidate meets the established criteria for the position at each phase of the screening process
When screening applicants, use all available information at your disposal: their application, interview, e-mail, phone and mail communications, and references.
Examine evaluation criteria and assign each a value to aid in making a decision.

Print these useful tools; they can be customized to fit your program.