A candidate interview is the first official interaction between the lodge and a potential member. It gives the applicant a chance to find out more detailed information about the lodge and it allows the lodge to truly find out about the candidate and whether that person would be a good fit for the lodge. Frequently, lodges don’t do a thorough-enough interview to find out if the candidate should be allowed to join the lodge. To help the process and improve the quality of interviews, I’ve developed a set of questions to help lodges find out more useful information about candidates and spark discussions that can help lodges to make better decisions about candidates.
1. How did you find out about the Odd Fellows?
This question allows candidates to share some information about themselves and how they found their way to the lodge. Sometimes candidates for membership may begin their journey to Odd Fellowship on an erroneous path or from an incorrect assumption. Asking this question allows for the Committee to learn about the background of the candidate and what kind of interest they may have in joining. Some candidates come from other fraternal orders and may be curious about what sets Odd Fellowship apart. Others may be idly curious and just want to know what we do. Still others may think of us as spooky or exotic. Asking how they found out about us allows the Committee to tailor subsequent questions to the candidate to find out accurate information about them which will be helpful in making a decision about whether the candidate would be a good fit for the lodge.
2. What do you know about the Odd Fellows?
There is a lot of inaccurate information about Odd Fellowship, both in popular culture and on the Internet. Asking what a candidate already knows will help clear up misconceptions and prompt discussion that can be very helpful for the Committee to learn about the candidate. It’s the Committee’s job to thoroughly vet potential members to see if they will be a good fit for the lodge. Someone who comes to Odd Fellowship with incorrect ideas may not want to join when they learn the truth. It’s important to understand as best as possible what candidates know and expect.
3. Why do you want to join the Odd Fellows?
Some jurisdictions have very enticing benefits for members like exclusive parks or camps. Those jurisdictions frequently attract members solely for benefits. Odd Fellowship is a mutual benefit society which was founded on the promise of members pooling resources to care for one another so there’s nothing inherently wrong with members who join for benefits but lodges need to know if they’re getting the kind of members who want to participate in the fraternal aspects or if they’re getting the kind of members who just want the benefits without putting in a lot of effort.
4. What has your sponsor told you about the Odd Fellows or about this
lodge in particular?
Ideally, before signing an application, a sponsor should inform the candidate what Odd Fellowship is all about. That doesn’t always happen, however, so it’s always a good idea for the Committee to find out what a sponsor has disclosed to a candidate prior to applying so the Committee knows if the candidate is coming from a place of accurate information. If a candidate was not given good information by their sponsor, this presents an excellent time for the Committee to provide better information.
5. What do you think Odd Fellowship can bring to you?
Candidates who feel they are going to get something out of their membership are more likely to be regular participants in lodge. Those who don’t feel as much of a connection or sense of ownership are much less likely to become regular members. A good way of gauging what a candidate may feel about the lodge is to ask them what they feel they could gain from membership in the Odd Fellows. If a candidate is unsure of what they could get out of their membership, the Committee can offer suggestions from their experience. This question is an excellent opportunity to learn about candidates and get an idea of how dedicated they might be or become..
6. What do you think you can bring to Odd Fellowship?
Lodges are more than just buildings or collections of people who meet for common purpose. However, any lodge that owns a building will need repair and maintenance from time to time. Finding out a member is a commercial electrician or brick layer or is good at organizing fundraisers makes them even more valuable to the lodge. If they are willing to give freely of their time to benefit the lodge, that’s even better. It’s good for candidates to share their skills that may benefit the lodge. Even someone who is good at stacking chairs after events can benefit the lodge. The more the Committee knows about potential contributions by the members, the better.
7. Our lodge meets on the 1st & 3rd/2nd & 4th (day of the week) of each
month at (time of day). Can you make meetings on those days at that
time? If not, why would you consider joining a group that you would not
be able to attend?
In sports, it’s often said that one’s greatest ability is availability. Members who pay dues are valuable but the members who participate in lodge meetings and activities are the most valuable members of all. A lodge needs a certain minimum number of active members to function. Since the Interviewing Committee is the group that reports to the lodge about the candidate, the committee should be able to give the lodge an accurate report on what level of participation to expect from the candidate as a member so they can decide if that member would be a good fit.
8. Do you know that there are four Degrees of Odd Fellowship?
(Initiatory, First, Second, Third). Will you be able to attend those
Degrees so they can be conferred on you?
Some applicants may be under the impression that joining a lodge means showing up once, paying a few bucks, and then walking away as a member. It’s important to give anyone interested in joining a lodge an accurate idea of what it means to join and become active. Interviewing Committees should be upfront and let applicants know that we have a Degree structure for learning about the Order and that they can gain status as they learn more about Odd Fellowship or “level up” in modern parlance.
9. Will you take part in meetings if asked to fill a role or are
appointed to an office?
Some applicants may only be interested in taking advantage of the benefits of Odd Fellowship without putting in any of the work. For a lodge to make a good, accurate decision about who they want as members they should know how much applicants may be willing to participate in meetings. Meetings aren’t *all* we do, but they are an important part of it.
10. We are a non-political and non-sectarian fraternal order. Our works and philosophy are based on lessons from the Bible. We say the Lord’s Prayer (and another) during the opening ceremony and have a different prayer during the closing ceremony. Would you have a problem participating in those prayers?
Anything involving religion is likely to be contentious, especially in the contemporary world where so many are suspicious or distrustful of organized religion. Many people consider anything of a religious nature to be offensive or, at the least, off-putting. It’s vitally important for Interviewing Committees to clearly inform applicants that, while we do not observe any particular religious tradition, we do acknowledge the Fatherhood of God and participate in non-sectarian prayers. Anyone who might have a problem with that should be informed during the interview so they can decide for themselves whether or not that’s a problem.
11. Is there any other reason you may be interested in joining the Order?
It’s unfortunate, but it has happened in the past that unscrupulous people have joined Odd Fellowship to use its veil of secrecy for activities very unbecoming an Odd Fellow. Although someone joining for nefarious purposes may not admit that in their interview, it’s important for the Interviewing Committee to do their best to try and find those people who might not uphold the tenets of Odd Fellowship as members and inform the lodge about them so the lodge can make an accurate, informed decision about those candidates.
Besides asking all the usual questions, and those listed above, an Interviewing Committee should also give basic information about the lodge and how it functions. All candidates should be informed of the amount of dues and Initiation Fee and when those dues are due each year. Some lodges collect dues in January and others collect on a rotating basis throughout the year. For lodges that give out things like a Charge Book, copy of the bylaws, or a copy of another Odd Fellows text, candidates should be informed of when they would receive those items, such as on completion of their Third Degree. Candidates should be informed that there is a newspaper for the jurisdiction and they will be added to the mailing list, either electronically or on paper. Most importantly of all, candidates should be given time to ask their own questions of the Interviewing Committee so the candidates can make an informed decision about continuing with the process of joining the lodge.
Hopefully, with this guide to conducting a candidate interview, Interviewing Committees will be able to make good recommendations to their lodges to help bring in quality members who will contribute to their new lodges. The best test of this information is to go out and find some candidates and use the information here to examine those candidates prior to them joining the lodge.
…
Want to more about the Odd Fellows? Ask Me I May Know!
Visit our Facebook page: Heart In Hand
Heart in Hand 