Please share your experience familiarizing yourself with an office, organization, or chapter you have managed.
There are more than 600 chapters of the Red Cross in the United States. While the organization maintains consistent branding, programs, operational procedures, and a unified mission, each chapter will be unique based on its workplace culture. This question is primarily relevant if you are interviewing for a leadership position, particularly in a director role, in which it will be essential for you to know each employee and their specific function within the chapter.
"When I accepted a position as executive director of a large food book in my hometown, I knew from my research that I was entering the organization at one of its busiest times of the year. I knew I would have to balance familiarizing myself with the organization's structure and business and programmatic operations with introducing myself to staff. After I had made general introductions with everyone, I scheduled one hour each day my first week to meet with program directors and learn about their operations in greater detail. The following week, I met with program coordinators, officers, and specialists to learn about their roles. I took notes, watched them in action, and every week shared what I'd learned about the organization from doing so.
By showing I valued their work and could contextualize it within the mission of the organization, I was able to quickly form a professional bond with the staff, and we were able to work through the busiest time at the food bank. I would take this same approach with my work at Red Cross."
Show the interviewer that you are not only interested in learning the day-to-day operations but also the strategic goals of the chapter. Talk about how you introduce yourself to team members, volunteers, donors, and strategic partners and quickly integrate into the organizational flow.
"After studying the organization's structure, programs, and operations, I would introduce myself to chapter employees and learn about their individual roles. Next, I would meet with leadership to learn more about the chapter's key strategic partners. If they are located in the area, I would reach out to request a time to meet and get to know them. In these introductory meetings, I want to hear their perspectives on the direction of the organization, what it does well, and what improvements could be made. Finally, I would schedule a meet-and-greet event with the chapter's volunteers; this would be an opportunity for me to understand every category of supporters the chapter has and how best to leverage their contributions to advance the organization's mission."
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