Recruitment and retention of volunteer multiple mini interview interviewers: Understanding their motivations

Without volunteer interviewers, many universities would not be able to run multiple mini interviews (MMIs) due to the prohibitive cost of paying interviewers. Despite the opportunity cost borne by volunteers, many interviewers participate in multiple MMI sessions per year and volunteer year after year. There is surprisingly little research into what motivates interviewers to volunteer as MMI interviewers. This research aims to explore both what motivates individuals to volunteer to interview in MMIs for undergraduate medical selection and what adds and detracts value from their participation.

We applied a qualitative sequential two-phase design consisting of open-ended survey questions, followed by semi-structured interviews to explore interviewers' motivators in more depth. The survey data on motivators and the six functions from the volunteer functions inventory (VFI) informed interview data collection and provided a lens through which to examine MMI interviewer motivations. Content analysis was used to analyse the survey data. Framework analysis was used to analyse the interview data.

The survey was completed by 108 interviewers (50% response rate), and 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted (54% response rate). From the content analysis, the time commitment of involvement was the biggest detractor identified by participants. Through the framework analysis, five overarching motivators were developed: (i) acting on values, (ii) gaining understanding, (iii) gaining personal satisfaction and gratification, (iv) shaping the future workforce and (v) having social interaction. These mirrored five of the six functions proposed in the VFI.

There are a range of motivating factors that influenced the participants' decision to volunteer as an interviewer for MMIs. Some motivations were for the benefit of others, some were self-serving, and some a combination of both. Universities should utilise these motivating factors to aid in targeted recruitment of volunteer interviewers.