Domestic Help Hiring Advice
Selecting to Achieve the Best Results
Anyone can hire. The best employers select. Selection starts with a carefully developed job description that captures the requirements of the job as well as the intangible fit characteristics that will help you select from multiple otherwise-qualified candidates. We can assist you with each of these important steps. With the right selection criteria and screening filters we can present candidates with a high probability of success.
The next crucial step is the interview. In advance of the interview, we encourage clients to develop questions from which the best candidate will emerge. What is most important to success in your home? Can you prioritize those factors? Skills, experience, personality?
Focus the interview time appropriately and be sure that the candidate is doing most of the talking. If you feel the candidate may be the right fit, proceed to discuss compensation and logistics to ensure there is potential for agreement. This may also be accomplished through a second interview, or we can assist with negotiations separately from the interview process.
The Lindquist Group is happy to offer a compilation of common questions and topics to use as a guide when interviewing a potential candidate.
Background, Drives, and Values
- Why are you in this line of work?
- What are your strengths? What do you do best?
- What are your weaknesses? What would you delegate if you could?
- What would you do if you had more spare time?
Experience
- Tell me about your experience working in this field.
- What is your education or training in regards to this type of work?
- What were your responsibilities in your last position?
- What did you like most about your last position? What did you like least?
- What was the reason for leaving your last position?
Responsibilities
- Ask the candidate to explain what they understand to be the duties and expectations.
- Verify that the candidate is completely comfortable with all requirements.
- If filling a Nanny position, go over the ages of the children and their activities as well as the responsibilities.
- Review the daily schedule.
- Mention any ancillary responsibilities, such as running errands, providing pet care, or filling in for other members of the staff.
Driving and Transportation
- Candidates may drive their own car, or you can provide one to them. Discuss this in the interview.
- If the candidate's car is to be used, is there a mileage or gas reimbursement?
- If a car is provided for the candidate's personal use, discuss frequency, cost and restrictions.
- Make sure that all vehicles are properly insured and discuss how things would be handled in the case of an accident.
Hours and Salary
- Discuss the required hours of the position and any flexibility that is needed.
- What hourly, weekly or monthly pay rate will you offer? How often would it be paid?
- How does the candidate feel about working weekends? Evenings?
- Will you be withholding all required taxes? Do you plan to pay the employee’s share of Medicare and Social Security taxes?
- Discuss any overtime you will pay. Note, the IRS considers all domestic employees to be non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, meaning they qualify for overtime pay.
For Live-In Positions:
- Describe the living arrangements.
- Indicate whether you have a household curfew.
- Discuss who will be responsible for the payment of any utility bills.