Whether you are hiring a Baby-sitter, an In-Home provider or a Nanny
-- there is a hiring process that you should follow so that you can be sure you know as
much as possible and necessary about the person that you choose. The steps are the same as
though you were hiring an employee for a company:
- You advertise your position or you respond to an advertisement
- Talk to applicants initially over the phone
- Meet with applicants and have them fill out an application
- Screen the applicants
- Make an offer of employment to the person you choose
Sounds easy enough, but many parents have trouble with it. I
recently talked to a parent about the hiring process
and she said "Yes, I know
exactly what I should do -- I am an Executive Recruiter and I do this all day long. But it
scares me to hire someone for my own child. What if I am wrong -- or miss something?"
If a person who uses this process daily doesn’t feel comfortable, how can the
‘average’ parent hire competent childcare?
Having completed over 1,000 interviews of childcare
providers, I have found that there are some common inconsistencies and omissions that
occur. Usually you can easily find these by asking the right questions and using the right
forms.
We have all heard the stories regarding embellished resumes and out
and out lies that appear on applications for employment. Almost always these are things
that could have been checked and ‘found out’. But what about the
‘absent’ information that an employee or applicant doesn’t want you to
know? You usually can only find these by asking the right questions -- and probing deeper
if the response is questionable.
To find out about embellished applications and resumes, my rule of
thumb is simple. Verify every piece of information, and don’t use information that
you cannot verify, unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. If you are hiring a Nanny that has a
wonderful employment history - but all of her previous employers have moved and cannot be
reached -- be wary!
To find the ‘absent’ information, you need to be something
of a sleuth. There are many different things that fall into this category. But I have
found that there are some very common ones. Ask the following questions and probe the
following areas and you may just save yourself from hiring the wrong person.
- Do you have any plans or are you contemplating anything in your
future that could change your schedule? This would include such things as starting night
school, moving, vacations, etc.
- Do not bother to ask, "How has your attendance been?" Many
people assume that if the parent approved the absence; that means it’s O.K. and isn't
considered an absence. Instead ask: "How many days in the past year were you gone
from work -- include vacations, holidays, employer and employee personal days. This number
should be verified with the employer(s) from the past year. You are not entitled to
request or receive information that would be deemed illegal by the Americans With
Disabilities Act of 1994. You can not ask probing questions regarding their medical
history. You can only verify that they are physically able to perform your job duties with
reasonable accommodations.
- Get specific starting and ending dates for employment. An applicant
should NEVER supply you with only the years (i.e. their application should not say,
"From 1991-1992 I worked for the Jones family." This could be as little as two
DAYS of employment!). It is acceptable to supply only the month/year in situations where
they were employed for over one year at the same employer. Otherwise you need to have the
actual date.
- Find out the reason that they left all previous employers and verify
this information with the employer. I once had an applicant tell me that she had left her
last employer because of a very nasty and expensive divorce. Allegedly the family could no
longer afford her services. That is a very sensitive piece of information to verify -- and
indeed the parent did mention the divorce in our conversation. But I also asked, "Was
there anything regarding the reason you asked her to leave that had anything to do with
Mary’s job performance?" The answer was a resounding YES, and the parent went on
to detail a long list of reasons for her dismissal.
- Be careful of who you accept for personal references. These people
should know the applicant well, but have no ulterior motive for wanting the applicant to
have employment with you. These should be people who will have a relationship with the
applicant that is such that will allow them to answer your questions honestly -- without
any personal, social or financial repercussions. We used to ask if the personal references
were related to the applicant. Now we ask, "if they are currently or may they at any
time have been related to you?" We catch a lot of ‘significant others’, future
in-laws, etc. with this question. Also ask if the reference has any financial
considerations for wanting the applicant to have employment -- such as a roommate or
someone that is owed money?
- Get the details of their education and request a copy of their
transcripts either from the applicant or from their school. Transcripts will verify their
education and also list rank in class, GPA and usually absence and tardiness.
- If the person is coming to your home, find out what will be the
primary mode of transportation? And will it be available to them during working hours? You
need to know if the applicant is relying on someone else to get to and from work.
- If the person is coming to your home, ask them if they have any known
allergies to anything commonly found in a household? This includes chemicals, foods,
plants and animals.
- Ask them if any child has ever needed medical care while in their
care? If so, how did they handle it?
- What are their guidelines and rules regarding sick
children? If
you’re hiring someone for your home -- will they still come if your children are ill?
If you are taking your children to them (1) will they still take them if they are ill? and
(2) if there are other children in his/her care, what will s/he do to insure that your
children don’t get sick, and (3) if s/he has children of her/his own, what will s/he
do when her/his children are sick?
- Ask the applicant whether they want long-term or short-term
employment. And then ask them to define their answer with a specific time frame. I
can’t count the number of applicants that I have spoken to that have said they wanted
long-term employment, only to find out that they considered two months to be
"long-term". And then make sure that you refrain from saying "Oh, I want
someone for the next three years too!" This statement could be construed as an
employment contract. Always present your employment as being "at-will" with no
specific length of time. If you need to discuss length of employment make sure you say
"I will need child care for the next two years" -- not "I will be hiring
someone to work for me for the next two years."
- If you are hiring a non-smoker: Do you smoke? Do you live with a
smoker? Will a smoker ever transport you to work? We ask the additional two questions
because many times the applicant is not a smoker -- but lives with a smoker and needs to
be notified that you expect her to arrive ‘smoke-free’ and therefore, she will
need to take extra precautions in order to do this.
- Ask about any convictions for any crimes. If this is a
‘yes’ you will need to probe further to find out what it was for and whether it
will have an effect on your decision.
While this list is not meant to be all-inclusive, it
will be an invaluable resource as you conduct your childcare search. Above all else, take
the time to do it right -- you can not afford to do it over.
Shari Schroeder is the mother of sixteen-year-old Jason. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in
Human Resources, is the President of Parent’s TIME-OUT, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona and
the author of The Nanny Hiring Kit. She can be reached at 480-460-1200.
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