Special thanks to our guest blogger Anna Gale from CareLinx. CareLinx helps you easi
ly screen, hire and manage quality caregivers who match your specific needs and budget. Save up to 50% on Home Care.
Once you have narrowed down a handful of candidates in the search for the perfect caregiver, nanny etc, you are faced with the challenge of being in the interviewing process. We’ve all been there. The introduction, the handshake, the sitting down. And then what?
Some great tips to get started include:
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Creating an assessment list. This list should be breaking down the “must haves” in the person who will be caring for your loved one. The more thorough the assessment list, the easier the interview will go since you have thought through the exact qualifications you are interested in seeing. This assessment list should contain questions like: What type of care does my loved one need? How much am I able to spend? How many hours a day/days per week will care be needed? Etc.
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Be sure to take notes during the interview. Since you are asking a lot of questions you may want to keep a notepad handy to jot down the most important questions you need answered.
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Don’t feel like you need to fill in all the lulls in the conversation. Take a breather between questions and see what happens. A few breaks in the interview may be provide you with additional insights into the person you are interviews by allowing them to jump in unprompted.
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The more questions you ask the better. Your interview is the perfect time to get a sense of the history and personality of the interviewee, so make it count.
When going into an interview, the most important tip is to think of it as a conversation. The overall goal is to find a qualified individual that works with your loved one’s shared interests and personality, so if you don’t feel the connection during the interview then there are still plenty of individuals who can meet your loved ones standards.