The
Anxious Parents' Guide to
Quality Childcare
by
Michelle Ehrich
Order
the Book
Below is an excerpt from the book
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Chapter 6: Screening and Interviewing
You are now at a turning point. Until now, we have focused
on developing the means to conduct an effective search for
quality childcare and our efforts have been fairly
self-contained. This chapter will offer you advice on
screening and interviewing a pool of applicants...
SCREENING INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES (and DEALING WITH COMPETITION
IN THE MARKETPLACE)
When I first began to screen and interview live-in nanny
candidates by telephone, I spent the bulk of the initial
interview (immediately after the screening) discussing
Candidate Qualifications and Job Requirements in a very
factual and businesslike (yet not unfriendly) manner.
In two early instances, once when I called back a candidate
for the second interview and once when I spoke to the agency
for feedback, I learned that the candidates had since made
plans to visit another family (i.e. the face-to-face interview)
because they "just hit it off right away with the mother/family
(i.e. employer)". Then it dawned on me: even though I thought
that our position and children were the best in the world,
there was a lot of competition out there! Read that sentence
again to make sure you remember it!
This was an important lesson to be learned. I modified my
interview methods, adopting a more conversational approach
to form a personal connection with the candidate. I began to
spend more time initially talking about the personalities of
our children, our priorities in life, our perspectives on
childcare and our community etc., then gradually shifting
focus to learning more about the candidate’s qualifications.
It took a bit more time up front, but this enabled me to form
a personal connection by selling the candidates on "us" - our
family, our children, our job and our town - before I took the
time to learn more about their qualifications and assess if I
was interested in them. While the success of your efforts in
"selling the job" to a strong candidate may not be immediately
evident, your failure in this regard can be readily so.
Chapter 7: How To REALLY Check References
If you have gotten to the point where you like a candidate
or center enough to arrange for an personal face-to-face
interview, take the time to check references first. Do so
for any childcare arrangement you might be considering,
( in or out of home), even if the candidate came very highly
recommended from a close friend or relative, and even if you
are 100 percent certain that this is the right candidate for
your position. Think of the rush you feel when experiencing
love at first sight and the letdown that occurs once you see
your beloved in the light of day. References complement the
interview process by serving as a vital reality check. Keep
in mind that checking references is about as much fun as
interviewing, so you may find it necessary to remind yourself
that you have a very important and worthy goal: finding the
very best caregiver and arrangement for your child....
Human nature is such that people shy away from saying bad
things about others, especially to strangers who call from
out of the blue. When calling a reference, keep this in mind
and be gracious as you introduce yourself and explain the
purpose of your call.....The manner in which you pose your
reference questions should be informal and friendly rather
than adversarial. Be well prepared so that the conversation
is productive and you don't waste anyone's time.
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