Interviews: Mycare’s top 10 tips

Never interviewed anyone before? Here’s some advice to help ensure plain sailing when hiring a home care worker.

1. If your family member is able, he or she should be included in the interview process and have a say in the final decision. Pay close attention to how your potential care workers interact with them. Do they communicate well, have shared interests or seem to ‘hit it off’?
   
   
2. Remember you don’t have to interview everyone who applies for the job. Carefully consider the applicants’ profiles, and politely respond with a brief and friendly ‘Thanks but no thanks’ message to those who aren’t a good fit.
   
   
3. Create a shortlist of possible candidates, but don’t feel obliged to hold face-to-face interviews with them all. Other ways to screen workers or hold a preliminary interview include chatting via email or on the phone, or making a free video call on Skype. Use this opportunity to be honest about the specifics of the role, discuss the hours and hourly rate in detail and find out more about them.
   
   
4. If you still don’t feel comfortable inviting them to your home, arrange for your first meeting to be in a public place, such as a local café. As well as the person for whom they’ll be providing care, you might like to invite a family member or friend to come along to provide a second opinion.
   
   
5. Prepare for the interview by having a list of questions ready. These could include:
   • How would you describe yourself?
   • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
   • What did you like or dislike about your previous roles?
   • Describe a stressful experience you’ve had when caring for someone and how you coped with it.
   • How do you feel about caring for a person with memory problems/disabilities/decreased mobility?
   • How would you handle someone who’s angry, frustrated or scared? How would you respect their dignity?
   • Do you have a car?
   • Are you physically able to support someone with decreased mobility?
   • Is there anything about this job that you wouldn’t be prepared to do?
   • Why should we hire you?
   • Do have any questions for us or concerns about the job?
     
     
6. Ask candidates to bring with them originals or photocopies of any supporting documentation listed on their Mycare profile, such as their driver’s licence (if you need them to drive), CV, training certificates or Ministry of Justice check. Ask for professional and/or personal references. These may be in writing or you could contact the referee yourself. Listen carefully to what the referee is saying, and note their tone. Do they sound enthusiastic about the candidate, or are their answers short and vague?
   
   
7. Before hiring anyone, it’s vital to have them come to your home so you can observe them in the environment with the person for whom they’ll be providing care. You might like to do this with your top two candidates. At this meeting, reiterate the details of the agreement and go through your list of expectations and ‘house rules’ about things such as break times and mobile phone use.
   
   
8. Straight after the interview, jot down your impressions – and listen to your gut. If possible, discuss the interview with a family member or friend. Consider who’s most qualified for the job and – importantly – who you feel the most comfortable with.
   
   
9. If you’re both happy, you're ready to sign the agreement you created at Mycare.
   
   
10. Don’t be afraid to say no. No matter how far into the interview process you’ve progressed, you should never feel pressured to hire someone you don’t feel good about. If you don’t wish to hire someone, don’t leave them hanging. Promptly send a polite message letting them know that they weren’t successful and thanking them for their time.