Human resource managers arrange and conduct interviews everyday, but you will probably face the task once or twice a year at the most. To ensure that you can pick the right domestic staff employee from hundreds of hopefuls, follow these tips and advice
Short listing
Your first task is to draw up a shortlist of prospective domestic staff candidates.
Drawing up a shortlist involves cutting through the pile of applicants until you have a selection of candidates that you would like to request for interview.
If you have stipulated a level of qualification, skill or experience in the job advertisement, you should be able to reject many candidates out of hand – you’ll be surprised at just how many people apply for jobs that they are obviously not qualified for.
To reach your final selection, read the CV’s and covering letters and pick the best ones; a shortlist of five or six domestic staff candidates should be enough. Set aside at least one hour for each interview (this gives you time to write notes, have a coffee break and a stretch)
When you contact the prospective interviewees, provide clear instructions covering:
- Where you are located and how to get there
- What they should bring with them
- Who they should ask for
- How long the interview is likely to last
- Whether they will be re-imbursed for travel expenses
Interviewing
It's essential to know in advance what you want to ask each candidate. Don't be tempted to make it up as you go along, it won't look professional and you won't find out what you need to know. The answers to your questions need to give you an insight into what each candidate has to offer and also what they can’t provide. Remember, the person you select will have a major influence on the future of your household.
As a guide interviews should last around 45 minutes.
Try to create a relaxed atmosphere, since this will give domestic staff candidates the best chance of showing themselves in a good light. However, the interview should also be structured so that you can cover everything in the short time available.
Rather than bombard the candidates with questions, consider starting the interview by telling them about the household and include what’s important to the family or client. This allows the candidates to settle, listen and not have to respond straight away.
Now that you are relaxed and talking, you can move onto asking questions. Always try to ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered simply by “yes” or “no”, for example:
“Over the last ten years you’ve had several good positions in well know homes, which position did you like the most. What was good about it, what didn’t you like about it and why did you decide to leave?”
This will give you some indication of whether the candidate is suitable and what their motivation is for applying. If elements that they disliked in their previous job are in the job you are offering it will obviously cause problems.
“Where would you like to be in 5 years' time?”
This will give you an idea about the ambitions of the domestic staff candidate and whether they have a realistic idea about the prospects of the job you are offering.
You can then discuss the job you are offering and how their skills would enable them to do it well. A useful technique is to ask how they would react to a series of scenarios that could occur in the job.
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
Designed to tell you what they are good at and, alternatively, how well they can take criticism and learn from their mistakes.
Finally, if you are recruiting in a hurry remember to ask the candidates when they would be able to start and if they have any holidays booked or family commitments.
Recording the interview
Making notes during the interview must not be at the expense of dialogue. Write down your impressions a bit more fully afterwards, while they are still fresh in your mind. It might be good to have a marking system but make sure that you are consistent.
As well as reactions to their answers, you should also record other more general impressions on how well they are suited to the job and the company. Also important are features such as enthusiasm, self-confidence, communication skills and smartness of appearance.
The fact that you need to compare the domestic staff candidates means it is important to do all the interviews in the shortest possible time.
Legal Pitfalls
Although it is natural to want to find out as much as possible during the interview, you don’t have a completely free rein. Legally, there are some questions that you can’t ask.
At all costs you must not be seen to discriminate; there are three main ways in which your questions could be discriminatory:
Sex & Sexuality
Obviously you should avoid sexist comments but you should also avoid questions such as “Are you planning to start a family?” If you don’t employ someone because they say that they are, you are being discriminatory and are liable for a claim against you.
Disability
If the domestic staff candidate discloses a disability, you can’t use it as a reason not to employ them unless it is justified. Somebody who’s physically disabled and unable to walk more than medium distance obviously wouldn’t be suitable for a job as a guide rambling the gardens & hilly terrain of a large county estate, but there’s no reason why that person shouldn’t be employed in the: main-house; help-centre; estate-office or gift-shop. If it will only take small adjustments to enable them to do the job in question, you must make these adjustments.
Any questions relating to disability must be carefully worded. They need to centre on how their disability will not get in the way of the job rather than why it would exclude them.
Race
You can’t discriminate on grounds of race. This covers both ethnic background and country of origin. The chief pitfall is in stereotyping people.
As a general rule: Only ask questions which help you make a decision about whether you are going to employ them for the job. Don’t ask a (discriminatory) question that helps you decide who not to employ – it’s probably unlawful.
Contractual agreements
On a more general note, you should also be careful that you don’t make any promises in the interview that you can’t keep. If you offer someone a job along with all sorts of benefits, and they accept – you can’t then change the offer because you realize that you can’t afford it.
Be cautious with your wording and don’t promise the earth unless you’re going to give it. If you offer them the domestic staff job and they say, “Fantastic, I’ll start on Monday”, then its a contractual agreement. Just because it’s verbal, doesn’t mean it’s not binding,”
Making a decision
Once you have interviewed all the candidates it’s time to make the decision which is rarely easy to make as it depends on many factors. The decision is crucial, especially in private households where the right personality is of paramount importance.
If all your notes and marking systems are simply making you more confused, remember that you are employing a person not a robot!
Unfortunately this is not an exact science – some really bad mistakes can be made because sometimes unsuitable domestic staff candidates do interview well. There may only be a ‘gut feeling’ that one person will be suitable or another not. If there is nothing more tangible than this ‘gut feeling’ to go on then select the person YOU feel most comfortable with.
Alternatively, if it’s possible, you may like to suggest that a candidate works in your home for a one or two day paid trial (vital if it’s a chef). Watch how the candidate works and how they interact with the other domestic staff along with the members of the family….. Follow the trial with an informal chat to ascertain how you both feel before deciding.
If you don’t find anyone you want to employ, don’t panic. When there is a lack of suitable candidates do not start thinking, “I’ve got to appoint someone.” This is the worst approach, if you can’t find domestic staff that are good enough, then do without them, and if you are desperate, get someone on a short term contract.
Comming Soon: A Directory of FreeLance Staff
Checking references
Once you’ve made the final offer, just one thing remains – checking the domestic staff references. There are a number of ways of doing this, including by mail, by telephone, by third party or in person.
Always check references, and do consider that you must not discount a candidate simply because a past employer has written something that isn’t exactly glowing. Don’t take written references at face value. Go back to each referee and ask them to elaborate.
Once these have been checked to your satisfaction, you can confirm the start-date, prepare the contract and a cover letter making the domestic staff job offer in full.
Link to an example: cover letter
Link to an example: contract |
