Sittercity’s screening platform is a great way to find your final list of candidates. Assuming that you have narrowed down your potential candidates, the next step would be to have a face-to-face interview with them.
The question now is, do you just meet with them and fire random questions as you talk with them or should you prepare a list of questions to help you better know the person who can best fit the job of taking care of your loved ones.
I hope the obvious answer to you would be to have a set of prepared questions ready for the interview. Also read: Use a Sittercity Deal to Save Money
For starters, having a list of interview questions helps you maximize your time as well as your potential sitter’s time to get to know one another and help you (and the sitter) in making the right decisions.
Why Have An Babysitter Interview Questions Checklist?
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Why is having a list of questions important for the sitdown interview? For starters, having a list of interview questions helps you maximize your time as well as your potential sitter’s time to get to know one another and help you (and the sitter) in making the right decisions.
Additionally, it also helps gather information in a more organized manner so that you can better evaluate the candidate.
If you still do not have a ready set of questions to ask a potential candidate, you can check-out this comprehensive parent-babysitter interview checklist.
This babysitter interview checklist covers important general questions on babysitting, background and experience, the sitter’s current life situation, training and safety, behavioral questions, and responsibilities and tasks.
It’s a really great checklist to have and use to find out whether a candidate will fit your and your family’s needs.
I highly recommend that you type out your questions and bring your cheat sheet so that you do not forget to ask any of the important questions.
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Also during the interview, make sure to show the potential candidates that you are taking notes.
Make Sure To Take Notes
Also during the interview, make sure to show the potential candidates that you are taking notes.
That will make the potential candidate be more accountable to all the information that he or she will be telling you and also helps you keep track of information that will be pertinent to your decision-making. Also read: Learn More About Sittercity’s Background Check On Sitter Candidates
Now if you don’t feel like taking notes (although I think that this is the best way to be more organized with the interview process), you can also record your conversation with a recording app on your smartphone.
However, you have to make sure that you inform the candidate that the interview is being recorded. If she agrees to be recorded, makes sure that the candidate’s verbal agreement is recorded too.
If you can record and take notes at the same time, then that will be a more ideal option.
If you can record and take notes at the same time, then that will be a more ideal option. Having a recording of the conversation allows you to review the whole interview process. Furthermore, if your spouse is not present during the interview, he or she can listen to how the conversation went as well.
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As for the sitter candidate, the person’s awareness that you are taking notes and recording the conversation will make her or him more accountable to what they tell you during the interview.
Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate. Click here for details.
Do you already have a set of interview questions? Do you take notes or record interviews you have with potential sitters? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences.
A nerd at heart (haha), I have been following and analyzing the world of online sitters for a couple of years now and have seen a lot of innovations and changes in this market. In between taking care of my loving (and demanding 😜) family and writing, I also do a lot of “traveling” on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel. Read More
I’ve never considered having a written checklist before but after reading your article, I think it’s kind of idiotic of me. LOL. Anyway, I downloaded your checklist so now all I have to do is choose the questions that apply to me. How convenient! Thank you!
Creating a checklist for the face to face interview seems common sense. But somehow, I never thought of it. Thanks for the awesome tip.
Well, now I have a checklist. Thanks for that idea. I went on to create one soon as I read your article. Keep those interesting and helpful articles coming 🙂
I always make sure all the questions are written down on a piece of paper. Then I just cross each one out when it has been asked and answered. I take if from there.
This should be a safer and better way to find a sitter. If there’s one thing I don’t enjoy is making small talks with the applicants. This should set everything straight.
Yes, I actually have a checklist now. I learned that from you 🙂 It’s such a time saver. I am able to get to the point with all the right questions. Thanks.
At first, I thought asking for a resume was the greatest idea. Now, I am learning the importance of having a checklist. All these tips I’m learning from you are very useful. Although if you think about it, it’s kinda common sense. But let’s face, who did this way before? I never did. It’s only now that I’m learning to do it properly.
I actually interviewed the first applicant yesterday. This is the first time I am hiring from sittercity and I am doing everything I have picked up from your website, So far it’s working. This checklist idea is a good one 🙂
I’m taking your word on this. Having a checklist sounds like a good idea in the event that I need to hire a babysitter. It can make the sitter search more credible. I like it.
This is a good way for me to ask intelligent questions. For me, it’s important that the sitter knows how serious I am in finding someone to watch my kids.
For once, I can actually have a list of applicants to interview. This didn’t seem possible in the past but now I have hope that I can actually come up with a reliable list of applicants to choose from. I am excited to see all the replies to my job post. I will also come up with my own checklist for the interview. I think that’s a great idea.
It’s about time I should have one. I’m going to write down all the qualities that I want in a babysitter. Then I will take it from there. Thanks for the idea.
A checklist should get me to ask the right questions. Also, I can have full control of the interview portion since I can focus on asking all the questions I have listed down.
I have picked up a lot of useful tips in hiring a babysitter from your website. Now every time I interview an applicant, I seem to be more in control by asking the right questions. That really helps me screen out the applicants really well.
You just gave me two good ideas: making a checklist and recording the interview process. While I do think that Sittercity can get me the right sitter, I know that it’s still my responsibility to chose one that is right for my kids. The checklist and the recording can really help me choose the better sitter for my kids.
I would do anything to find the most dependable babysitter for my two kids. Your checklist concept is a good idea.
Having a checklist is a good idea. It will save me a lot of time and I can get the information I want. The interview won’t go any other way but my way 🙂
I’m definitely making my list of questions. That is a good idea!