How To Best Prepare For An Interview

Interviews are essential when looking to find a suitable domestic helper; this should be done carefully, not in haste.  The interview will allow you to assess and evaluate the domestic helper’s communication skills and work ethic.

It can be difficult to outsource the interview process as you need to test and see if you vibe well with the domestic helper; this is also where you see if the domestic helper’s personality is suitable for your children and family setup. 

Personally interviewing shortlisted candidates via video or face-to-face is recommended. This process will help you get a sense of the candidates, personality, attitude, willingness and, body language. You may consider questions like: Do I want someone who is less experienced but willing to learn, or do I want a helper with a lot of experience.

Interview Preparation

When you prepare for interviews, you can consider questions based on your needs and expectations. If this is your first time and you don’t know where to start, you can check out job ads posted by other employers. This will give you an idea of what skills to look for and what salary to offer. 

It’s also important to identify why you are hiring a domestic helper. Is it because you need someone to take care of the kids while you are at work? Do you feel you need more free time? Is it because the elders in your house need more help? 

Interview preparation:

The next step is to have a list of questions to learn about your helper’s personality and skills. 

Interview Location

Consider the best location for the interview. Choose a place where you feel comfortable so that you can concentrate during the interview. Make sure that it’s somewhere quiet so you two can hear each other. If you do this in a public place, be somewhere where there are few distractions. If you interview by video call, make sure your internet connection is stable, and there’s no distracting background noise. 

Interview Time

Some candidates are only available on Sundays when it’s their day off. It might be tempting to meet many candidates in one day; but, make sure you allow sufficient time for everyone you screen that day so that there’s no rush when you talk to them. You’ll want to take your time to get to know them well. 

It’s also better to have a few candidate options so you can compare everyone’s skills before making a final decision. Check their work experience, attitude, and character. Be mindful when deciding which candidate is best suited for you.

If you are interviewing many candidates, it might be useful to create a list of interview questions. You can add essential pointers to help you in your interview. These can help you recall what questions to ask to get the crucial details needed to summarize the candidate’s profile. Don’t forget to ask the candidate to bring their passport and previous contracts to validate their work experience and any reference letters or training certificates they may have.

Questions you can ask when interviewing the helper

It might be tempting to ask many questions, but make sure your questions are organized so it will be easier for the helper to explain all the details. 

Here are some of the different areas you should go through: 

1. Helper’s background

Since the helper will manage the household, ask her questions about her experience as a domestic helper and her background. You can also ask why she wants to be a domestic helper and why she’s interested in this job. Find out why she’s leaving her employer. Is it because of living arrangements, or does she feel overworked? Be open-minded when you ask her questions. 

2. Responsibilities

Try to ask open-ended questions, ones that are not just a yes or no answer. Ask the helper about her daily tasks, the chores she likes doing, and her experience taking care of kids. A suggestion is to ask her how she would plan a weekly food menu if she’s assigned cooking duties. To manage expectations, ask her if she’s used to an employer giving her a set to-do list or a detailed plan for the week and the arrangements for her rest days.

3. Add some situational questions.

Come up with a scenario to see how she will respond. For example, if there’s an emergency in the house and you are out or at the office, what will she do? This is just a potential situation that could happen while she’s working for you. Another example could be, if the child she’s taking care of started to throw a tantrum, how does she respond?

4. Show your best self too.

Remember that this is not just you looking for the best candidate; the candidate is also looking for the employer most suited to them. So smile, be kind and act professionally in front of them. Give your candidates information about your lifestyle, your children, family background, pets if you have, and the tasks you’re expecting the helper to take on. Do not forget to ask the candidate if they have questions for you too. 

If you are also willing to pay a bonus or pay for their additional flights from home, let them know. This is also when you can talk about personal expectations, including working hours, health insurance, days off, skills, etc.  

Remember that excellent candidates are hired quickly by other employers. If you like the candidate, ask them to give you a call if someone else has offered them a job. This will help to ensure you don’t lose a great candidate.

Interview Questions that can help you:

Skills:

• Do you have any cooking skills?
• What dishes can you cook? 
• Can you follow recipes from a cookbook?
• Have you ever done that before? If so, how did it turn out?
• From these three duties, what do you do best: taking care of children, cooking, or household chores?
• Do you like taking care of children? 
• How old were the kids you took care of before? 
• How about babies? Do you think you can take care of a baby as well? 
• Are you familiar with first aid training? In the instance where a child hit his head and then felt sick, what should you do? 
• If the child is rude or naughty, how do you handle that?
• What other skills do you have? For example, sewing, changing a light bulb, etc.
• Have you had special training that adds to your qualifications?  

Employers/Experience

• Can you describe a typical working day with your current or previous employer? 
• What did/does your work schedule look like? 
• Describe your responsibilities and what you like/dislike about them? 
• Do you think your commitments were/are too much, or just right with how much you are being paid?

• Can you tell me more about your past employers and how long have you worked for them? 
• Can they give you recommendation letters or contact information? 
• Where were they located?

Salary

• How much is your current salary? 
• What are your salary expectations? 
• If you are  given a salary above the minimum, what makes you think your work is worth more than the other candidates who applied?

Personal Qualities

Do you think you are an independent person who takes initiative, or do you function better when tasks are explained to you? 

Please describe yourself.

• What are your interests outside of work? 
• What is your religion? 
• Do you attend church on Sunday? 
• Do you have any sports that you like? 
• What are your hobbies or interests? 
• Is your family ok with you being far from them? How often do you communicate with them?
• Which country are you from? How long have you been in that country?
• What is your civil status? 
• Do you have any children? Who takes care of them when you’re away?

Setting expectations  between you and your helper

What are your expectations as a domestic helper? What other goals do you want to achieve in life? How long are you planning to work here?

Do you know the city well enough that you’re able to go out without someone giving  you directions? Are you comfortable in this district or area?

Why do you want to change your employer? Did your previous employer not renew your contract? If that’s the case, why? 

You may want to ask other questions, but these are just some basic ones that can help you start your interview.

The helper will also have a choice on whether they want the job or not. Make sure that you give them time to ask questions regarding the job, responsibilities, expectations, living arrangements, and so on.