Adventures in Hiring

Since coming home from the hospital, most of my time has been consumed by physical therapy and hiring new Personal Assistance (PA) staff. I terminated the employee who dropped me in January. leaving me with a huge vacancy in my PA schedule. In addition, I am home-bound now (at least for the next six weeks) and require assistance during the day. During my hospitalization, the staff and other patients often asked me about the process I use to recruit and hire new staff. This is my routine. It may not work best for you or someone you know, but I have found it to be successful.

The first thing I always tell people who are new to hiring PAs is to remember you are seeking an employee. You are not hiring a friend. You are not looking for someone to take control of your life. You are hiring an employee who will assist you in living the best life you can live. You may develop a friendly relationship, but at the end of the day that PA is paid to be your staff. Treat your role as an employer seriously, and learn your responsibilities. This may include learning some basic information about how to write a job posting, how to conduct an interview, what questions are illegal to ask, or when to make the job offer.

One of the best resources I have found for recruiting new staff is Craigslist. I place my job posting, and within an hour I have applicants sending me emails expressing their interest. Granted, not every applicant is worth an interview. But for sheer volume of potential employees, I find Craigslist to be the most economical.

Last year, on the advice of peers, I began using an online screening survey to help weed out select potential candidates for interviews. This brief survey includes questions about prior experience and the qualities I deem essential for employment. Most applicants are willing to complete the survey and the results have made my recruiting and hiring efforts less taxing. The survey is the best tool I’ve used to help me identify candidates worthy of a phone interview.

The phone interview is important for many reasons. First, I schedule the interview with the candidate so they are required to call me at a set time. If a candidate cannot keep an appointment for a phone interview, they will never be able to make a scheduled shift on time. Of the candidates I invite to participate in a phone interview, approximately 50% fail to call at the scheduled time. Second, the phone interview helps me eliminate people who are not good candidates for in-person interviews. I can ask questions about any of the candidate’s survey responses which may have caused concern or seemed not quite truthful. I am surprised at how many people say one thing in the survey but then contradict themselves on the phone. And third, sometimes the candidates simply are not interested in pursuing the job after learning more during the phone interview. I would rather eliminate someone who knows my job is not the right employment opportunity for them at this stage. It saves time and energy for both of us to not have them come for an in-person interview for a job they know is not a good fit.

Last week, I received eighteen responses to my job posting in just three days. Seven candidates completed the online survey. I held two phone interviews (the third person never called). I knew after the phone interviews there was really only one person I wanted to interview in person. She came to my house on Saturday for an interview. After telling her more about the job, and my expectations for an employee, I asked her questions. In addition to saying all the right answers, she had an upbeat personality and glowing references. Her questions for me showed maturity and understanding. Thankfully, she accepted the job offer and will start this week.

One of my most popular posts last year was this post about the importance of meeting personal needs. It takes a carefully curated team of paid PA staff, family and friends to maintain my independent lifestyle. Since returning home from the hospital, my support network has gone above and beyond expectations – assisting me with personal care, doing laundry, bringing me meals, doing my errands and grocery shopping. Their help allowed me the time required to successfully recruit and hire new staff without worrying about how to meet my basic needs.

With my personal care needs met, I now feel like I can finally begin the process of adjusting to my new “normal” at home. Having adequate staff means I can complete my home exercise program three times each day as recommended. I can drink more fluids since I have more consistent assistance using the bathroom during the day. I am able to focus more on recovery than the tasks required just to stay alive.

Current status: Sitting in a sunbeam in my dining room, preparing to write thank you notes, drinking another cup of coffee because I can go pee later!