You may be wondering how to reach out to a potential special needs caregiver for the first time. How should I start the conversation, what questions should I ask, should I set up an interview? To make things a little easier for you, we’ve put together an interview guide filled with best practices to follow!
We highly recommend reaching out through Joshin to set up time for an interview or meet-and-greet before hiring a new disability caregiver or sitter. This gives both the individual seeking care and caregiver the opportunity to ask questions and get to know each other.
An interview can be conducted over Facetime or a video chat and last anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour – however long you feel necessary. Another option is to schedule a meet-and-greet. This gives everyone the chance to interact with each other as they would on a Care Date. We do encourage individuals to schedule a Care Date and optionally pay their hourly rate for a meet-and-greet.
Here are some helpful tips to get the conversation started when reaching out to a disability caregiver or sitter for the first time through the Joshin app.
Requesting an Interview in Joshin messenger…
“Hi (name)! I’m so glad we connected and would love to schedule a virtual interview. I’m interested in hearing more about your experience and getting to know you better. The call should only take 30 minutes. Please let me know if any of the following days and times work for you. I look forward to hearing from you!”
Book an Interview
1. Send a Care Date Request in the Joshin app and leave a note “Interview”.
2. We recommended scheduling 20-30 minutes.
3. The caregiver will be sent a notification and accept the request.
Requesting an in-person Meet-and-greet in Joshin messenger…
“Hi (name)! I’m so glad we connected and would love to schedule a meet-and-greet. I’m interested in seeing you interact with (myself/loved-one/child) and learning more about you. You can plan on this taking one hour and can plan on getting paid the listed hourly rate. I will book this as a Care Date through the app once we decide on a date and time. I look forward to hearing from you!
Book a Meet-and-Greet:
1. Send a Care Date Request in the Joshin app and leave a note “Interview” or “Meet-and-Greet.”
2. We recommended scheduling one hour.
3. The caregiver will be sent a notification and accept the request.
4. Once the meet-and-greet is over, you’ll be sent billing information.
5. The caregiver will be paid for their time through Joshin.
Ask Questions
While interviews are a time to share job expectations and duties, it’s important for you to ask questions and get to know your potential special needs sitter. To make sure you found the right fit, here are a few questions you can ask.
Tip: Start by telling the candidate about yourself or loved one and the support you’re looking for.
- What is your experience caring for individuals with special needs?
- Why are you passionate about being a special needs caregiver?
- What qualities make you a good fit for this job?
- Tell me about a challenging time while caregiving and how you overcame that challenge.
- Confirm availability.
So you found the right fit? Hooray! Now, you can schedule Care Dates, pay your caregiver (and leave an optional tip), and leave reviews all through Joshin!
Looking to schedule care? Find special needs caregivers near you.