7 Top Questions that Employers Might Ask in Hiring a Caregiver
iSavta | 05.10.2020
Being hired as a caregiver is also a long process and there are a million questions that you need to answer if you are applying. Listed down below are the top question that employers might ask you in this hiring process.
Take note that they need to know more about you and how you fit in their home care plan for their seniors. Make sure that you answer these questions to the best of your knowledge so they can lean on to hiring you than the other candidates.
7 Top Questions that Employers Might Ask in Hiring a Caregiver
Be in the position of the employer so you can anticipate the questions that might ask. The questions here are from the perspective of your future boss so we will look into why they have these questions. In this way, you will be able to answer the questions well.
- Why did you choose to be a caregiver?
Maybe start with your casual interview into how the applicant decided to be a caregiver. You can ask him or her to be honest with you about their reason why they chose to be in this quite difficult career. How the applicant answers give you a peek into his or her mind, character, and intentions.
- Who were your last two (2) patients and how did you care for them?
You would want to know the caregiver’s capabilities of taking care of your seniors that is why you need to ask for their past work experience. Getting into the details of how they were able to care for their other patients would also help you get to know them more.
- Why did you leave your last job?
Now, you also need to find out the reason why they left their last patient. Watch out for the red flags like for example, they did not like their shift or they were asked to leave. Although this may be tricky to really know the truth, at least you can assess how they answer this question.
- What was your formal medical training?
The agency can provide this information but it would also do no harm if you can ask more on this subject. Probe on their strengths and weaknesses in medical assistance as this will be high on the list of the things that they will be doing for your patient.
- Do you have experience in dealing with patients who has Dementia and Alzheimer’s? Please describe the situation and how did you manage it.
Whether you have a patient with Dementia and Alzheimer’s or not, it is also important to know this if they can handle this situation. You may ask them the stage of the illness and how they were able to help the patient. This is crucial because your patient may develop the illness sooner than you can imagine.
- How do you handle your ‘difficult’ patients?
Here you will know the temperament of the caregiver. Assess them on how they deal with the situation. This will come in helpful because some seniors, if not most, are not really compliant with receiving home care.
- Are you able to lift heavy weights?
Do not assume that all caregivers lift because they might not be able to do that. You can not just judge a person from looking at them so it would be better to ask them. Then you can be sure if they can really fit your patient’s needs.
Other Things You Need to Prepare
There are still a hundred questions or more that they might ask you as a caregiver applicant. But look into these additional things that you need to prepare before applying.
Provide your character references.
It is best to provide character references because this will help them in their decision. Remember that they are letting you into their household and their lives. In any job position, character references are asked to also provide the employer with ways to verify from another person that you might have worked with or have known you for a long time.
Prepare your certificates of training and other paperwork.
It is best to not only claim that you have undergone training but show proof that you have. Most employers will appreciate that you have this in your portfolio so they will also know your qualifications.
Ready for the Interview?
Ace the interview but also do not forget to be sincere and true to yourself. It is but natural for you as the employer to screen the applicants because this is not just another job. This person they are hiring will be taking care of their family members who need the best assistance and medical care. After all, our elderly deserve to have the best quality of life for the rest of their days.
Read more about Caregiving 101
Caregiving 101