Best Practices For Hiring Quality Candidates

We are often asked by families what will make their job most attractive for the highest caliber candidates. We have found that the highest success rate for finding a strong pool of candidates is for a position to meet most, if not all, of the following criteria:

  • Competitive pay
    • The pool of interested candidates decreases when the hourly rate is not commensurate with the market average for professional, screened candidates.
    • We require all of our families to pay their employees legally. We are happy to recommend a household tax and payroll agency that will provide complimentary information and any eligible tax benefits.
  • Standard M-F business hours
    • The pool of interested candidates decreases when a position is <30 hours, includes any weekend days, requires overnights or travel, or is >50-55 hours)
  • Job description is industry standard
    • Additional recruiting will likely be required with items like bilingual requirements, educational requirements, special skills, a wide range of flexibility required, etc.
  • Location matches a large concentration of candidates
    • Additional recruiting will likely be required to identify candidates in outer areas
  • Benefits meet or exceed industry standards
    • The pool of interested candidates decreases when the position does not offer industry standard time off. The typical minimum vacation for a full-time employee is 2 weeks/year, and 3-5 days of sick time (or all days grouped together as paid time off – PTO – that can used for any purpose). This also varies greatly by position and their past experiences. Standard paid holidays are: New year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve.
    • The biggest request / interest we see for additional benefits are contributions to their health insurance plans. Stipends, as well as other benefits options, are explained, and can be administered through, our household payroll and tax partners. Ask your placement manager for more details.

We understand that families cannot typically tailor their position to meet all of the criteria. However, we do find that this list provides guidance as to what areas can be altered (when possible) in order to cast a wider net of interested candidates, and give you the best options.