For an updated, expanded version of this article see 65 Caregiver Interview Questions to Help You Hire the Right Caregivers.

Studies show that interviews predict job performance; however, not all interviews are created equal. Before diving into the hiring process, carefully selecting interview questions can make the difference between hiring an employee who’s rehearsed versus one who’s actually ready to take on the challenges of home care.

With caregiver turnover on the rise, it’s especially important for home care providers to hire quality employees right from the get-go. One way to ensure that you find these valuable recruits is by choosing questions that filter for excellence.

On-the-job success can often be difficult to gauge in the interview process when you can’t see the caregivers work in real-time. These four key question types, when used in balance, will give you a well-rounded view of your interviewee’s qualifications, personality, and success rate before even taking part in your agency’s home care operations.

1. Direct questions about past experiences and what led them to your agency

These questions, as their name suggests, get right to the point.

Straightforward questions aren’t usually a challenge to the interviewee, but they should help you to understand the caregiver’s background and skill set. Usually, these questions require a specific answer or range of answers, which is also a great way to quickly identify if the potential caregiver will be a great fit for your home care agency.

Direct questions can also be used to find out more about one’s interest in working in the position at your specific agency. It’s always important to determine the level of their career goals and how they hope to evolve within the agency – making sure that they can meet your needs and you can meet theirs. Hiring is always a two-way street and direct questions help to emphasize this.

2. Behavioral questions

The idea that old habits die hard is the root of behavioral questions. If you have acted a certain way in the past, you’re likely to act the same way in the future. For this reason, behavioral questions ask about past situations to try and predict future work potential. For example:

These questions tend to look more at personality and interpersonal conduct of the caregiver rather than specific skills.

As an employer, it is your duty to make sure that you are onboarding candidates who have the temperament and etiquette necessary to carry out the job functions successfully. Behavioral questions can be used as indicators of how interviewees feel under pressure.

3. Hypothetical questions

While behavioral questions refer to the caregiver’s past actions, hypothetical questions look at possible future situations.

These questions measure how the caregiver’s past experience could be applied to their future work in the home care industry and determine if they would act appropriately in a difficult situation.

In home care, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to handling every single client. It’s important that caregivers can quickly assess situations and identify how to best handle the situation at hand.

4. Skills questions

Skills questions and tests are used to measure very job-specific knowledge and skills. While some companies choose to use pre-employment tests to evaluate these areas, targeted interview questions can also help.

These questions can address what to do in case of a stroke or the basics of medication management to ensure that your caregivers have the knowledge necessary to get started.

While having the principles to react to certain situations in a calm and collected manner is critical. Knowing the ins and outs of the industry is just as important.

Other Caregiver Interview Questions

The interview process can be exhausting and at times frustrating, but if you ask the right questions, your caregiver interviews can be a time to discover employees who will aid your company for the time to come.

See 65 Caregiver Interview Questions for a more extensive list of example caregiver interview questions you can draw from.

Other topics in caregiver recruitment that you may find helpful:

1. 101 Ways to Recruit Caregivers
2. Writing compelling caregiver job postings
3. How to help more caregivers show up to interviews (and their first day)
4. Creating an employee referral program
5. Best practices in hiring caregivers
6. Setting competitive wages for your caregivers