General Questions to Ask Domestic Staff Candidates During Interview

Are you looking to hire a Norland nanny, nanny, a housekeeper, chauffeur, chef, PA or private staff in the future?

Here are some generic questions that you could ask during the interview you have with them.

The purpose is to get to know the candidate better, to try to understand what are their values, needs and wants and to see whether they are a good fit with your family or not.

Some questions might be more relevant and useful than others but it’s easier not to ask a question than wondering what to ask.

 

Here they are:

1. What is important for you? What are your values?
2. What are you most proud of in your career?
3. Did you have any negative experiences? Why was it negative?
4. Any positives? Why positive?
5. What to avoid?
6. What to look for?
7. What are your preferences?
8. Any special situations?
9. Why do you think you would be good at this job?
10. Are you considering any other types of jobs at the moment?
11. What are your career goals in the next few years?
12. Where do you see yourself in three years’ time?
13. Tell me about yourself?
14. What are your hobbies and interests?
15. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Name at least three.
16. What do you consider to be your weaknesses? Name at least three.
17. How do you handle stress?
18. Can you do overtime hours?
19. What motivates you, or makes you happy?
20. What are you looking for in this job?
21. What makes you happy?
22. How do you define success in this job?
23. What career regrets or failures do you have?
24. Where you ever laid off? Why?
25. Can you give us a reason someone may not like working with you?
26. What’s a difficult situation that you turned around?
27. What are the most important qualities for you in a job?
28. What are you looking for in an employer?
29. Why did you choose to become a nanny / housekeeper / X?
30. What qualities do you have that make you a good nanny / housekeeper / X?
31. What do you find the most challenging/interesting part of your job?
32. Do you have any pet allergies?
33. Are you willing to work in a home with a dog and/or cat? What about other pets?
34. Are you willing to work in a home with a smoker?
35. Are you willing to work while the owners are home?
36. Do you have any allergies?
37. Have you ever stolen a pen from work?
38. Tell me about a time you handled conflict.
39. Tell me about a time you made a mistake, how did you handle it?
40. Do you have experience caring for or training pets?
41. How often did you call in sick, last year?
42. Describe your favourite job/client, what made the experience positive?
43. Describe your least favourite cleaning job. Why was it unpleasant?
44. What are your expectations for your next position?
45. What are your long-range goals? Where do you see yourself in 6 months? A year? Two years?
46. How long do you plan to work this job?
47. Are you willing to learn new skills to work this job?
48. Do you have any questions for me?
49. Is there anything you feel you didn’t get to mention earlier that you would like to share?
50. Why did you move to London? Do you have any family/friends in London/UK?
51. How do you like to balance work and life?
52. What are your short and long-term plans?
53. What is your current position and why do you want to leave?
54. Outline your previous positions, what you enjoyed about each one, and why you left.
55. Have you ever had a period of unemployment? If so, why?
56. When would you be available to start a new position?
57. Do you have any travel plans already in place that we need to be aware of?
58. Cooking? Special tasks or other requirements?

 

Here at HazeltonClive, a boutique agency specialized in domestic staff, we can recruit for you the most exclusive candidates, that even used to work for royal families. Read here 17 reasons why you should work with us. Start recruiting household and hospitality staff today by calling +44 (0) 808-1641321.