Hiring Quality Afterschool Staff: The Decision
Hiring Part 1: The Application
Hiring Part 4: The Decision
Now that you have put in so much time and effort into testing and interviewing your newest batch of potential group leaders, how do you choose who to hire? First, make sure you have a folder for each applicant with everything related to that person in it including their application, test, and all of your interview notes. Then have everyone involved in the interview process sit down together and review each applicant.
To speed up the decision process, start with your “no’s”. Run through your list and separate out anyone who is definitely out. Then move to the definite “yes” pile. Are there any standouts that you don’t need to discuss much? Now it’s time to consider the “maybe” pile. Review their entire folder with the group. Ask those who completed the interview with that person to share their views. If the group is split, there is one question that you can ask to help move the process along. That question is, “do I want this person working for me at my site?” If the answer is “no”, don’t hire them.
Before you make your final announcements perform your background check and call all of their references.
We found that it was always best to over hire if we had enough qualified people in the interviews. Even with a great Afterschool program, group leader turnover is still higher than in most other companies. Let your new applicants know how many slots you have open and that you will place them after they complete their initial training. If you don’t have a position for everyone remaining at the end of the training, place the best people and use the others as “on call” substitutes when regular group leaders are out. This will ease your staffing crunch, give you a chance to test them out with multiple groups, and give them an opportunity to learn the job.
Don’t be afraid to let people go during the training process or if they are not working out within the first couple of weeks. Make sure you get out and observe all new hires at least three times during the first two weeks so you can make a decision about their fit with your program. It is much easier to let someone go early than to try to bring them along for months only to determine that you have to fire them later.
Remember to trust your gut. Whatever your instincts tell you is probably right.
