Recruiting and Retaining Personal Assistants: A Guide for Families
and People Who Self-Direct Services
Identify Your Needs
Finding a good Personal Assistant is often challenging. The Personal
Assistant must be an individual you trust to enable you to maintain
or improve the quality of your life or the lives of the people you
care about. Dedication to the job and a positive attitude, as well
as skill, is critical. For all of this, only a small salary is offered.
Finding the individual who meets your need for quality and who is available
is a challenge.
When you need a Personal Assistant, it is tempting to hire the first
person to apply for the position. However, hiring the wrong person
is likely to cause you more problems than they are worth. The cost
of recruiting and training, as well as the gaps in support when the
Personal Assistant fails to come to work or resigns unexpectedly, is
something you want to avoid. Effective advertising, a realistic job
preview, and careful interviewing are three strategies that can help
you locate and hire the right person.
Before you begin the hiring process, make a list of the essential
tasks the Personal Assistant needs to perform. Do you need assistance
with personal care, transportation, housework, cooking, shopping, socialization,
or other? Do you have a child who needs help in participating in community
activities? Do you need someone to accompany you to meetings? Each
may be essential for a given Personal Assistant position but each has
very different requirements that may lead you in different directions
when recruiting.
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Advertising
After you have enumerated the job duties, begin advertising and marketing.
Recruit applicants who are likely to be suited for the position. Word
of mouth is often a great way to locate a Personal Assistant. Tell
family, friends, and acquaintances that you are interested in hiring
someone to be a Personal Assistant. Their familiarity with you and
your needs may help them identify someone who is a good match.
Do your own in-person recruiting. When you come across someone who
gets along well with the person who needs assistance, let them know
of job openings. The college student who befriends your son at church
could be a good candidate. He just needs to be made aware of the opportunity.
Ads or flyers can be effective ways to recruit from a larger community.
Exercise caution when providing information that could lead someone
to identify you as a potential target for victimization. It is wise
to keep your last name and address out of public ads. Providing only
a first name and phone number or an office contact number may offer
some protection.
In a newspaper ad, fewer words may be less expensive than an ad that
is more descriptive of the position. A very brief ad may attract more
inquiries about the position.
Personal Assistant needed, $8 per hour.
Flexible schedule. Call 123-4567.
However, a little more detail (as in the ad below) may
attract people who are better suited for the position and weed out
people who have little interest in the tasks, requirements, or location.
Galena woman who loves gardening and pets is seeking
a nonsmoking Personal Assistant to provide personal care, housekeeping,
and do errands. $8 per hour. 8-11 am M-F.
Call Mary 123-4567.
An ad should include essentials of the job. Some individuals
may not be interested in providing personal care, or in cooking. Others
may not be interested in supporting an adolescent with learning or
behavior challenges. The ad should attract applicants who may be interested
in the position. Posting a flyer in the right location can also be
an effective way of recruiting.
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Job Opportunity in Derby
Personal Assistant Position
Our family is looking for a high-energy person to be a Personal Assistant
for our 10-year-old daughter with autism.
Responsibilities include, support of daily living skills, encouragement
of positive behavior, opportunities for social development in the community,
as well as relaxing, watching movies, reading books and going for walks
at the mall.
$8.00 per hour
Up to 40 hours per week
Flexible schedule with days and some evenings required
Must have a valid drivers license & reliable vehicle to provide
transportation
References required
For more information please call
Parent's Name
000-0000 (work)
111-1111 (home)
Targeted marketing is a strategy that directs you to
look for applicants who are likely to have characteristics or skills
that will meet your needs and who may be interested in the position.
Post an ad in a place that is likely to attract such a person with
the skills and interests you need.
Gain valuable experience and earn money while working
on your degree. Become a Personal Assistant for a teenager with autism.
Call 132-6543.
College campuses may be great recruitment spots for the
family who needs someone to help an adolescent with community socialization.
A special education or psychology student may find a Personal Assistant
job attractive. Experience may be a benefit that outweighs a larger
salary.
"I have always had luck with college students. They mainly
hang out. They get along well with my son and they know how to help
him dress cool, that is something that is beyond me but it makes
him feel good and it really helps him fit in."
"They (the agency) always send me college students. Most of
them can't cook and don't know how to clean. One fed me raw chicken
and I got salmonella."
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Students, senior citizens, and homemakers seeking part-time
employment for supplemental income or for self-fulfillment are potential
target audiences that should not be overlooked. However, any one target
group may not be appropriate for all Personal Assistant positions.
The college campus may not be the best spot to attract someone who
is good at cooking and cleaning. A senior citizen's program may be
less likely to provide good candidates for adolescent socialization.
"I have CP.
I have a service dog, King, to help me. One Personal Assistant wouldn't
feed King. He has to eat!"
"I love my cat. She is here and mostly I take care of her myself.
If someone is allergic to cats this is not the job for them. I always
tell them that up front."
"I can't get in a truck, it's too high. Most cars are fine
but a truck or van is just too high for me to get in."
There may be some information that is essential but that
may have been excluded from a brief newspaper ad. If there are environmental
conditions or expectations that may lead a person to decline a position,
let potential applicants know early in the process. If the person must
be able to lift 100 pounds, make that requirement clear. Nonsmoking
or an accessible vehicle to provide transportation may be requirements.
If the Personal Assistant must drive and provide a car for transportation,
present that information early.
A telephone screening conversation can give you the opportunity
to present requirements and environmental conditions that may cause
an applicant to decline a position. A Personal Assistant who smokes
cigarettes may not be appropriate for the individual who cannot stand
the smell of smoke. A Personal Assistant who is allergic to smoke may
not be willing to support a consumer who smokes. In addition to smoking,
you may want to ask about any of the following if they are critical
to your needs.
- If you have pets, is the Personal Assistant allergic?
- Does the Personal Assistant need to lift a certain amount of weight
to assist with transport or personal care?
- Is the Personal Assistant required to transport you in their vehicle?
If so, are there any accessibility requirements?
- Do you have any other requirements or unique needs?
An initial phone conversation may be the right place to go over these
essentials. Some applicants who do not meet your basic requirements
may decline an additional meeting, thus saving both of you time.
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Realistic Job Preview
" I once had a Personal Assistant who didn't want to be touched
or touch me. I have CP,
not a disease. She couldn't do her job without physical touch."
A next step is a realistic job preview. The realistic job preview
provides a clear picture of the job and the person being supported.
Realistic job previews are used to recruit people who will stay and
do the job with personal satisfaction because they have a realistic
impression of the job before they accept it. Realistic job previews
are designed to assure that the Personal Assistant does not enter a
position with an unrealistic perception of the job.
A realistic job preview includes information about positive and negative
characteristics of the job, and information applicants are unlikely
to know or are likely to have unrealistic expectations about. The applicant
who does not know anyone with a disability may not understand what
is involved with feeding, bathing, and assisting with toileting. A
person unfamiliar with significant behavior problems may not understand
the challenges of a child who becomes physically assaultive. They may
leave the first time they encounter these situations if unprepared.
While the realistic job preview is not designed to discourage applicants,
it is intended to help people who clearly do not want to be a Personal
Assistant for a specific person to choose to not apply or accept a
job offer. This way, time spent interviewing, hiring, orienting, and
training a Personal Assistant who is clearly not a good match for the
position is minimized.
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Effective Realistic Job Previews:
- Make it clear to the applicant that the purpose of the job preview
is to help them make a thoughtful choice about whether this is a
good job for them
- Are presented early in the application process, before the applicant
has invested much time and effort, and before the applicant makes
a commitment to the job
- Show real experiences that are regularly part of the job (for example,
preparing and eating meals, going on a recreational activity, shopping)
- Include observation of both positive and negative features of the
position if direct observations are used.
- Balance the negative and positive job aspects of the position so
the realistic job preview accurately reflects experiences of Personal
Assistants. (For example, participating in a 5K run
with a consumer and completing personal care tasks)
- Include specific thoughts and feelings of current Personal Assistants
about the job if possible
Ways to provide the realistic job preview could include:
- Delivering information about the job verbally to applicants
- Providing opportunities for potential employees to meet the person
to be supported and to observe the household or work routines
- Inviting prospective employees to a meal or recreational activity
at your home
- Touring the setting. A stack of diapers or a bedroom furnished
with indestructible items can provide a visual to reinforce some
of the aspects of the job that will become apparent after the position
is accepted
- Showing the applicant a video of routines or activities
- Looking through a photo scrapbook describing the job, with commentary
provided by the person who will be supported, another family member,
or current Personal Assistant
A realistic job preview helps the qualified applicant determine if
she or he would like to accept the position. Guard the privacy of the
person to be supported as appropriate, but make the applicant aware
of what the job entails. A Personal Assistant who doesn't really like
the person they are to support or the tasks they need to do is likely
to quit as soon as a better opportunity becomes available. An realistic
job preview is designed to help the individual avoid a situation where
they would say "If I had known what I was getting into I would
have never taken this job."
Be clear about the rewards and challenges of supporting a specific
person.
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Interviewing
The realistic job preview provides the applicant a picture of what
a job entails. You need a realistic picture of the applicant. An interview
to assess skills, attitude, dependability, and life experience can
help you assess an applicant’s potential to do well in a position.
“When she was making fried chicken, she threw it into the oil.
The oil spattered and I got burned."
"They are suppose to clean, but I don't think that they have
any idea how to clean the bathroom."
An applicant may say that they can cook and clean but in reality they
may have limited or no skills in either area. A few specific questions
during the interview process can help determine if the applicant has
the skills you need.
Guiding Principles for Conducting an Interview
Do:
Ask first and last questions.
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Avoid:
- Assuming that people are better at the things they like to do
- Taking information on strengths and weaknesses at face value
- Hypothetical questions may lead applicants to say what he/she thinks
the interviewer wants to hear. When possible, replace these with
questions that reflect experience
Don't take an applicant’s word for their skills, experience,
or personal philosophy. Statements of attitude and philosophies are
poor predictors of people’s actual behaviors. Probe a little deeper.
Questions that require realistic examples of experience in the areas
that are important to you are better than "yes" or "no"
questions or questions where the applicant may be led to say what they
think you want to hear. Ask questions to learn about experience and
help you determine if the applicant is right for you.
Ask questions that tell you about skill and behavior that you need
in the job.
“I need someone to cook three meals a day for myself and my partner.”
Don’t ask:
- "Can you cook?"
- "Do you like to cook?"
Ask:
- “What is the last meal you cooked? “
- “What is your favorite dish to cook? “
- “Tell me how you make fried chicken?
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“I cannot clean. I really like things tidy.”
Don’t ask:
- “Do you know how to clean a bathroom?”
- “Can you clean a bathroom?”
Ask:
- “How do you clean a bathroom?”
- “When you clean a bathroom, what cleaning supplies do you
use?”
- “My son loves to exercise, and needs a Personal
Assistant who will exercise with him.”
Don’t ask:
- “Do you like to do physical exercise?”
Ask:
- “When is the last time you were in a gym?”
- “When is the last time you went bike riding?”
- “What other physical exercise do you do on a regular basis?”
“Dependability is really important to me.”
Don’t ask:
- "Can you be here on time everyday"
Ask:
- “How many days of work did you miss last year?” “Why?”
Another effective approach to interviewing is to ask about detailed
accounts of specific events from an applicant’s past that include
a situation, behavior, and outcome.
Examples:
- "Tell me about the last time you helped someone with a medical
emergency. What was the situation? What did you do? What was the
result?"
- “Have you ever been a situation where people were teasing
a person with a disability? What did you do? What happened? If you
were in the same situation today, would you do anything differently?”
- “Tell me about a time that it was really important for you
to be at work and you had a problem getting there. What did you do?
Did you make it to work?”
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Other Expectations and Benefits
Discuss other benefits and working conditions up front. Prior to accepting
the job, the applicant should be aware of any other expectations, expenses,
or benefits.
- Do they need to provide their own meals?
- Do they get lunch breaks?
- Do they need to pay when accompanying the individual on an outing?
- Is mileage paid when using their personal car?
- Is there any vacation or sick time?
- Are there any times when they could not be scheduled for work?
(Every employee needs some time off. Students may need to cut back
during finals. Senior citizens may have an annual vacation that is
a must. You may be able to accommodate these needs. However, being
aware of them up front can help you plan.)
It can be awkward for you and the Personal Assistant, if after cooking
dinner on the first night they sit down with you to eat when you really
hadn't budgeted for that and expect the leftovers to be your lunch
the next day.
A Personal Assistant might love football as much as you. Some Personal
Assistants might see it as a benefit to be able to attend on work time
even if they have to buy their own ticket. Other Personal Assistants
just may not be able to afford to attend.
Wait a Day Before Hiring
It is a good idea to give the applicant "a night to sleep on"
the decision of whether or not to accept a position. If the person
changes their mind over night, perhaps the job isn't right for them.
The person who is really interested will maintain their interest
over a day.
Some applicants may have a difficult time turning down a position
face-to-face. They may choose not to call back a day after the interview.
If you have lost them at this point due to lack of interest, perhaps
it's best.
Time spent before hire will likely pay big dividends after hire. The
best match will be when the personal assistant likes the job and the
people she or he works with. Loyalty and commitment come from feeling
valued, enjoyment of the people in the environment, and respect between
employer and employee, and for the job.
Training
Training your Personal Assistant is often a very personalized process.
No one knows better than you what your needs are and the way you want
things done. Take the time to teach the new Personal Assistant how
you want things done. You may find that having a checklist of skills
you want your Personal Assistant to have is helpful as you plan what
training is required and where you will access training for these skills.
An on-line training program, the College of Direct Support is available
to provide interactive computer based training on a number of topics
that might also be of interest. It may be convenient for you to have
your Personal Assistant view the training, and discuss it with you.
The training stresses the value of community integration, personal
dignity, and individual choice. For the next year, this training is
free to Kansans who self-direct services. You do need to have Internet
access and a computer that can let you view video materials. At this
time sixteen College of Direct Support courses are available:
- Safety at Home and in the Community
- Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults and Children
- Supporting Healthy Lives
- Individual Rights and Choice
- Community Inclusion
- Positive Behavior Support
- Documentation
- You’ve Got a Friend: Supporting Family Connections, Friends,
Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness
- Direct Support Professionalism
- Introduction to Developmental Disabilities
- Introduction to Medication Support
- Person-center Planning and Supports
- Employment supports: Exploring Individual Preferences and Attainment
- Personal Cares
- Teaching People With Developmental Disabilities
- Cultural Competency
To learn more about this College of Direct Support training opportunity
e-mail Kathy Olson.
By Kathleen Olson, Ph.D.,
December 2004
This overview is based on the Removing the Revolving Door curriculum
developed by Susan O’Nell, Amy Hewitt, John Sauer, and Sheryl
Larson at the Research and Training Center, Institute on Community
Integration at the University of Minnesota. The entire Removing the
Revolving Door curriculum can be downloaded at http://rtc.umn.edu/publications/index.asp#rrd.
Adaptations of interview procedures are based on a seminar by Harry
Brull at the 1991 Association on Residential Resources in Minnesota
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