You will have heard about Safer Recruitment. I prefer to think of it as Safer Selection. For many managers in early years, one of their responsibilities is to resource for our settings. So how do we find out whether we are about to hire the ‘right’ person? Sadly, there’s no magic spell.
What we need in our nurseries is robust recruitment and selection methods. For many settings this will include an application form, an interview and references. A bit like the fire triangle, think of this as the selection triangle! Without one of these, your selection just isn’t robust.
We recommend that you make it easy for potential candidates to get your application form – downloadable from a website or where printed copies can be collected from the nursery.
Interviews should be a minimum of two interviewers, with questions identified for the role in advance. There are many lists of great interview questions out there and you can use ChatGPT to generate ideas.
I recommend you consider asking value-based interview questions that evaluate a candidate’s values and whether they are aligned to the ethos and values of your setting.
The third aspect of the selection triangle is the reference. These days many nurseries struggle to receive references. What they do receive is the ‘tombstone’ reference where the referee will confirm that the candidate worked at the previous employer, their job title and dates of employment.
If an employee has been dismissed for a safeguarding concern, this should also be on the reference. These references allow a new employer to validate what they have been told at interview, for example, if the candidate says that they have two years’ experience as a deputy.
While it is disappointing that employers aren’t giving full references, from an employment law perspective, it is very understandable. Employers can be sued for giving a false or misleading reference.
Next time, we will look at what makes for effective inductions.