Interview Guide for Caregivers

Knowing how to interview potential caregivers is extremely important when choosing the right person who can meet all your needs. The types of questions you ask — and the answers you get — can be the difference between receiving superior or mediocre care.

To ensure that you can find your perfect fit during the caregiver matching process, we’ve compiled a list of best practices, questions to ask, and things to look out for while conducting interviews. Once you have found the right person, you’ll be on your way to building a strong bond with your caregiver while receiving excellent care!

Where Interviews Will be Conducted

Currently, most interviews are conducted online or in person. The good part about this is that you’ll never have to wonder where interviews will happen — you’ll be notified beforehand so you can make adjustments to your schedule, to set up your home computer or a place to meet, and anything else you might need.

Work Experience Questions

Caregiving is a special part of the healthcare industry, and those who are doing it are exceptional individuals who should be in tune with emotional, mental, and physical needs of the older adults they are caring for. This means that when interviewing, you should start by asking questions like the ones below to understand if interviewees understand the realities of the job.

• Can you tell me about past families or individuals you’ve worked with?
• Can you tell me about a difficult situation you had while caregiving? How did you deal with it?
• Can you tell me about your last caregiving role? How long did it last?
• How do you juggle your personal time with caregiving responsibilities?
• Can you tell me about a caregiving moment or anecdote that was especially rewarding?

Questions Based on Their Specialty

Knowing about interviewees’ care specialities is crucial so you can make sure their experience can meet any specific care needs you have. Examples of questions to ask include:

• What types of care needs have you worked with?
• Do you have experience with older adults with mobility issues?
• Have you ever helped older adults with memory or cognitive issues?
• Are there any tasks you don’t feel comfortable performing?
• What tasks do you feel you are particularly good at?

Questions Based on Personality and Interests

You can save questions about personality and interests for last because they’re a great way to end interviews on a fun and light note while you subtly learn more about interviewees. Some example questions you can ask are:

• What do you love doing when not caregiving?
• What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done lately?
• What’s your favorite animal and why?
• Do you have any pets?
• What’s a new hobby you’d like to pick up?
• What TV shows or movies do you like?
• Who is your favorite actor or actress?
• What kinds of music do you like?

What to Remember

Whoever you decide to interview will potentially be taking care of you for a long period of time, so don’t be afraid to note any red flags or to be honest about issues you feel might arise in the future. If you feel that the caregivers you’ve interviewed don’t meet all your needs, you can keep looking — you and your care are the most important things here. 

Happy interviewing!