Sunday, December 22, 2013

Choosing the Right Person for the Right Job.


Mary, a Program Coordinator, recently posted an in-house position for a Day Habilitation Specialist. Sarah, a day habilitation assistant, applied for the position, as well as Courtney, relatively new to the agency, however, she comes with great experience. Mary’s dilemma is who is more qualified and would be a good fit for the job. Sarah, has a great work ethic, and works well with the participants in the classroom. She however, has had many run-ins with fellow co-workers. Courtney on the other hand, has great leadership ability, but is still relatively new to the agency. Who should Mary hire for this position?

Often times, when it is difficult to make a decision on which applicant to hire, addition factors should be considered:

1.      Writing skills. Allow the applicants to show you a writing sample. The writing sample should include, basic writing skills, scenarios on how they would handle a difficult situation, and what would be their plans and goals for the program.

2.      Speaking. In many programs, the habilitation specialist is responsible for running meetings and interacting with people from the community, and families. Have the applicant run a mock meeting. Ask other supervisors in the program to play the role of family members, agency representatives, and clinical staff.

3.      Observation. Give the applicants an opportunity to run the program during the busiest time of the day. This will give you a chance to see how they interact with both staff and participants in the program, and what ideas they will bring to the table.

Although it will take more of an effort on your part, it will be worth the time in choosing the right person for your program.

 

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