Where Can I Advertise for Help Wanted?

Is it possible that your pay rate is too low for someone who has experience in the field? Would you consider a mom for the job who doesn't have experience as a child care worker but who raised her own children? I'm sure there are many moms out there who would love to work once their kids are off to school (my situation now). Maybe you could find out if the local schools have a school newspaper where you can advertise your jobs. Another thing is that full time may be too much for many. Could you offer the job as two or more part time positions? That way you would also get applications from people who are only looking for part-time work.

Hello D.,

First, I would like to tell you that I worked in Human Resources at a janitorial company many years ago. I have also taught toddlers at a preschool.

With that being said, I would like to share some of my knowledge with you.

For a full time position, $9.00/hr is not a lot of money. Quality employees are quickly snatched up by employers. Not many 'white collar' positions pay $9.00/hr. McDonald's offers their employees something near that amount. If someone was working full time, even at McDonald's, for the same rate you are paying, they also get health benefits.

Truly experienced, quality people will expect more. When I taught preschool (without a degree), I was paid $12/hr.

What I learned working in the janitorial business is that you get what you pay for. In no means am I suggesting that poor uneducated people can't be quality employees, I am just stating that, generally, people in these circumstances haven't been taught things that you and I may think is common sense or common courtesy. Their families have been stuck in this cycle without any job/interview/dedication training.

I hope this gives you a little bit of insight from a different perspective.

I hope you find a gem! Good luck to you!

Most people with experience and training aren't interested in $9 an hour. The ones who are gong to entertain that are people who are young, inexperienced, immature, who aren't serious about the job... hence the unprofessionalism in no-shows and such or, they may be young mothers who would love to work their, but then can't afford childcare of their own as they are at work.

I was an assistant manager at a clothing retail establishment. I was amazed at how people couldn't even answer simple interview questions or even fill out their resumes. It's a sad story.

Having a hiring sign up will help, word of mouth. Than the other suggestions are good ideas as well.

It does seem odd that your having such difficulty in finding a qualified applicant. I fully understand the types of resumes (no experience) applying for the positions. You said it yourself, many people are looking for a job.

One of the things you're doing wrong, is NEVER schedule an interview through an e-mail. You should alway talk to the person on the phone. I also find advertising a start date to be very unusual. I would not include that information in a ad.

Also, why waste your time calling someone who was a no show. Do you want that type of person working for you?

Just a thought, would you consider hiring 2 part-time people for the position? You may have luck with college students. Many won't have the experience you may be looking for, but there's a good chance you would find a few with educational experience and some that have done babysitting.

Where can I advertise - the local newspaper, many of them have an on-line service connected to the ad.

A few places to advertise....
* www.care.com
*www.sittercity.com
*Word of mouth to credible people in your network (including FB).
*Local colleges that have a program for child care....most colleges try to help their graduates find employment.
*Flyer at the library, local children's hang-outs (if they have a place), pediatrician's office or wherever else may include your targeted audience.

Unfortunately, it is not partial to the child care industry. It is ridiculous what people think is professional. Maybe you need to give them a call or letter back letting them know why you will not be calling for an interview. I've heard people complain that they didn't get a call back for a variety of reasons.....of which are probably not true. "They probably hired someone they knew." "They didn't hire me because I have an old car." You know what I mean. Give them the wake up call....if you care to. :)

There is a website called Work in Texas www.workintexas.com that employers can sign up for free and people looking for work can search. When a person is searching for employment they can search under geography or job title or skills I think. I think you could state the qualifications you are looking for so people would know your requirements. You can have people respond to an email address or a blind PO box so you can look at the resumes and contact people you are interested in or you can have them contact you. This might widen your applicant pool a little! Good luck!

Although you're looking for someone with childcare experience, what about a local college? I found a great sitter with plenty of experience (although it wasn't the kind that most put on a resume) who was majoring in early education.

Btw, your experience with lack of professionalism, not to mention common courtesy is very consistent with what my dad has found in his business. He has had more than one employee (of 6-12 months) resign by way of a note on the door when he showed up to open.... uh, can you say rude?

You ought to try colleges in the area. TWU and UNT have very strong child development programs as well as other education programs with lots of motivated young people who are majoring in a related field. Try their newspapers, bulletin boards, facebook pages, and I'm sure there are other avenues you can pursue to get a qualified candidate.

Care.com

works for me.

How about care.com? they have Tutors.

Have you tried TAEYC or FWAEYC sites? They may have a section where you can list jobs for child care providers? I came across this job bank a while ago. It looks free and is offered by a group that trains child care professionals. Maybe even check with Child Care Associates??
http://www.campfirefw.org/CampFire/ChildCareProfessionals...
Good luck! It is very tough. I remember when my kiddos center was in a huge hiring rut. Craig's list doesn't always cut it.

I feel your pain. We looked for a dental assistant for the longest time and went through the same thing. It's beyond frustrating, especially when unemployment remains high.

I finally broke down and posted on Monster.com. It wasn't too expensive and it's where I seemed to find the most qualified candidates. I don't know if you have any colleges nearby. This is also a great place to advertise and most colleges have career services departments where you can post jobs for free. The benefit of posting at colleges is that you might also find someone who is majoring in Education.

Good luck. It takes a while, but you'll find the right candidate.

Wow...... amazing lack of unprofessionalism on the part of the applicants.

I'm not sure what to say... good luck, though.

What about SitterCity or something like that? Would you be able to find someone through that source?

In my profession, we have numerous inquiries about employment. We advertise in local newspapers, Craigslist, etc.

I think that part of the problem we face is that people contact us so that they can write us down as a contact for unemployment purposes. They aren't really that serious about getting a job. The other problem we face is spending time on applicants with zero experience, they have no driver's licenses, or they have criminal records which make them ineligible for hire.
We do run background checks and it clearly asks if you've ever been convicted of anything and you'd be surprised how many people say NO. Then, the background checks come back and it's clear that they were dishonest.
We waste a lot of time weeding people out who don't show up, cancel, or continuously contact us in spite of the fact that we can't hire them.

We try to be specific in our job descriptions, but that doesn't stop people who are either desperate for work or simply fulfilling unemployment regulations as far as contacting employers. Out of 25 people a week, we may only have one or two that we actually can follow through with.

I work in the home health care industry and we are very strict and picky about who we send out to our clients. It certainly is a daunting task to find qualified, experienced, and trustworthy people.

You can try to be as specific as possible in your ads. You can say, "Experienced only need apply". You will still get people looking for work hoping that they will have a shot.

I don't think you are necessarily doing anything wrong. I see this in my office every day, every week. Our business is a little different in that it's never just ONE position we are looking to fill. We cover a very large area in the county and we need caregivers to fit the needs of our clients. We take applications by appointment only, 2 days per week, and sometimes, there isn't anyone we could possibly place.

Unfortunately, it's kind of status quo. We spend a lot of time interviewing and weeding through applicants. We have over 130 caregivers and some of them have been with us for many years. When we get new clients, we need to hire and it's pretty difficult. That's all I can say.

So, you're not the only one going through such a situation.
You can try re-wording your ads, but in my experience, you will still get people who contact you and their hearts aren't really into it. Some of our clients require caregivers who can drive them to their medical appointments or run errands for them. You would faint if you knew how many applicants have suspended driver's licenses and can't even drive their own cars, let alone.

You go through a lot to find good people.
I wish you the best.

I think you hit it on the head. I wouldn't work for $9/hr.