If you are an employer of a maid or is in the process of hiring a maid for the first time, you would have probably interviewed a number of maid at the maid agency in Singapore before making your decision on hiring the most suitable one. The questions is, how effective is the interview going to be?
Any Singapore Maid Agent who tells you that you can totally trust what they say without elaborating is probably just going through the motion and wants to get the interview done as soon as possible.
“Lets be honest here! More than half the time, you are going to get standard well prepared answers, or an okay or yes reply even if the domestic helper do not understand your question.”
But to be fair, we can’t really blame the maids as they have limited understanding of the language in which the questions are asked. Even if they have gone through basic language training, how much can you really pick up over 2 to 8 weeks? Language is not something we can learn overnight don’t you agree?
Therefore, when you interview the helper with the help of the maid agency, we identified 3 main observations you should pay attention on to help aid in your maid hire decision.
1) Observe the maid’s body language
While answers can deceive you, the true reflection of a person’s thoughts are tougher to conceal in terms of the facial expressions and body language. For example, if the maid has shifty eyes when replying a question, it might be due to the fact that she is not really comfortable with the requirements.
2) Listen to the tone of the maid’s replies
Does she sound interested? No matter whether a person understands you or not, if she is serious and keen about getting a job, she would be trying her best to listen and make out what you are saying. Do not fault her on whether she gets your questions or not. It is more important to figure out the attitude and willingness of the maid you are intending to hire. If she is just saying yes even though you are sure she does not understand you, get you maid agent to help communicate and observe her response again. You will notice the difference.
3) Observe the speed of the reply
If the maid pauses for a long while before replying yes, you might want to go deeper into the question being asked because she is clearly thinking about the requirements and whether she can take it up or not. You can take some positive out of this as she is at least processing the question and not giving you a reply you wish to hear. However it would be good to understand her concerns and see if it is something both parties can live by.
When we hire a maid, the most important trait is the attitude. While skills and experience is equally important, an experienced maid does not mean that she will be able to carry out the task as per your instructions. She might have a mind of her own that you can’t change. Who knows? Hence, primarily, the basis is to find someone with a personality and attitude that will fit your family best. After all, when one has the willingness and the right attitude, they will pick things up fast and make up for the lack of experience when compared to their industry peers. These are characteristics that are not written in the standard bio data that maid agencies in Singapore provides you with. It is something you will need to assess keenly with the assistance of your maid agent.
Go on! Try those tips shared above during your next interview with your potential maid candidates. I certainly hope it helps you make a more informed and successful hiring decision. All the best!
You can shortlist Maid Bio Data online here.