The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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HAVE YOU BEEN WANTING A BUSINESS OF YOUR OWN? Like people? Not shy? Have some experience with kids and/or adults? A sitting service basically brings together the worker (sitter) and the employer (patron) and you as the "go-between" work for the best interests of both parties. -How to start your business- MICRO DATA ASSIST -developers of the program 'SITTER', a simplified computer program for a small sitting service, has made arrangements with Audrey Schneer to help you. Audrey (she likes her first name) is an experienced teacher who over 10 years ago became involved with a sitting service and liked the work so much she now devotes all her time to it. She has consulted with many individuals such as yourself over the years and will work with you to get you started. A session or two, over the phone, with Audrey will cover what you need to know from - how to set up your office, what licenses you may need, how to find the workers and the clients and the day to day operation. The computer program 'SITTER', which you are currently testing, was developed especially for this business and has in her words "changed my life". Contact Audrey to set up a telephone consultation . There is a small fee for this consultation service but you will find it a great savings, in time and money, in the long run. After you have paid for and set a date for this consultation materials for you to study will be sent to you prior to the date of the consultation. You will learn: What does a sitting service offer to the public? What legal involvement is there? Can I make a living from this? How much money do I need to start? Where should the business be housed? How do I find the clients (patron), the workers (sitters)? What is the day to day operational flow? Why should I have a computer program right away? --------- EXCITED? YOU SHOULD BE!! BETTER CALL NOW ---------- Audrey can be reached M-F from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (CST) at: (214) 692-1354 or write to: Baby Sitters of Dallas, Inc. P.O. Box 12534 Dallas, Texas 75225 A "HOW TO" MANUAL FOR A COMPUTER OPERATED PLACEMENT SERVICE TABLE OF CONTENTS: Need for this service and Possible spin-offs Child care Respite care Community factors Selection of a community Startup Legal considerations Incorporation Independent contractors versus employees Financial Size of business Where will you be housed Level Contracts and forms Application Sitter medical Agency contract Patron letter Temporary live in Permanent placement The Physical plant Personnel How to find sitters Interview and orientation How to contact Billing information (Many other topics are covered in materials supplied by Audrey.) NEED FOR CHILD AND RESPITE CARE: ================================ CHILD CARE: =========== The need for childcare in this country is discussed prominently in the media on an ongoing basis. With the high percentage of women in the workplace and the need for young mothers to return to work following the birth of a child, the need grows constantly. The concern is for QUALITY care for our nation's children. Where to obtain this care this care is the problem. The daycare centers have received their share of the negative publicity due to the widely publicized cases of child abuse, and the lack of quality care. While there are no doubt many hundreds of high quality centers, parents may choose not to utilize these centers for other reasons. The incidence of childhood disease, easily spread in such facilities, as well as the preference for more individual attention to their children brings many parents to look for in home care. How do parents select a caregiver? Newspaper ads, friends and relatives? Advertising may bring an influx of many poorly qualified applicants and requires considerable time to determine those best suited even for an interview. Busy professional people oftentimes do not have the time for such a procedure. While well meaning friends, relatives and neighbors may recommend an applicant, that person may not be best suited for the particular position and again there is "weeding out" to do. Therefore, an agency which can do the groundwork and refer a job applicant (SITTER) to the parent (PATRON) as one "best suited" can offer a much needed service to the community. RESPITE CARE: ============= Persons seeking similar types of service may often call you and you might consider also offering respite type care. It is very important that complete information regarding the type of care to be provided is obtained since oftentimes persons requesting care for their loved ones will minimize the situation. An order form should be developed and utilized when taking job orders so that all appropriate information on the job is known. There have been occasions when a worker (sitter) arrives expecting respite care and finds one who is bedfast and incontinent and really requires skilled care by one trained in nursing. For that reason, extreme caution must be exercised in accepting job orders. Persons requiring some assistance following an accident or surgery or needing help running errands or management or day to day activities are the best candidates for those not skilled in nursing . SELECTION OF COMMUNITY: ======================= A service whose function is to refer qualified individuals (sitters) to clients (patrons) for these services is welcomed in most communities. However a community must have sufficient population to support such an operation and consideration to the size of the city and the surrounding suburban area which might be served by the service should be of prime concern in determining if such an operation would render sufficient income to meet the needs of the operators. If you will not be depending on the income from your business to provide complete support and only need pocket money and an occupation to utilize some spare time, this will not be factor for you. PRIMARY STARTUP FACTORS: ======================== Before engaging in the operation of a 'SITTER' service several factors must be considered: 1. Legal 2. Financial 3. Physical plant 4. Personnel LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: ===================== States differ in their regulations regarding the operation of a service which in most cases will be an employment agency. The very first action before any other steps are taken should be to consult the appropriate state agency and ascertain what is necessary to operate an agency. In some cases the "operator" must be licensed and pass an examination; in others no licensing or certification is required. It is strongly advised that no further steps be taken until this is made clear since you might be influenced by the requirements. From the personal standpoint you might also consider if this is to be a second income in the family and the fact that you may be thrown into an upper tax bracket from the money you will be earning. INCORPORATION: ============== Since you, operating as a proprietorship, would be legally liable for all obligations of the business you might consider incorporation. In doing so, the company is the entity and would be the responsible party and except for certain matters such as federal taxes, you would not be responsible. Incorporation is not inexpensive, but it may become so in the long run. At this point, one might say that it is a good idea to discuss this with your attorney, but many attorneys have little or no knowledge of employment agency law. Do a great great deal of shopping around to determine someone who DOES know these laws or is willing to research them for you. It is important that your attorney have experience in your field and an honest person will tell you if he/she is not qualified. Selection of the right attorney cannot be overemphasized and you should keep looking until you find an attorney with whom you are comfortable and whom you feel you can trust. Your state will provide you with a copy of the law and you might very carefully study this. When you meet with your attorney you will then be better prepared to ask the appropriate questions. A good source for an attorney is an established agency which may be able to recommend someone whom they know is aware of the regulations governing this very specialized industry. The local and/or state Bar Association would also be a source to consider. At this point, you might also seek out an accountant who will be as important to you as your attorney. A good accountant will provide advice as to how to maintain your records and should be aware of the computer program and how it is setup to make both your work and his work easier. The program in the system described here will be detailed later . INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS VERSUS SENDING OUT YOUR EMPLOYEES: ========================================================== It is important for you, your attorney and accountant to understand why you would choose to work as an employment agency rather than as a temporary help service. Most persons are familiar with the services rendered by this latter type of business when they need temporary help. And you WILL be providing this type of service. However, for financial reasons, you would choose not to operate in this manner. A temporary help service sends to client THEIR employee whom they have insured and bonded and whom they pay for services rendered to the client. The client will verify the hours worked and the worker will submit this to the service who will issue the pay check to the worker. The cost of insurance, bonding, taxes and related work involved will bring the cost to the client to such a high figure that clients will very likely choose not to use the service. For this reason services placing sitters, respite workers and such have chosen to function as employment agencies and the workers to be independent contractors. Therefore, due to governmental regulations, it is urgent that all criteria for an individual to be considered an independent contractor be met. The agency should be careful that: 1. No instructions for performance on the job are given. 2. No REPORT as such is made to agency. 3. Sitter be allowed to make a replacement if not able to work. 4. Payment to sitter is made by patron. 5. Agency does not set rates for services provided to patron. Over the years, the public has looked to agencies to provide the above services, but legally they cannot. Agency should inform workers that they will be instructed by the patron as to performance on the job. When accepting a job order, patron should be advised that when sitter reports for work, instructions may then be given but that agency does not instruct. Agency should advise patrons what the going rates are in the community, but it should be made clear that sitter has a right to negotiate if he wishes. Agency should not require any kind of report on work done. Some agencies bill sitters for commission due on a regular monthly basis and this would be an indication that sitter is not an employee of agency. Workers should be advised that if necessary a replacement may be sent by sitter to patron with the permission of patron. If sitter wishes to do so, he may advise agency who will advise patron of situation and obtain instructions as how to proceed from patron. Agency should be certain that payment is made directly to sitter. In the case of , for example, a Gift Certificate, which a may be purchased for sitting services, a Purchase Agreement should be utilized. It would be to the advantage of the service if to operate as a temporary service. With some type of help, the public is conditioned to higher charge. However, in the case of your sitters, they do not appear to be ready. Therefore, one must adjust the "modus operandi to meet the needs of those who are supporting the operation. In some states, you will have an employment agency license (perhaps certificate) and must comply with the laws governing same. Again, you are referred to your particular state. In Texas, for example, one does not require a license (certificate of authority in this state) if placement is made for positions of less than 30 days duration and/or if the client pays the fee. This covers nanny positions and all the short term temporary jobs which are the bulk of the business. However, it may be to one's advantage to be licensed since this add credibility to your image. The status of the independent contractor has been the subject of discussion by many agencies, both public and private for many years and no conclusions should be drawn from what is here. The agency should carefully pattern its operation to be certain that this status is maintained. There ARE advantages to operating as a temporary help service since you have better control over the sitters, which in this case are actually YOUR employees. As such you can supervise and instruct and, in many cases, provide better service to the patrons since you determine the manner in which the work is performed and have the right to discharge a person from a job. However, as indicated previously, the cost may be considered prohibitive and patrons may not be willing to pay the elevated costs. It is to your advantage to become associated with a national organization which does lobby in behalf of the industry. PRIVATE CARE most of whose members are nursing registries, does have a number of sitting services as members and has provided assistance and promoted legislation which has helped. They have an annual convention at which time speakers from IRS and Labor Regulatory Agencies frequently are on the agenda and have been very helpful. Your state employment commission and Bureau of Labor and Standards might provide seminars which you can attend as well as having materials which you can obtain that will be helpful. Do as much reading and talk to as many people as you are able to learn about the business. Some agency operators might be unwilling to reveal business methods due to fear of revelation of trade secrets and this must be respected. On the other hand, one might consider consulting with you for a fee and this is not unreasonable. FINANCIAL: ========== Everyone asks what it will take to go into this type of business and unfortunately this question must be answered with a question? How big is your business going to be? What is the physical plant - your home? an office building? At what level will you function - simplistic, moderate, affluent? How much office help will you require? What hours will you operate? Will you need shifts? Do you plan to purchase furniture, new, used, leased? How much advertising do you intend to do? The replies to these questions are not simple and must be given a great deal of thought. How much money do you have to spend or do you plan to obtain a loan? Where is this money to be spent? Let's take each of these subjects separately. SIZE OF THE BUSINESS: ===================== This depends considerably on the community and the area you will be covering. Also, are there competing businesses to be concerned about. Is this a community of young people or an area where most young people move out when they reach adulthood. Are you in a college town or where there is a great deal of industry which attracts young people. Research into these factors can help to prevent failure in the enterprise. You might want to do some investigation by hiring a marketing firm or attempt to do this yourself. Methods are personal interviews, direct mail and telemarketing. Selection of a sample for your study is almost as important as the study itself and since each interview or piece of mail represents a cash outlay , care should be taken in determining the group. Patrons at a large supermarket who have children with them would be a good suggestion, if you can obtain the cooperation of the management. Another good population is patients in a pediatric center or children's hospital. Items for a questionnaire require considerable thought but the prime factors in which you are interested are: 1. What is your most utmost concern in the field of childcare? 2. Would you use an employment service if you knew that it would meet your needs? 3. What are you willing to pay for the service? 4. What qualifications do you look for in a caregiver. Telemarketing is successful if you have the "right" person on the telephone - not one who is pushy, but one who can at the outset establish rapport with the person and make them feel that they want to talk. This is not easy. However, it is not expensive and you, as the prospective manager of the service , are perhaps best suited to do this. Direct mail can be expensive and the returns are not always good. You will be fortunate if you realize about a one percent return. Carefully develop your document and perhaps enclose a dollar bill for the recipient. This is frequently done with professional research and many who would not otherwise reply will do so when they receive the money - not FOR the money but perhaps because they are ashamed to accept it and not reply! SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE: (samples available) It is suggested that this be sent by first class rather than bulk mail since it will demand more respect. A good quality paper, attractively developed will command attention. A self addressed stamped envelope and perhaps an incentive such as shiny quarter or even a dollar bill may be included. WHERE WILL YOU BE HOUSED?: ========================== If your community allows you to operate from a home, you might consider this because of the financial advantages. However, the professional relationship with an office might be an advantage if you intend to meet with the parents at your office. Some operations have no actual contact with patron and others do. Is your home easy to locate and would there be a problem with parking if several people were to come at the same time. Do you have a separate entrance and/or can you provide entrance into the work area without going through the living area. There are some disadvantages to working from your home since you might feel you are always at work. If you can turn off the bell of the office telephone it is a help when you want to be "closed". LEVEL: ====== Many people feel that the public will have more respect for you and your operation if you have a more affluent appearance. In other words, we look successful and therefore we can provide the right kind of service for you. Others feel that there is no need to do this and a plain functional appearance is all that is necessary with equipment required for the job, be it new or used as long as it works. This is a decision you will have to make. Should you decide to purchase used equipment there are many sources to choose from and you really can save a great deal of money. In many cases, used furniture and equipment need not look used. There are many outlets which can save you a great deal of money such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries. These organizations often have a furniture refinishing department and one need not be ashamed of the appearance of functionability of items purchased there. Basic items you will need are the computer, printer and a suitable desk, a functional chair, and basic filing and storage equipment. You should also provide for the guests area with comfortable chairs. An answering machine is a must ,and a copy machine optional. In planning your startup include sufficient money for all the small items such as stapler, pen and pencils and so forth. Will you be having a logo ? Do you plan to have a letterhead or business cards designed or will you take the less expensive route and do it yourself. A brochure is a great tool, but the cost of developing it and having it printed can be in the thousand dollar vicinity. CONTRACTS AND FORMS: ==================== Some of the basic forms which may be used are: 1. Application for placement on the registry 2. Sitter medical 3. Agency contract 4. Information letter to new patrons 5. Information regarding temporary live in placements 6. Patron contract for permanent placement (Samples of these forms are available) APPLICATION OF PLACEMENT ON THE REGISTRY: ========================================= 1. Note that this is not an "application for employment" since you are not considering actually employing the applicant. Note that there are laws controlling the information that you may ask such as age, religion, race as well as other factors. You may also have difficulty with reference checks since many companies will only verify employment and therefore on the application form you might request more references than you actually require since some might not be able to help you. Basic information you want to know about the applicant is: 1. Where they can be reached by telephone both day and evening. 2. An alternate telephone , pager or answering machine. 3. When is the applicant available for work. 4. Factors regarding experience and education. 5. Any course work related to the field of child care - such as education, nursing and so forth. 6. Experience, both professional and "life" experience . A mother who raised 5 children, should be a suitable candidate. 7. Church work, scouting, camp experience is fine for the single individual. It is helpful to know WHY the applicant has selected this type of work. Many do because of the flexibility, but a genuine interest in children is of prime importance. When the individual appears for the interview this can be further ascertained since personality is a prime factor in selection of baby sitters. Obtaining the name of someone to call in the event of an emergency who does not reside with the applicant is very helpful both in emergency situations and also in the case of a legal situation which might develop in the event of nonpayment of fees. Factors concerned with the individuals personality. A person in this field should be outgoing and friendly. Also the person should be able to take direction and be receptive to criticism. The ability to work with persons of all ages is important. SITTER MEDICAL: =============== The information requested on this form is basic and provides what is basic for performance on the job. Although it does not request results of laboratory tests or blood pressure checks, were these results not within normal limits the answers to the questions would preclude the individual from passing the test. Consequently these questions were selected and in most cases a physician who sees the individual on a fairly regular basis will complete the form without cost to the applicant. This is an important factor since many applicants find that the cost of having a physical checkup to provide the answers on the form would be prohibitive. DISTRIBUTION OF THE APPLICATION: Individuals requesting an application form may or not be provided with same by mail. The return rate has been reported as poor and the cost of providing the application materials and the postage may not justify sending out applications. On the other hand, the rate of no-shows for interviews may be high. However, there is no out of pocket expense for no-shows. There is some justification for mailing out applications, but consideration should be given as to whether or not this will be your policy. If an application is mailed a cover letter is suggested and a sample of one is included. This explains that the application may be returned prior to the interview , but this may be adjusted to state that it may be brought . A map of the area or very clear directions should be provided. When starting up a business, you might consider renting a room in a centrally located hotel or motel and inviting applicants to come in without an appointment. This has worked very well in several cases and provided a new business with a startup supply of workers. Of course, a newspaper or other type of advertisement set this up. AGENCY CONTRACT: ================ While it may not be a requirement in your state, a legal document will help to enforce within the applicant that he/she has entered into an obligation. Unfortunately, too many people do not think of the baby-sitting industry as a serious business and entering into a legal contract may help. The financial obligation to pay the agency for services rendered in referring the applicant to positions should be carefully reviewed so that there is no misunderstanding as to the obligation of the applicant to remit the necessary fees to Agency for the service. There may be occasionally be an applicant whose intention is to obtain clients through the services of the agency and then resign in order to avoid payment of commission. While many states have laws regarding theft of trade secrets and while an agency has the legal right to bring a civil suit against anyone who may be guilty of conspiring to steal such trade secrets obtaining a conviction may be difficult. Nevertheless the applicant should be made aware of such a law if it does exist in your state. The contract should be executed in duplicate and a copy given to the applicant. It is strongly urged that resignations be submitted in writing to avoid any misunderstanding. Subsequent to the execution of the contract, should an applicant be found not suitable, it can be considered null and void. PATRON LETTER: ============== When a prospective patron calls for information and is provided with same, it is doubtful how much retention there is. The agency employee knows what he is accustomed to telling about the service and feels confident that the patron has been properly informed. However, it is best to follow-up with a letter advising just what the service is, what is provided and what is NOT provided. It is not advisable to reiterate the charges since an employment agency does not "set" fees and hopefully the employee talking with the client has made it clear that the fees quoted are the usual fees charged for the type of service requested in the area. All new patrons should be provided with such a letter and/or an agreement denoting the service. (An example of a more formal agreement is available) TEMPORARY LIVE IN: ================== When a client patron service for a temporary period for a live in sitter the information regarding the arrangement discussed on the telephone call should be sent. The form is available that lists this information and has been found to be very helpful. It also includes a portion to be returned to Agency with the placement fee. A self addressed envelope is provided along with the new patron letter and a live in guideline which assists both the parent and sitter with facts concerning the children, their schedules, rules and regulations and information about the home. PERMANENT PLACEMENT: ==================== This contract is sent in duplicate to individuals seeking to hire a permanent employee ( such as a nanny) prior to referral of any applicants. This document sets forth the obligations of the agency and the parent in the arrangement. Permanent placements are not discussed in this document. THE PHYSICAL PLANT: =================== As stated above, you must decide the location of your operation be it home based or in a professional office building. There are of course advantages and disadvantages for each. The main consideration, of course is cost. An office suite will very likely cost from a minimum of $300.00 per month whereas use of your home will have no cost and will offer a tax advantage in many cases. Local regulations will be the first factor to consider if you decide you would like to home office. Do not accept a "yes" answer from one division, lest the informant not be properly informed. Check with several different divisions in government and also have your attorney check before you begin to plan. If you have the opportunity to consult with a successfully operating business of this type, do so and observe the setup they have in their operation. Will you be planning to function in a similar manner and if not, how would you do it differently? Will you plan to have help in the office and will you work together from the start? How will you plan to share equipment or divide the work load. These are things to think about before you start. Let us take the example of a moderately sized operation with about 150 to 200 sitters and many hundreds of patrons which operates with 2 persons in the office. This would require 3 desks, one of which is a computer work station , one for the worker and the last for the owner manager, probably in a separate office. Three telephones are located one on each desk and carry 3 or 4 lines, one of which may be a private line or used for workers only to call in. This lines should be on a rotary so that they roll over when the preceding line is in use. Two answering machines are used, one for sitter calls and the second for patron calls. A copy machine is a useful tool since many forms are used in this business and the cost of having them printed outside may be very high. A reception area may be housed with the secretary and the computer station and managers desk be in a second office. There may also be provision in this area for interviews with a few comfortable guests chairs. In your home you might use your living room for interviews if it is close to the office area and you needed a private area on occasion but you must consider if there would be traffic throughout the house and how you would maintain a professional atmosphere. PERSONNEL: ========== Every business operation has a product or service and the success of the enterprise is dependent upon this product. You are providing a service which entails referral of individuals and you, therefore, will be judged by the quality of their performance, even though you have no control over such performance. Consequently it is imperative that you set standards and procedures for selection of individuals who will be on your registry. Your clients are basically looking for workers who are: 1. Knowledgeable about the work 2. Reliable, honest and dependable 3. Neat, clean and well groomed 4. Willing to accept direction 5. Willing to accept criticism 6. Pleasant and friendly. 7. Able to make judgments 8. Able to provide references as to above 9. Willing to work for wages offered. Most items listed can be ascertained by the application, reference check and interview. However, personality will enter into any relationship and unfortunately, negative factors may surface following employment. HOW TO FIND SITTERS: ==================== It would seem that advertising in the newspaper would be the best method for finding sitters. Theoretically this is fine. People call you, make appointments, you meet and interview them, check references, place them on the registry and get to work. However, the advertisement will bring forth many unqualified individuals who will make appointments and not show up. You will find it difficult to plan your time when half of those invited do not appear. Therefore, you might have open interviews and not make definite appointments. Be certain that the directions to the office are very clearly given. This is a case where, if you are hard to locate spending the extra money to rent an easily found address might be very worth your while. If you decide to hold open interviews, utilize every possible method to advertise this . You might consider calling: 1. child care centers 2. child nursery coordinators 3. school, both public and private 4. college placement centers 5. hospitals and nursing homes Speak with the person in personnel who might know individuals who are looking for part time work , or perhaps who might be known to be looking for work. You might set forth your qualifications if you intend , for example, not to have teen-agers, or if you require that the registrant have their own transportation. In some cases, you are competing with the individual you are calling and for that reason they may not be receptive to your request, but that is the chance you have to take. Take advantage of any contacts which you have. Many years ago, a friend whose husband is an optometrist said that she envied me since I was a teacher and had so many contacts which would lead to more patients for her husband were she in my place. If you belong to organizations, do volunteer work, have a church affiliation or whatever, be certain to make it known among these groups that you are going into business and are looking for clients and workers. You might also try to get a newspaper to interview you and place a story in the paper and see if a radio or TV station is willing to give you some free publicity. Of course, if funds are available, paid advertising will give you the opportunity to prepare copy to your order, but this cost may be prohibitive. THE INTERVIEW AND ORIENTATION: ============================== It is important that all sitters have a thorough understanding of how your business operates and how they fit into the picture. You, therefore, should allow sufficient time for the prospective sitter to learn about the operation and what their obligations to you are, and yours to them. Basically the sitter should be advised that he\she must advise of: 1. Availability to work, on a day to day basis 2. How to be contacted by telephone or pager 3. Billing information for preparation of statement Although this sounds very simple in practice it is not. Sitters need to be reminded again and again that agency MUST have knowledge of their availability to work. This cannot be taken for granted even though someone has been working daily for weeks. The week that you have told a patron that so and so is open, having not heard from that sitter, may be just the week the sitter has decided to take off. Therefore, it is imperative that all sitters know that they must check in on the setup you have determined. In many cases this will be weekly. One agency does this with an answering machine and sitters are advised that the machine will be accepting their availabilities every Saturday when the office closes at noon until Monday morning at 7:30 AM when the office personnel transcribe the tape. Computer uses of this will be discussed below. HOW TO CONTACT: =============== This is very likely the number one problem at present. Today almost no one stays at home very much and most people have answering machine. Temporary sitters, when not employed, will very likely turn on the machine and leave for whatever reason, with no indication on the message as to the time of return. Therefore when the office find a suitable position and wants to offer it to the sitter, it is not possible to obtain a reply quickly as to the sitter's interest in the position. The patron, in the meantime, is pressuring the agency for a reply. In many cases, messages may be left on a half dozen answering machines for a particular job and no answer received for a number of hours. A solution for the above is to have all workers carry pagers; but many do not realize the importance of making the financial investment. The cost of a pager for one month can oftentimes be met by one job!! As an employment service, the agency cannot make the requirement that all workers carry pagers and supplying them at the expense of the agency may be prohibitive although worthwhile in the long run. This is a factor to be investigated and carefully considered by all. There are many cases where a client calls in with short notice and the agency finds a number of suitable workers available, but is unable to fill the position since not one can be found. BILLING INFORMATION: ==================== Since the agency will be billing the worker for services rendered in making job referrals the agency needs to know the amount of the bill. Most agencies will be charging a percentage commission based on the sitter's earnings and this is not known unless the information is provided by the sitter following the job. Therefore, the sitter may call this in to the agency so that it may be entered into the sitter's ledger . If this is done promptly on a daily basis, the agency records will always be up to date. At the time of the interview, depending on the policies which have been set for your agency, you might request that the individual provide information regarding : 1. lack of any health problem which might interfere with job absence of any communicable disease such as AIDS or TB 2. driving record with list of any violations 3. lack of criminal record of any felony convictions 4. intellectual ability by administration of a test With our complex world, we are seeing more and more evidence of emotional and mental problems and these are often hidden from a prospective employer. It should be made clear to the physician from whom the information is requested that this is important to the agency. Occasionally, the interview will ascertain that there is a potential problem when a prospective worker will talk about the recent divorce or death of a child , or other close relative and the individual's ability to handle this situation should be known by the agency. An agency discovered that an applicant who walked into the office with only a slight limp actually had an artificial leg, thereby limiting her ability to care for toddlers. Clients are not always understanding when they discover a physical limitation which was not disclosed by agency, only because agency had no knowledge of same. Again, you are limited by the disclosure of the physician who completes the form. Applicants should be advised that they should obtain from the appropriate state agency a statement indicating that they have a clean driving record with no major traffic violations. Anyone with an offense such as driving while intoxicated, should be carefully investigated to discover the circumstances of such offense and whether it might prevent the individual from being referred to a client who needs to have someone transported in a vehicle driven by the worker. All positions do not require driving, but it is a good idea to have this document on file. It is difficult to determine by interview and the usual reference check whether an applicant has a criminal record and for that reason asking the applicant to provide a statement that there are no felony convictions on record is a means of making this determination. Many licensees and holders of certificates such as teaching, and nursing require a reply to this question for issuance of license and this can be a help to agency when such individuals are applying. Workers who are bonded in their professions such as couriers, bank personnel and others may be considered to be honest and reliable in most cases. TESTING is done in many agencies making placing permanent placements such as nannies. A service may provide for this and you might administer it yourself and send it out for scoring or in some cases may be able to score it yourself. The cost of such testing may be as much as $50.00 and should be considered in deciding if you want to go this route. It WILL help you to determine the suitability of the applicant and may provide very useful in making recommendation to the patron as to the suitability of the applicant for the position and may prove very worthwhile in the long run. A simple test instrument for determining knowledge of children and judgment may be constructed by one in the field of education and a simplistic scoring method developed so that anyone might administrator this test. A sample is included in the Appendix. At the time of the interview appropriate materials to your operation may be given to the applicant. These are: 1. the agency contract 2. a commission sheet to help with arithmetic 3. guidelines setting forth policies and procedures 4. materials to give clients In order to organize the interview a tape recording might be used. Therefore, if there are interruptions or deviations from the procedure as often occur, you will know that all factors have been appropriately covered. Because of privacy laws, it may be difficult to obtain references in all cases. Therefore, if one can have the name of an individual to contact directly instead of a large company, it will be helpful. Many companies today will only verify dates of employment, but will offer no information regarding the performance of the individual. An objective evaluation of the applicant is important and this cannot be obtained from anyone who has a personal interest in the applicant but must be from one whose association has been professional. An important question is whether the individual is suitable for re-hire.