Posted by
not pizza
11 yrs ago
We will be looking for a helper soon.
Looking at other employer adverts, there is a strong emphasis on getting references from past employers + contact for quick chat with them.
Is that really so important? Couldn't it be the number of a friend posing as the previous employer? Is there a way to check for sure?
Another common requirement is, no early termination. But again, how do I know for sure? And anyway, couldn't it be for a legitimate reason such as the employer leaves HK?
Any other recruitment tips? Things to watch out for? Good screening tests?
Thanks! :)
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All good & important questions! Here's an excellent tip but often neglected by most prospective employers ... simply ask all prospective candidates to bring along their current/previous contracts ... all employed helpers must have kept an official copy of their original contract (4 copies are signed at the beginning: 1 each for PH consulate, HK immigration, employer, and helper) so there is absolutely no excuses for the helper not to have hers (unless she really doesn't wish to show it to you which is a red flag immediately).
This is the ONLY way you will know who & when the helper/candidate was currently/previously hired ... No guess work or fake stories!!
As to the other tips about not hiring contract breakers or early terminations, most are based on good advice ... generally you should avoid them if possible but like anything else in life, there are certainly exceptions ... just proceed with extra cautions ... ask more questions and be more alert, etc.
Hope this helps ... Good Luck!
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So dodgy... 80% of the candidates I'm interviewing want to break contract because they "don't have enough food"! Is this a cliche' excuse? Are they taking me for a ride?
The obvious follow-up question, did you try to talk to your employer about it, is inevitably answered with a "no", and then my investigation gets nowhere, perhaps some other near-slavery conditions emerge, but that's it. Uhm...
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To reiterate ... best to avoid all/most contract breakers (and obviously also those who are terminated by their employers for cause)! There are lots of viable helpers in HK, you just need to be more selective in your candidates, and only invest in time interviewing those who are not "dodgy" as you put it ... no different than how companies weed out the bad from the good pool of prospective employees ... Good Luck!
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Maybe you are right and it'll end in tears.
However, after one week of intense interviewing, both on the phone and in person, I have come to the conclusion that slavery in HK is alive and well.
I can allow for some of the pleas I received to be phony, but I am confident that the stories I have verified via one-to-ones were genuine. Either that or they were incredible actors *and* document forgers.
We ended up committing to hiring a contract breaker. We advised her (and all other applicants reporting these sad stories) to seek advice from an NGO called Mission for Migrant Workers, and encouraged them to turn in their employer to the Immigration Department.
"Not enough food" is the top complaint, closely followed by getting overworked (not enough sleep, forced to work on their day off for free, asked to take care of 2 houses, regular duties at friends' houses) getting treated as subhumans, shouted at, and even hit by their employers.
Let's see how it goes, but my impression is that these people do deserve another chance. From a selfish perspective, you do run a small risk, but the upside is gratitude and loyalty.
I now understand how employers' adverts like the following, which at first I found hilarious, have reason to exist
"
We do provide extra food for our helper, such as COKE, SPRITE, 6 packs of cookies, mayonnaise, peanut butter, siow mai, meat balls, noodles, hot dogs, fresh vegetables, meat, tea, coffee, coffee mate, lots of sugar, etc.
We also make sure she has enough sleep
Sleep at 11 pm and start work at 7 am.
"
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the contracts are the best bet.. we had what looked to be a great candidate who give us her friends number who pretended to be her former employer.. the friend finally called us back and told us the truth as she was getting worried about the number of calls she was getting.. my 'gut' feel let me down that time as there were no alarm bells ringing
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Ha, Ha, great story indeed! It's amazing how many gullible employers are out there ... not sure why they wouldn't simply practice the same level of due diligence typically done before employing professionals at work ... would they simply take the word of any potential candidates about their credentials or prior employment background, etc?? Surely not, so the same due diligence should be done with hiring a helper (especially one who minds your loved ones and also lives in with you 24/7 much unlike a professional colleague who you will only stick around at the office during the day) ... Hellooooo!
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I have seen helpers forge reference letters so don't know how reliable it is.( was trying to set up an interview for a friend who really needed help. Of course I told the helper to go home and never depend on me to find another job).
What I would look into is whether the candidate matches your criterion, some people have to break contracts as their QOL is really bad or their employer is just too too way demanding. Other side is, even if someone finishes contracts, that means they were fulfilling their role in THAT house. A help in a house of 2 adults and a help in a house with 2 adults, 3 children are completely different stories.
I would list out your own requirements, can she keep up with the children's energy level, her organisation skills, her personality, do I want I gentle person or cut to the chase person, cheerful or quiet, whatever is important for you. This person will be living with you.
My 2cents worth.
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Wow, Xshoequeen, you hit the nail on the head!
We all have different requirements and it's just luck whether you find one that you are happy with and vice versa.
Each helper has her own definition of a demanding employer also.
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Indeed reference letters can be forged and phone calls directed to friends. So I'm not sure how much stock I would put into that.
The only thing I can think of is to ask the what the prospective DH what her preferences are in a DH job and what she feels she does best. Is it childcare? cooking, cleaning, marketing, dog-walking? I would do this prior to your explaining your requirements to see if this person is a good fit. They might tell you they are good at or like every task, so it may be helpful to ask them to rank them.
For example, if you have no kids and are looking for general cleaning and cooking, but she prefers childcare and dislikes cooking, then it may not be the right fit.
Direction may be another question: does she prefer for you to spell out exactly what needs to be done on which day or likes to plan her own schedule. What type of employer are you?
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jgl
11 yrs ago
We have found references to useful.
Verbal references are more useful than written ones as you can gauge a lot more from a conversation- you can identify specific areas of strength or weakness. If an employer is willing to act as a verbal reference then it would indicate that the helper generally got along with them.
We did call up one reference recently who we realised was a fake. She didn't know enough detail regarding the helper's duties or living environment. The helper was probably the brightest we had met so far and asked very intelligent questions, displayed initiative and was overall very impressive.
So I personally place a great deal of importance on verbal references but only because we use them in a very specific manner.
I also understand that there are many good helpers who would not be able to provide references if their employers are unreasonable.
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Agree with not being able to provide verbal reference but lying about it?
I would be more likely to go with a helper who said I don't get along with my ex employer so hence you can't contact them as opposed to someone who interviews well but is uncovered having her friend play the role of the ex employer. Lying is never a good basis on which to start a relationship off.
Also it's usually the more wily ones that present VERY well at interviews as they know what you want to hear and what they should do. I would take an honest helper who showed enthusiasm over someone who knew the ins and outs of rigging a verbal refernce any day.
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I would also check the passport. If it is peppered with repeat uncompleted contracts then that is a real red flag.
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I stopped reading the following comments after your post reply on hiring a BREAK CONTRACT ONE...
WHY? because you did a very considerable act NOT PIZZA...just because ehy broke contract doesn't mean they have issues..there are many angles in every situation...People who said stop hiring break contracts are narrow-minded(maybe there are the employers who matreat their maids) indeed, modern slavery is existing here..well,yeah,HK is highly developed place,so what can we do...whether that one you hired is bad or good,you were still a very open-minded person.giving people a chance
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