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Before the interview

Before interviewing a candidate, confirm the candidate meets the minimum qualifications of being a child care staff member. Review the HHSC CCR minimum requirements for child care, and registered homes, centers, and licensed homes.

If you haven’t already asked for authorization for a background check from a candidate, the interview process would be a good time to request the Background Check Request Form, so that it's provided in a timely manner. To access the form, visit the Form 2971, Child Care Licensing Request for Background Check webpage on the HHSC CCR website.  

Interview tips

Use these tips to help guide successful interviews and informed hiring decisions:

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Know your candidate

Review the candidate’s resume and anything else submitted when they applied.

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Prepare questions

Prepare questions to ask each candidate to compare more easily and write down key points from answers.

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Make it a conversation

Follow up with questions are off script to learn more about their answer and ask clarifying questions if necessary. 

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Focus fully on the candidate

Be on time for the interview and have enough time for all questions and answers. 

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Explain the job and your needs

Share what you're looking for in a new employee, and a few things about why working for your program is so great.

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Allow time for thoughtful responses

Allow time for the candidate to consider and answer your questions. You can also ask the candidate if they want you to repeat the question. 

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Provide time for questions

At the end of the interview ask, “do you have any questions for me?” This allows the candidate to learn more about you, your program, and the job they've applied for. 

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End with thanks and next steps

Thank them for their time and for answering all of your questions. Explain the next steps (contacting references and conducting background checks) and let them know when they should hear from you. 

Sample interview questions 

Ask yourself what you want from a new staff member, and what type of personality would work well with your current staff. You want to ask questions that will help you get to know the candidate and learn what sets them apart from other candidates you're interviewing.  

Behavioral questions give insight into the candidate’s values and mindset. Ask candidates to describe scenarios that demonstrate their attitude towards work and how they react to different situations and challenges. 

Competency-based questions help you learn about the candidate’s experience and job-related skills. These questions help you understand how much the candidate knows about child development, or if they know what to do in certain situations.  

Below is a list of sample questions. You should know answers to basic questions from the candidate’s application and/or resume. Below each example question, you'll see suggestions of things to listen for when engaging in an interview conversation with a candidate.  

  1. What inspired you to pursue a career in child care OR looking back at on your previous experience what achievement with children are you most proud of?  

    Qualities to listen for: authenticity, passion, expressed delight for children and child care, and engagement in work and the field.  

  2. What attracted you to this opportunity and what do you hope to gain from this role?  

    Qualities to listen for: interest in growing and learning, compatibility, flexibility, interest and fit with your business, and reasons for leaving your current job.  

  3. What's a challenge you’ve faced in working in child care OR with children if they haven’t worked in child care before, and what did you do to resolve the challenge?  

    Qualities to listen for: honesty, problem-solving skills, flexibility, empathy, appropriate expectations of children and co-workers, learning from mistakes, and learning from a challenging experience.  

  4. Tell me about a situation where you’ve experienced conflict or disagreement with a colleague. How did you handle it?  

    Qualities to listen for: professionalism, willingness to compromise, ability to communicate, perspective-taking, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and compatibility.  

  5. Describe a situation when you were unable to accommodate a parent's request. How did you prepare for the conversation and what was the outcome?  

    Qualities to listen for: professionalism, ability to communicate, perspective-taking, problem-solving skills, and understanding of parents' and families' unique needs.  

  6. Describe a situation where a child was testing your patience or challenged you. How did you handle it?  

    Qualities to listen for: problem-solving skills, ability to work under stress, and appropriate behavior with children.  

  7. In this role, priorities often compete for our attention. Tell me about a time where ou had to manage multiple important tasks at one time. How did you prioritize and ensure everything was addressed?  

    Qualities to listen for: strategies for time-management, planning skills, communication when need help, managing a classroom, and working with the needs of many different children.  

  8. What's an important lesson you've learned in your career so far and what experience taught you that lesson?  

    Qualities to listen for: eagerness to learn, willingness to try new things, adaptability, ability to handle frustration.    

Follow-up questions 

If the candidate's response but doesn't seem to answer your question or lacks important details, ask a follow-up question to learn more. Some examples of follow-up questions include:  

  • Can you explain more about what your role was in that example? 
  • Thank you for sharing that story. Can you tell me more about how that turned out? 
  • That sounds very interesting. Can you elaborate on what you learned from that experience?  

Role specific questions 

The interview questions above can be used with any candidate applying for a position. Consider the following position-specific questions when interviewing for a lead position, an assistant position, or a director position:  

Questions for an assistant position  

  1. Describe a time when you worked effectively as a part of a team. What actions did you take to help the team achieve its goals? 
  2. Tell me about someone who has mentored you and the impact they had on your development.   

Questions for a lead position  

  1. Tell me about a time when you took a leadership role with coworkers or peers. How did you approach leading others and what was the outcome? 
  2. Describe a time when you planned, implemented, and assessed a learning experience. How did it go and what did you learn from it? 
  3. What strategies would you use to support an assistant who has no previous child care experience? 
  4. What professional skills do you bring for this role?  

Questions for a director position  

  1. As a director, you're responsible for the quality of care that the staff provides the children of this program. Tell me about a time when you motivated and guided adults to perform at their best. What strategies did you use? 
  2. Describe the qualities of an ideal child care program. What role does a director play in creating and maintaining those qualities?  

Questions to avoid 

There are questions you can’t ask of the applicant because they are illegal. Avoid questions around the following areas:  

  • Age: Questions like “How old are you?”, “When did you graduate?”, and “How long before you plan to retire?”  
  • Religion: Questions like “What religion do you practice?” and “Where do you go to church?” shouldn't be asked. There is an exception is if there is a bona fide occupational qualification. Religious-based child care programs are usually the exception. Justifying a bona fide occupational qualification can be complicated, so you may want to seek legal counsel ahead of asking these questions. 
  • Family status: Questions like “What does your husband do for a living?”, “Do you have children?”, “Are you married?”, “Do you plan to have children?”, and “Are you pregnant?”  
  • Race, ethnicity, or national origin: Questions like “What country are you from?” or “Where were you born?” 
  • Disability: Questions like “What is your weight?” or “Have you had a major illness in the last year?”   

If you want to learn more about prohibited employment policies and practices, visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on their website. To help you navigate interview questions, the table below outlines acceptable and unacceptable ways to ask about certain topics. 

TopicAcceptable Unacceptable If unacceptable, why? 
Age If age is a legal requirement for employment, can ask: “If hired, can you provide proof of age?” or a statement that the hire is subject to age verification. What is your date of birth? Could be viewed as age discrimination. 
Attendance and reliability Which hours and days can you work? How many children do you have? Could be viewed as discriminatory toward females or family status. 
 Do you have responsibilities other than work that interfere with specific job requirements? What are your child care arrangements? Could be viewed as discriminatory toward females or family status. 
 Do you have a reliable method of transportation to get to work? Do you own a car? Could be considered racial or family status discrimination. 
Citizenship and national origin Have you ever worked under a different name? What is your maiden name? Could be considered national origin discrimination. 
National origin None. There are no questions where determining someone’s national origin is relevant. What is your father’s surname? What are the names of your relatives? Not only are these irrelevant, but they could be considered national origin discrimination. 
Religion None. 
*For religious-based bona fide occupational qualification programs: 
-What, if any, faith tradition do you practice? 
-How does your faith impact your work?		What house of worship do you attend? Could be viewed as religious discrimination. 

After the interview

After the interview take a few minutes to review or complete your notes. You might choose to organize your notes based on the most important skills, characteristics, and qualities from your scorecard.  

Reach out to references to complete reference checks. You'll also need to complete Texas Child Care Regulation Background Checks. 

Disclaimer 

The information contained here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal, tax, or financial advice.