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Staffing Answers one question

When to hire your first assistant — and what to ask in the interview

The enrollment number that makes an assistant pay for herself, and six interview questions that predict reliability.

Most owners hire their first assistant a year later than they should, because the math feels scary. It isn’t.

The math

If an assistant lets you enroll two more children, she has covered her wage in most markets. Everything beyond that is capacity you didn’t have before.

Six questions to ask

  • Tell me about a morning that went wrong at your last job.
  • How do you calm a toddler who bites?
  • What would you do if a parent asked you to bend a rule?
  • What time do you wake up on a workday?
  • How do you feel about logging every diaper change?
  • What do you need from me to do your best work?
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