It's a Tough Job, But Someone's Got to Do It: Hiring the Right Staff

By Dora Jacildo

I love this organization and am grateful to every staff member who contributes to our ability to provide the best possible services to the children and families in our care.  Like many agencies, we are a family.  

A very successful executive once told me that he would never hire someone he wouldn’t be willing to invite to his home for dinner.  I feel the same way.   Every person, regardless of their title, makes a meaningful impact on the culture of our organization.  It is what has made Children Today an attractive place to work for many.  

Our philosophy is intended to touch every person that walks through our doors.   When we recruit and interview potential candidates, our criteria goes beyond education and experience and really looks at character, emotional intelligence, and competencies.  

We are most concerned with assessing:

·         Ability to build relationships
·         Ability to give of themselves to others
·         Ability to see the opportunity for growth with every challenge
·         Grace, kindness, empathy
·         Maturity, wisdom, self-awareness
·         Courage

Children Today, like many other organizations, provides on the job training opportunities, workshops, staff development meetings, and retreats.  However, we recognize that there are core values that we all hold as individuals that make our work with children and families possible.  The implementation of our program forces all of us to be reflective in order to ensure that we are meeting the needs of those we support.  Our trauma-informed service delivery model puts the focus on “doing no harm” to families that have suffered many injuries.  Our anti-bias curriculum challenges more traditional ways of engaging children in a conversation about the world they live in.  Our daily interactions with children who are chronically stressed strengthen our commitment to them and to each other.  Our awareness of the innocence that’s been lost unites us in our grief. 

We recognize that not everyone can do this work.  We also know that no amount of education or work experience can prepare you for what we expect from our employees.  The quest to understand how to live a life of service is something very personal.  All we can do is try our best to identify candidates whose life mission is a complement to what we’re about.