In today’s gig economy, hiring the right person for the job is harder than ever. Whether you are looking for a plumber, a dog walker or a babysitter, there are so many different factors to consider when deciding who is the right person for your task. And of course, everyone has different requirements and expectations for the servicer they are hiring. So, how do we go about picking the right person?

Hiring a babysitter is possibly one of the most important decisions for a young family. When you hire a babysitter, you are entrusting the safety and wellbeing of your child with a complete stranger. This can be an intimidating ordeal for young parents. Children are oblivious, impressionable and unaware of the dangers of the world, much less their house. It can be scary to think about leaving your vulnerable child with someone you barely know.

There is no way to guarantee the babysitter you hire is the perfect fit for your child and family. However, there are some useful tips and considerations you can keep in mind when looking for your next babysitter.

Background checks: Do they have a criminal record?

Background checks are a common assessment that employers have potential employees go through before they are formally hired. This lets the employer know of any criminal history the employee might have. This is a straightforward and understandable process. Would you really want to hire someone who has a history of theft and fraud for your company?

The same idea can be applied in a much smaller recruitment process, such as hiring a babysitter. In some ways, the stakes are even higher in this situation. Checking the criminal record of a potential babysitter will immediately inform you of any red flags that might put your child in danger. Even if the individual has a minimal criminal history, it is important to decide whether having a person with complications with the law will be a good influence for your highly impressionable child. Every family has different standards and perceptions of individuals with a criminal history, so the information you obtain from these background checks might not even mean anything to you. Regardless, it is a good routine to practice when screening your next babysitter.

Ask your network for recommendations

Much like online reviews help inform you of your online shopping decisions, word-of-mouth recommendations from your social network can be a good way of quickly selecting a good babysitter without going through extensive research.

Consult your close friends, coworkers, acquaintances and family members to see if they have had any good experiences with a particular babysitter. Compile the recommendations they give you and then continue to screen the candidates. Word-of-mouth recommendations carry much more weight than online reviews. The people who recommend things to you directly actually know you and, expectedly, care about you. There is a certain degree of accountability with personal recommendations that do not exist with online reviews.

If your friend recommends you a truly awful babysitter, you can easily trace back to the source. If your coworker refers you to an amazing babysitter, they can be sure that you will thank them and be grateful for their suggestions. This accountability simply does not exist when you rely on online reviews or recommendations from strangers.

If this is the first time you are hiring a babysitter, you might still be figuring out the type of person you want responsible for your child. Every family has different preferences. Some prefer more strict, surveilling types of babysitters while others do not mind a carefree style of babysitting. It is also important to ask yourself these questions before you embark on your hiring process. You don’t want to waste time with candidates who don’t match your needs. But above else, making sure your child is around someone who is responsible and can guarantee the safety and health of your child should be your top priority.