Values-Based Hiring & Onboarding Interviews: An ACT-Informed Toolkit to Support Staff Retention

Description

Skills can be taught. What keeps new staff showing up after a hard shift is a clear sense of why the work matters to them. This toolkit helps you find that out during hiring, and then build on it from day one.

Designed for human services leaders who hire and onboard RBTs, DSPs, paraprofessionals and other direct support staff, this 16-page toolkit combines a structured, values-based interview with a first-week onboarding interview and 30/60/90-day check-ins, carrying each new hire’s values through their first three months, when turnover risk is highest.

Part 1: Values-Based Interviewing
• Why values-based interviewing matters, with a step-by-step guide to using the form
• Keeping Interviews Fair & Legal: topics to avoid, “ask this instead” alternatives, a script for redirecting personal information, and tips for avoiding culture-fit bias
• Fillable 3-page interview form: 22 questions across six areas (why this work, handling hard moments, receiving feedback, speaking up and teamwork, reliability, and learning and growth), plus scenario questions for RBT, DSP and classroom settings. Type notes beside each question and score answers from 1–3 dropdowns.
• A built-in scoring key, total score, summary and hiring recommendation

Part 2: Values-Based Onboarding & Check-Ins
• Why values-based onboarding matters, with guidance for running the interview and check-ins
• A 2-page onboarding interview with opening and closing scripts, space to record “their values, in their words,” feedback and support preferences, first commitments, and a supervisor summary
• 30-, 60- and 90-day check-in forms (Settling In, Building Skills, Looking Ahead), each with five focused questions and a summary of what’s going well, what’s hard and the next step

Bonus appendix
• Feedback Preference Form, so you learn how each new hire takes feedback best (it matches the forms in the Giving & Receiving Feedback guides)

Perfect for: BCBAs, clinical directors, program managers, HR and hiring teams, and anyone who hires or onboards direct support staff in ABA, residential, day program or school settings.

Format: Instant digital download. 16-page PDF, 8.5 × 11 in. The interview form is fillable (works best in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader); the onboarding and check-in forms are printable.

Please note: This is a digital product; no physical item will be shipped. For use by one purchaser. Forms may be copied for use within your own hiring and onboarding. Please don’t share or redistribute the full toolkit. Hiring laws vary by location; review interview questions with your HR department or an employment attorney before use. This toolkit supports, but does not replace, your organization’s hiring and HR policies.