BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

OCTOBER 27, 2023

If you’re an employer desperately seeking talent in the early childhood education and care sector, then the KindiCare/Found Worx recruitment process has been expertly designed to help candidates shine.  

When candidates register for work with KindiCare Jobs on the KindiCare App, we will look carefully at their experience, qualifications, strengths and aspirations, and our revolutionary recruitment process is positive, personalised and proactive. 

We are focused on presenting each candidate in the best possible light, then actively seeking excellent employment matches, and as a childcare provider, here’s what you can expect from KindiCare/Found Worx’s job-ready candidates.  

Found Worx is led by a Kim Keating, a highly experienced recruitment professional with a genuine passion for the early learning sector.  

Kim and her team offer a very human recruitment process that’s underpinned by revolutionary thinking and technology, and they simply start by taking a close look at each candidate’s application when they register for work with KindiCare Jobs. 

Found Worx has taken extra steps to ensure that all KindiCare-registered candidates are categorised, based on their early childhood qualifications and experience. 

If they find that the candidate isn’t qualified in early childhood, or doesn’t have the experience to be immediately placed in a role within the sector, Found Worx will send them an email, outlining career pathways and study options that are open to them.  

And if the candidate is found to be suitably qualified and experienced, they will be taken through the full Found Worx experience. 

This is an in-depth process that enables Kim and her team to truly understand the candidate and provide them with an accurate picture of the type of role they are qualified for within the sector.  

This process involves the candidate being taken through a variety of assessments that clearly address recognised standards for each job type, based on the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and direct input from providers.   

Kim says, “We have identified over 10 job types that exist in centres, and have created bespoke self-evaluation forms, interview guides and assessment tasks to suit each role and meet the candidate where they are. 

“This means an Educator with a Diploma will work through different questions and tasks, compared to an Early Childhood Teacher, and materials for a Centre Manager will be different again,” she explains.  

“This ensures that each candidate is a true fit, and is able to meet the skills, behavioural competencies and values needed to be successful in any role they apply for.” 

Found Worx guides each candidate through a number of steps to vet them thoroughly and ensure job-readiness. 

Found Worx starts by asking the candidate to complete a self-evaluation form. 

This form is based on the key elements of the job description for the specific role the candidate has the relevant experience and qualifications for. 

The next step is an in-depth interview with a member of the Found Worx team.  

This interview addresses experience, behaviour and values-based competencies, and Kim says, “We have included values, as more and more employers are interested in the values-alignment of the people they employ, especially in an early learning context.  

“We also make sure the interview isn’t a scary test. Our aim is for the candidate to relax and talk about themselves, without fear of being themselves, or spending nervous energy worrying about what the interviewer really wants from them,” explains Kim. 

“Instead, we’ve designed every element intentionally to put the candidate at ease and draw the best out of them. We want to learn about the skills and knowledge that the applicant may not have thought to include in their initial application, and our whole recruitment process is about nurturing the candidate and building their confidence, while demonstrating their worth, so that we can champion everything they have to offer.”  

This approach allows Found Worx to identify candidates who might otherwise be overlooked, and Kim is genuinely committed to the process and excited about the potential of individual candidates.  

After the one-on-one interview, the candidate then undertakes a practical written task. 

Often referred to as a ‘show-and-tell activity,’ Kim says, “This step adds a wonderful depth to our process and the task is specifically structured around the EYLF, at a level appropriate for the individual candidate's job type.” 

Once all this data has been collated into an exclusive Found Worx Candidate Profile, the candidate is ready to meet their prospective employer for an on-site interview. 

The candidate is job-ready, and Found Worx provides busy Centre Managers, Owners and/or Talent Acquisition Teams with a Candidate Portfolio, containing detailed feedback from every stage of the Found Worx process.  

The candidate and their prospective employer can then spend time engaging and building rapport with one another. 

The prospective hirer has a detailed Candidate Profile to refer to along the way. and they meet the candidate, secure in the knowledge that the person has been thoroughly screened.  

The last steps in the Found Worx recruitment process relate to reference checks, job offers and onboarding. 

Once an employer has the intention of hiring a candidate, the Found Worx team conducts two reference checks, and it's then time for a formal job offer! 

All in all, the KindiCare/Found Worx recruitment experience is highly beneficial for candidates and providers. 

It provides the support that individual candidates need to put their best foot forward, and it makes recruitment simple and successful for time-poor employers who require quality staff within a reasonable budget.  

Kim and her team at Found Worx are confident that they have created a far superior experience for candidates and providers in the early learning sector, and KindiCare Jobs in the KindiCare App has candidates that no-one else has access to. 

Those candidates who may otherwise be overlooked or under-sold are being given a real opportunity to shine; and Kim and her Found Worx team are excited to actively champion and encourage each person.  

Kim’s 25+ years' of recruitment experience, with specialisation in the early learning sector, also means that she truly understands what childcare providers are looking for. 

As part of this, she has structured a Found Worx fee schedule to suit the sector. 

Found Worx’s placement fees are calculated as a flat fee based on job type, regardless of individual salary. 

Kim says, “Working out the fee in this way adds value in a few ways. For providers who are scrutinising every dollar spent, it makes budgeting for staff acquisition more precise, with payrates for employees varying significantly within the same job type.  

“It also means that when offering a role, any extra money achieved in the negotiation goes straight to candidates without Found Worx having any hidden agenda in wanting to receive more, which is just the way we want it!”   

Found Worx’s fees are less than standard agency fees, and the KindiCare/Found Worx approach offers great value, because clients are provided with a significantly more in-depth process – meaning no more resume flicks for high fees!  

Plus, you gain access to candidates who are often exclusively registered with KindiCare Jobs on the KindiCare App.  

Already, Found Worx is achieving great things for candidates and employers, and Kim and her team are ready to help you.  

If you’re looking for Early Childhood Educators who are pre-screened and job-ready, and want to know how Found Worx works, contact Kim at kim@foundworx.com.au.  

Found Worx will then get in touch and set you on a path to success.