Hi Tina,

I see you have already been offered a wealth of information and good ideas. I can only reiterate what others have already said. Referance checking is essential to ensure the quality of your prospective employee. To put your mind at rest perhaps do a little research into the former position they held. It wouldn't take much to establish whether the previous job was ficticious or mis-represented.

Trust your gut instinct and take a few days to carefully consider each candidate, interview them a second time if needs be. Don't settle for one person because your desperate for the help and no one else is suitable. Often you can end up with more work and a bigger mess to clean up when hiring incompetant staff.

I do feel for your situation. Perhaps you have just had a bad run and maybe your luck will change.

I wish you all the best and hope you find the "perfect assistant" in the near future.

Regards,