Interview Top Tips

Interview Top Tips

by: Maestro - 13-04-10 10:19

Hear thee now ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Looking for a job? Take some top Maestro tips and excel in your next interview. Be the best, and kick down the rest! Nursery owners and managers, add in your own. I consider these the mere basic, so just following these on its own is not enough to get you the job, but its a damn good start!

Remember if you book the interview... ATTEND IT!!

Interview Top Tips!!

Good

1.       Prepare – There’s nothing better than going with a head full of knowledge and information you fully understand. Think about your placements and the work you did, did you try some planning? Get to speak to Senco, Beco, Ofsted? Hell yeah, tell us about it, experiences. Remember enthusiasm always goes down well. Don’t know about the EYFS? Read up. There are some pretty good summary’s knocking around. Not having experience, but knowledge, enthusiasm and a willing to learn is like catnip!

Bad

1.       Don’t prepare – Sit there and nod like a willing dog waiting to be chucked a bone. Mutter, “ya, totally...” and “of course” and my favourite “yea I get you, you get me?” If you pretend to know and try actually attempt to speak garbage, managers will know and think you’re an idiot.

Good

2.       Dress for the interview – Shine those shoes, pull out your smartest formal, and CLEANEST clothes. Dirty clothes? Use a washing machine, it works wonders, no washing machine? Use the laundrette. Can’t be bothered? Nor can we! Wear discreet jewellery, a wedding ring, engagement ring, studs. Wear deodorant, maybe a LITTLE splash of perfume or aftershave. Ensure that hair is neat and tidy, or of acceptable appearance. Have a bath or shower before the interview.

Bad

2.       Turning up dressed for a night up town with the girls/lads. Showing as much cleavage as possible, or all your tattoo’s, smelling like a small chemical plant, or worse of BO and bling’d to the hills with as much Elizabeth Duke jewellery as humanly possible. 14 ear piercings with the biggest, jangliest, and bling’d earrings maybe “street” but we’re in a children’s nursery, not the ghetto. Don’t empty half a bottle of that finest French fragrance you’re partner bought you at Christmas. It stings... oh my god my eyes, oh it stings. Smelling like an ashtray.

Good

3.       Posture – Sit there interested, lean slightly forward to show your interest, and make eye contact. Keep your hands in a lowered position, ideally in your lap and sit legs together or crossed.

Bad

3.       Sitting like your waiting for your “homies” at the bus stop and about to meditate into the upper atmosphere. Slouching in your seat, pulling serious faces like you’re the king or queen of ghettoville ready to waste anybody who diss’s you yea, you get me bruv!

Good

4.       Communication – Talk to the interviewer, acknowledge what it being said and converse. A conversation should involve two people, not one person being drowned by another with non-stop verbal diarrhoea. Think before you speak, it may seem like a lifetime in your head, in reality it’s about 5 seconds. It also gives out a positive impression. Speak English or the same native language as your interviewer. Ghetto is not a language. Be polite, remember manners.

Bad

4.       Blurting out the first thing that comes in your head. If an interviewer was to investigate your answer a little further could you support what you just said? Slagging off your previous work places, it’s unprofessional and gives a really bad impression. Managers are not likely to go “ooooooooooooooo my god, I so know that, they is well bad int tey. Tey is like well disrespectin tem kids.” Making comments about the nursery before you’ve even looked round, and in some cases even sat down. Do you really know it’s a nice nursery? Blatant brown nosing is a cardinal sin requiring instant execution.

Good

5.        Ask questions – show your interest, ask about hours, uniform, training, promotion, holidays. Try and think of at least one.

Bad

5.       Responding to “Have you any questions?” with “nah I’m just desperate for a job” or “nah it’s pretty simples really!”

Good

6.       Application forms – check the spelling, use black ink, write neatly, take your time, keep the forms flat. Write only the truth.

Bad

6.       Writing the forms on the bus, scrunching up the forms, coffee or tea rings on the forms. Incomplete or missing information. One reference. Not explaining employment gaps. Using a different coloured pen for each line. Submitting a CV instead of the form, submitting a CV with the form not filled in. “Padding out” the application. Incorrect spellings, text speak, and slang.

by: milkonesugar

Hahaha!

If the job advertised is full time - then you cannot offer to work only 16 hours so you can still get your benefits.

Full day care is just that - you don't get school holidays off.

You need to be fit and healthy - No it's not your fault your always ill - but it's not mine either!

by: scarlett

Haha

1, speak

2. prepare show your knowledge of eyfs

3. dont try to be the interviewers friend

4. biggest hate - "I hope to have my own nursery one day"

5. on your trial in the room remember to talk to children and not gossip withthe staff

RE: RE: Interview Top Tips - 13-04-10 19:31

by: joshuajones

Ah, now all becomes clear to me !!

I knew, like, there was like a reason why I wasn't like impressed like with the girl that like turned up in jeans, and like chewing gum, with like loads of make up on, and like had these big like earrings on, and like, wasn't able to answer any of the questions that err like I asked her !!!!

And like she didn't really sort of like know anything like about our company, or like "wow, isn't this a big nursery ?" and like the kids are really like funny aren't they ??

Urgghhhhhhh DO NOT use the word like after every other word !!!!!!!

    

RE: RE: RE: Interview Top Tips - 13-04-10 19:45

by: milkonesugar

did you not LIKE her then? :) 

by: joshuajones

Errrrrrr No !!!!!!

Can't think why !!!!!

Maybe it was cos like she turned up in like jeans, and didn't like really know what she was err like talking about !!!!!!!

by: Maestro

When you've spent the past god knows how many weeks recruiting and this is very worryingly becoming the trend... The industry is going to the dogs!

Good

6.       Punctuality – Be on time, make the effort to do a test run to the interview to time how long it will take to get there. Arrive 5-10 minutes early.

Bad

7.       Turn up late, 5 minutes or 30 minutes late is still late in my book, and if you can’t make the interviewon time, you won’t make your shift! Standing around smoking outside the nursery because you’re early is also a bad impression.

by: Lolo

You have my sympathy.  We are advertising an admin job at the moment, and have had some hilarious calls and messages.  

Could you add

that it helps if you are awake when you call?

C

by: Karine

I abhor this "dya now wat I mean like"  aaahhhh, I am asking them to explain, using this after every sentence or inbetween is frustrating - unless they can explain what they mean i do not employ them!

This post has tickled me in one way, but saddened me in another, do our youth really think that we would employ anyone who simply does not give a damn and can not hold their own in conversation to then be able to support the childrens development, be a role model and be able to even converse and support our children.  The children in our pre-school have a better command of English.

by: red sun

it's because they think we still just sit on the floor and play all day; "I'm really good wiv me cousins", "I do loads of babysitting",  and "I luv kids I do", I wish I had a pound for every time I'd heard those sentences!!!

RE: RE: Interview Top Tips - 04-05-10 23:41

by: Flossy

The sad things is these people end up giving all us good nursery nurses a bad name. People think you have to have no brains and sit and play with children all day and basically don't give a monkeys because it's an easy job, when i worked in a nursery it was remarkable the people came through the door, one girl was once stood outside the very front door to the nursery smoking a fag and she was late!

RE: RE: RE: Interview Top Tips - 05-05-10 09:49

by: Cham Chick

Ha Ha

Brilliant, Im looking for a new job in the UK and am feeling quite confident now as you guys seem to be having a tough time recruiting.

But, I've been out of the UK for a while and need to read up, can you give me any suggestions of good places to find out about the EYFS etc.

Thanks

by: Dons

Try the internet.

by: Maestro

I'm still recruiting. I wish we could shoot the ones that should not be allowed to look after a pet rock, let alone children.

"I'm sorry, you're not the right candidate for life...." BANG

NEXT...!

by: Maestro

Good 8. CV’s (curriculum vitae to the posh, that bit a paper init to the erm.. well) – If applying for a job through CV, then do make an effort. Use some templates from the internet, get a family member or friend to help you. Spell check, use white paper, use dates, grades, brief description of roles and responsibilities, perhaps put your appropriate interests and extracurricular achievements, it’s nice to know the person is applying is normal and has some enthusiasm for life. When printing make sure it prints straight, takes an extra 2-5min to do so, but stops your CV going in the bin as soon as I see it. Yes I have OCD, bad presentation is the devil. Always, and I mean always, write a covering letter. You can sell yourself to your heart’s content in this letter, but always, always, always, always include one. Did I mention always??

by: Maestro

Bad 7. Write your CV on some scrap paper, hand write it, and use paper with more colours than Joseph’s coat. Avoiding the use of dates and key information pertaining to your education and employment, and failing to give key information about yourself. So many times I’ve seen CVs with no phone numbers, D.O.B’s, address’s even!! I often wonder how you remember to put your name on, then I remember you need to sign your name for the dole. Writing your covering letter on a post-it note (I kid you not), this is not going to become the norm, no matter how many people do it, its bad!! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!! Using family members, personal friends for references. If you have employment history I want to see references from employers, you should note that when you sign my application form you must give consent for me to contact ANY of your past employers. If you are coming from college then try and use a work placement, not easy I know but looks so much better if you have made the effort to do so, and use your college tutor. I will only usually accept a character reference from a professional when people come straight from college, but this must be from a professional, not your neighbour, unless they’re a professional, and must still be with two other references as stated.

by: Maestro

I have no idea why, but the site is still removing my formatting! It's not good for OCD

by: red sun

I once had a mum ring up to ask what questions we would be asking her daughter at interview! You can imagine what I said, albeit very politely!!

by: Maestro

Good choice for the magazine Nursery World. I think you should do an entire article on it.

by: Annette

Your wish is our command! We'll run a feature on interview tips soon...

by: Maestro

Excellent!

by: Tiggy

It's nerves I have problems with.

There was an interview where I dried up and contemplated having an 'attack of appendicitis' or escaping through the window.

I'm great at the job but crap at interviews.

by: Maestro

A good interviewer will recognise nerves and shyness, and should account for these in the interview. I've had girls sit and shake, throats dry up, sweat buckets, and stutter themselves into a frenzy.Usually a case of adapting the questions to make them appear less formal, i.e. have an informal conversation and drop the odd question in.

by: red sun

Me too Tiggy, great on paper, great at the job but let myself down massively at interviews, but it is something I am aware of and trying to work on!!!

by: Maestro

It's that time again, regrettably, expansion means more staff required so please have a read through and take in the top tips. One more for the new batch...

Good.

Read the advert and job/person specification. Pay attention to such details as what level of qualification, what qualification type, hours of work, shift patterns etc...

Bad.

See an advert find the nearest thing that resembles a phone number and argue your NVQ 1 in Media Studies so entitles you to work with children and that they is being well like rude and stuff. Worst still, claim there is no information in the advert, only this phone number and demand to know what kind of advert only has a phone number.