Nikki - first and foremost, relax in interviews, I know its hard but just think of it as a chat with some people rather than an interview.
I used to get all worked up and nervous about them but now I don't at all, its not worth the stress and the stress usually causes you to forget things or stammer etc
Usually most industries have a pretty similar set of questions they will ask you. So if you have done one interview you may get asked the same questions at your second, but now you can prepare & think of what u will say before
you may get asked some of the following questions
1. Tell us about yourself - pretty vague, i mean where does one start...well i pretty much say I was raised in the UK, I always had a science background but doing work etc during hols i realised i enjoyed teaching and then realised i loved being around little children so thats when i made the effort to do my Montessori Dip etc etc. Im married, i have no kids and have worked both in Oz & overseas.
If they ask more details eg, oh where overseas did u work then I elaborate
2. How well do you work in a team? or Why is teamwork so important?
Again you say you work well with others and its important esp in a childcare setting as the room has to run as smoothly as possible so that the kids routine etc is not disturbed so its very important for the GL & assistant to work together & know what each is doing/planning
3. What are your strengths & weaknesses? LOVE this question haha
well mention your strengths, can be anything eg i say my strength is my ability to be able to work with people from varied backgrounds as well as teach a variety of children, I am friendly and find it easy to break barriers with parents and make them feel comfortable.
my weakness is i challange myself too much and push myself to see how much i can achieve and i am very particular about organisation
find something where your weakness is actually a strength but u make it sound like a shortfall...its weird but its just one of the questions that EVERYONE gets asked, even my husband got asked it and he works for a mining company, though in a management role so prob why he got asked it too!
4. Give us an example of how you would deal with conflict? this could be conflict with a parent or colleague... just give an example... dont have one? make one up.
say u stayed calm and resolved the issue by listening to the other persons concerns etc
5. How would you deal with a child who is not listening/misbehaving/being difficult?
Again if u have done your cert III u may be going to interviews for an assistant, if so i would say I would ask the GL what discipline strategies she uses and follow those. Personally I would get down to the childs level & talk to them and if they are not listening or willing to do as they are told I would sit them to one side for a few minutes and then talk to them again about the behaviour. If the problem has involved that child doing something to another I would ask (depending on age) them to say sorry or (younger kids) give them a hug
6. What will you do if you saw a child coming to the centre with bruises etc on him?
Gather evidence ---> show it to GL ... if GL doesnt take it seriously go to Director
if you are the GL go straight to DIrector with your evidence
7. They may ask about other scenarios so just think about what you would do in that situation and answer them. The answers are usually very logical and just common sense
Another important thing is to go prepared with your questions
I make a list and have them with me so I am not thinking about it when they ask me "do you have any questions"
Depending on what info they have given you here are some things u may want to ask
1. How many hours will i be working
2. What is the wage
3. Do shift times change week to week, term to term? eg I used to work 7-3pm one term but the next I was 8-4
4. What are my responsibilities as assistant/GL etc
5. Do you have a uniform? do you provide them or do i pay for them
6. Do you have a training provider you use if i wish to do my DIploma?
7. Do you provide first aid and CPR training when mine expires? (a lot of centres will have someone come to the centre to do this with the workers)
8. Is it ok if I call or email you should I have any more questions?
9. When will you be making a decison about this position? or When can I expect to hear back from you?
10. Can you show me around the centre
It is amazing how many people never ask to look around. SOOOOO many times the Director has gone Wow you are the only applicant who has asked that. Ask, it makes you look interested and ask questions as you look around or make comments, what a bright cheery room etc it will make you stand out in the interviewers mind, which gives you an edge
I never go to interviews overly formally dressed. Its childcare I like to look a tad cheerfully dressed! so usually just a nice shirt or top, not black or a drab colour and trousers or black jeans with flat shoes.
I do not recommend rocking up in a power suit with 4 inch heels, that screams corporate not childcare to me.
Take certified copies of all your docs and quals (Blue Card, First Aid, CPR, Cert III & any other relavent docs) with you so you can leave them there if they want them, always a bonus! again its good for them to keep on record even if you dont get the job, if a position opens up they have everything on file so they may not waste time with interviewing someone else and may just call u
Another thing i ALWAYS do is either call the next day or send an email (usually it is an email) thanking them for taking the time to meet me and again say how lovely the centre was and I look forward to hearing from them in the near future....again this sets you apart ... you are not just another resume another person you are the person who asked to look around and sent the thank you email...these things do matter and sometimes its these little things that will bag you the job rather than the interview answers, because you may answer well but so may someone else but they may not do these other things, who would i give the job to well you because of the eagerness of you wanting to look around the centre and your courtesy of the thank you call/email
If they havent called u back within the timeframe they give u dont be afraid to call them and ask. I just called a centre today to ask and she said she had some unforseen delays and i would def know by the end of the week
ermmm i think thats all
sorry its a bit long but i hope its helped! Its 10years worth of knowledge and its always helped me. Ive never got to the interview stage & not been offered a job
another good thing to do down the line is get your resume professionally written, I had mine done 5 years ago, i am cheeky now and just add on things myself rather than paying the person to do it but my resume is well very professional and again stands out from the crowd...not worth doing until u have a decent amount of work experience under your belt
Good Luck
,
, great post!)...
♀️ what’s the appropriate answer should be..!