When I first graduated from Ga Southern University back in 2001, the thought of an interview scared me to death.  It was the last thing I wanted to do. I hoped and prayed that I would be able to “wow” my potential employer with my credentials to land myself the job…. Of course, it did not happen that way.  I suffered through my interview not really knowing what I was doing.  To make matters worst, it was a group interview. You know…now that I look back at it, it’s probably what saved me from bombing completely. Once it was over, I hoped that my personality, experience, education was what it took to land the job.  Luckily, it was!  I was now an Infant preschool teacher…  I tell you all of this because at the time, I had no idea how important that interview really was.  All I knew was that being the interviewee was not something I was interested in…

Now, fast forward a few years to November 2007, when I created Cuddlebuggs .  I began interviewing potential candidates for families who had hired me on to locate nannies for their family’s specific needs.  I found myself in a very different position.  I had become the interviewer… What a difference that was!  Things had changed for me.  I realized quickly that these interviews did not have to be as painful as I once thought them to be.  They could be very pleasant and informative sessions.  The more comfortable I made them , the easier they were to conduct.  Which brings me to my question of the week.

How important is the interview to you?

This question came to me because of a conversation I had with an applicant who recently took a position with a family without an interview first.  She began the job on Monday and quit the same day.  I was shocked… so I asked her what had happened.  She said that family’s situation wasn’t something she could handle….  It was just way too stressful for her.  Probing a bit more, I asked ” didn’t you interview with family before hand?”  Her answer surprised me a bit.  She said ” No”.   She stated that they had several interviews scheduled but they all had either been rescheduled or canceled due to scheduling conflicts with the family.  She decided to take the position anyway.  But by the end of the day, she was calling the agency to let them know that she would not be able to continue with the family.  Had this applicant interviewed with the family prior to the start date of this job, I venture to say that she probably would not have taken the job.

I can not stress enough how IMPORTANT the interview process is.  It’s the key to any successful in-home or out child care placement.  Whether it be for a nanny, newborn care specialist or housekeeper.  Interviews are essential for both the family and the candidate seeking employment.

If you would like more information on how to conduct a successful interview, please do not hesitate to ask me how I conduct my interviews.

Best,

Natalie Akpele
Owner, Cuddlebuggs,LLC

Each week I will post a  question that either I am interested in finding out from you the parent or questions that have been posed to me from nannies, parents, or sitter. I would love to hear your thoughts on this question of the week.

This question is this:

What does it mean to be a responsible babysitter or nanny? As parents, what does it mean to you?

I look forward to hearing from you all soon

Natalie Akpele