Your meeting is coming 😊 You will meet the family and they will decide if they want to work with you. You should therefore do your utmost to give the best impression of yourself. As for a typical job interview, it is important to be mentally and physically prepared. But please relax: the main objective is to meet you and get to know you better 😊
Some mistakes to avoid
Partying all night long the day before
This may seem obvious to some, less to others. But this interview is an essential step in the recruitment process. You need to be in good form and avoid drenched evenings. In addition, it may show up during the interview, even with the video!
Be yourself, and above all be serious.
Soyez vous-même, et surtout soyez sérieux.se.
Forgetting to respect a certain dress code: it’s not Sunday
It doesn’t mean you have to wear your tuxedo and a tie: you're not going to work in a bank or a law firm 😉
But the way you dress is going to send an impression of yourself, probably unconsciously. . It is often said that, in an interview, the body language is more important than the substance of the discussion.
So please remember to prepare your outfit the day before and, why not, rehearse your speech a bit orally.
Not being on time
Again, this may seem obvious, but punctuality should be the rule when having an interview. Remember that if you become a babysitter, you will need to pick up the children from school. Families don't want their nanny to arrive an hour after the school closes!
If you ever encounter an unexpected situation (transportation, disease, etc.), please contact the Mômji matching service at 09 74 77 30 75.
Tips and tricks to be unique
Smile
Here again, appearances matter. Smiling is ‘contagious’. A person who smiles regularly will give a reassuring image. And this is very important when it comes to take care of children 😊
Do not hesitate to talk about yourself
This is very important, because it will make you emerge from the crowd of other candidates. Families will see several profiles of babysitters: they want to find someone who is unique.
If you show that it is not just a job for money, but a vocation, an opportunity to share your passions: that can clearly make the difference 😉
What are your favourite activities? Do you like sport ? Cooking ? Dancing ? Playing music ? Manual activities? Based on your answer, families will know that you might have many ideas of activities for their kids. 😉
Are you part of a theatre company? If that’s the case, it means that you know how to express yourself in front of an audience. Do you like singing? This means that you can sing with children (in French or in a foreign language 😉).
Talk about your previous babysitting experiences
Above all, parents need to be reassured, because they are about to place their children in someone else’s hands, someone who is not a family member. If you already have a lot of babysitting experience, don't hesitate to talk about it:
- Have you been able to deal with “crisis situations” with children?
- What activities do you generally propose?
- How do you organize yourself once the little ones are back from school? (time spent on homework, bathing, at what time do you prepare dinner, etc.)
- How do you manage authority?
- Can the parents of the children you have looked after before recommend you?
Find out more about the children
It works both ways: parents will be looking to find out more about you, but it will be extremely helpful to know a little more about the children you are looking after. Exactly like when you have an interview in a company: you learn about the activity of the company, its history ...
Children are different from each other, and this will help you before starting the childcare if you are hired.
You can ask parents the following questions:
- What is the character of your children? Are they shy? How do you make them feel comfortable?
- What are their favourite activities? How can we get their attention?
- Are there likely to be situations in which you will need to be firm on certain rules?
- Have they ever had babysitters in the past?
...
Respect certain rules in the Covid context
In the current context, remember to respect certain rules:
- Wash your hands regularly: before and after contact with family and children,
- Respect a certain social distancing during the first physical meeting,
- Put on the mask when necessary,
- Avoid to shake hands and kissing people (faire la bise) when you meet them.
To learn more about our rules while facing Coronavirus: please go to this page : https://www.speaking-agency.com/jobs/en/covid
