This is my very first interview!
How do I dress? What should I wear?
What kinds of questions will the director ask me?
What should I expect?
How can I tell if I got the job?
What can I do to prepare? Thank you very much!! :)
Got Through First Job Interview? Now Win the Second Job Interview
Recommended Answer:I have had a lot of interveiws with many directors in the past. You should dress professionally like nice pants and either a button down blouse or a polo, nice shoes the whole enchaliada. Some questions could include:
Why do you think you are the right person for this job?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Why do you think you would be an asset to this company?
What method of discipline would you use in the classroom?
A lot of companies ask you scenerio questions like what would you do in this situation. These were most of the tricky questions that I was asked. Most of the others are easy to answer. Usually the first one is tell me a little about yourself. I would take a resume with you. You can build a pretty good one on microsoft word. All the child care places I have worked have made me register with the family safety care registery and get a criminal background check. Just try not to be nervous. I know easier said than done, but I found out that when I wasn't nervous about the questions and interviews I did much better and could answer the questions easily and confidently. It would help if you had someone that could do a mock interview with you. My husband is also a teacher and he would do some mock interveiws with me and I think that helped because he helped me form answers about my weaknesses putting them in a positive way. You can usually tell if the interview went well, but that doesn't always guarentee the job. I would ask how soon I could expect a call and ask even if you are not accepted to give you a call to let you know. This is so you don't wait around forever waiting to see if they call. Usally they call within a week. If they don't call within a weeks time I would call them back and ask if the position has been filled and if it has say thank you and if it hasn't they usually give you a reason and a new time frame. Hopefully this helps you through, If you have more questions I will check my e-mail before 10pm CST. My e-mail is Paula131@live.missouristate.edu if you need it.
Appearance Matters in Job Interviewing
- Well, you should always dress professionally because first impressions are very important. I am a supervisor at a nursery school and the director and I just went through a series of interviews and resumes, so I'll share what happened and what we talked about after each one!
As I mentioned, dress professionally. We had people show up with unkempt hair, blue jeans, and baggy shirts. You should probably wear a nice blouse and dress pants and some flats. My boss(the director) went as far as noticing dirty finger nails and picked off nail polish. You probably wont have to dress up like this everyday at a preschool, but for the first meeting, look your best!
Be friendly and engage other employees and of course, the kids. Say hello, ask the kids what their names are and talk to them about what they're doing. We didn't call back anyone who didn't talk to the kids.
The director will ask you mostly about your prior experience. Don't talk to much about your personal life (complain about kids/ex husbands etc. ) Babysitting does count as experience , but having your own kids does not. Talk about what drew you to the job, any credentials or related experience. The director will probably ask you more specific questions about what you have done like, what kind of activities/lessons did you do with the kids? She may ask you about why you left your previous job.
Bring a resume! Remember it should only be a page or two of mostly related experience. You don't need to include the string of jobs you went through several years ago that have nothing to do with a preschool. We passed over people who listed a bunch of jobs they were only at for a month or two. My boss asked questions based on what was written on the resumes so make sure it looks good and shows off your skills and experiences. Also, make sure your spelling and grammar is corrected! Any resume that had a lot of spelling mistakes we threw out. One woman seemed perfectly nice, but had a terrible resume so she didn't get the job.
You will be able to tell if the interview is going well if the conversation doesn't seem forced and the director seems friendly. Ask questions about the job and what you personally will be doing so it doesn't seem like an interrogation. If she says she wants to schedule a working interview, or will call you, then that's a good sign. The economy is still pretty bad, so don't feel too discouraged if you don't hear back. Our phone rang off the hook for a whole week from the number of people interested in the job.
Good luck!!
