I *fingers crossed* won't be doing an interview between now and April when I go on maternity leave, but I seen a post here today in which someone mentioned she had "fixed" her interview style and as a result had signed a family. YAY that's awesome to you BTW.

So it got me wondering... what is your interview "style". How do you handle things, start the process off etc. Anyone willing to share a mock "interview" from start to finish?

Here is generally how my interviews go.. please feel free to point ou anything you would do differently. Which I don't actually mind doing interviews, I am of course always open to pointers!

I welcome the parent(s) in and after shaking thier hand, bend down to the childs eye level and introduce myself to them. I try and have a toy of some sort close on hand to show them/get them interested in. I have found it helps to put the child at ease right away. Then the parent concentrates on the interview more fully. I then offer coffee, tea, water to the parents and a water for the child.

After that I do the house tour. My upper most level (I have a 5 level split) gets gestured to and I say that is off limits to the daycare children and I don't show it. Then we go through dining room which is our craft area. the nap room, the back yard, and the downstairs playroom. After that I bring the parents back to the dining room table and sit with them to actually conduct the interview. I let the parents start asking me some questions, answer them and come back with a few of my own, let them ask a few more... go back and forth a little like that.

Then I offer my contract, policy handbook, other forms etc for review. I let them skim it over and ask any questions that immediatly spring up. I then tell them to go home, read the paperwork throughly and contact me with the questions I am SURE they will have. I give them my business card which has email, home phone and cell #. I have almost always had parents that signed on, come back to me with questions. I like this as I know they have read the paperwork. Then it's a simple thank you for coming and see them to the door.

My own child sometimes get clingy/shy in front of strangers so this makes interviews hard sometimes but generally I'm very comfortable doing them. Perhaps because in my "other life" my work experience led to be in contact with clients constantly and run meetings etc.. It's just a second nature kind of thing now.

So... any critiques? I'm sure it could use some tweaking. What does everyone else do or do you just wing it?