So excited! First interview!

[Mondaygirl]

I am excited and nervous and completely baffled all at the same time. I posted an ad on Kijiji, not really expecting any reactions because I know from reading on here that it often takes a long time to get that first child in.
But tonight, after 3 days, I received a reaction! A mom with an 11 month old boy who wants to come by on the weekend to meet and chat. She asked a bunch of questions about practical stuff in her email, about payment, whether I preferred check or cash, and if I wanted to be paid weekly or bi-weekly.
I took the opportunity in my reply to tell her right away that I need payment in advance, and that after a two week trial period there will be two weeks notice required to quit, and a few more things. When really what I wanted to do was jump up and down like a maniac and reply:"Pick me! Pick me! Please please pick me!!"
I'm turning into a business woman!

Any interview tips, hints, strategies, warnings, and everything else very much appreciated! Please help me not mess this up, dear seasoned daycare providers!

[torontokids]

I think the best piece of advice I have received is to stand by your policies etc. You may be tempted (I know I was) to lower your price, change your hours or offer something you don't want to, to land that client. There will be other ones so don't psych yourself up too much by putting too much weight on this one interview. After all, you may decide you don't want them.

The second thing is to do a careful phone interview. Save yourself a lot of time and energy weeding out the ones that aren't a fit policy wise. I looked at the first interviews as my "practice interviews" and this took a lot of the pressure off.

[mommylove]

Im with toronto kids great advice PHONE INTERVIEW is a life saver its a MUST in my books another piece of advice is to ask her at the end of your interview what stage of interviewing she is at so you can get an idea of whether she has more interviews ect.........that way you know what to expect.......GOOD LUCK and congrats

[Momof4]

Definitely do the pre-screening to make sure they match the hours you are willing to work, that their commute time doesn't put them into really long days, that they agree with you on basic parenting philosophies and to get a good feeling about them (or not). At the interview, take charge and talk about your daycare setup, how the daily routines will go, ask them questions about their naptime & mealtime routines and make sure they are willing to work with you to make changes so that they will fit in with your plan. Go over your policies briefly, stressing the most important things such as sickness and payments.

But most of all, be confident, breathe, don't be stressed or desparate. You can do this! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Mondaygirl]

Thanks, you guys! I have come down from my high a bit, though. I emailed the mom back around 8.30 PM last night with some specifics and a time to meet on Sunday, but I haven't heard back from her yet. Who knows, she may have already found somebody else. Oh well, if there is one reaction, there will be more!

[BlueRose]

I have come down from my high a bit, though. I emailed the mom back around 8.30 PM last night with some specifics and a time to meet on Sunday, but I haven't heard back from her yet.

keep in mind some people only check their email once a day or every 2 to 3 days. She just might not have seen it yet.

[Mondaygirl]

That's a good point, BlueRose, thanks for mentioning that! I'm one of those compulsive people that check email 10 times a day or so. I don't like cluttered in-boxes so I clear it out all the time. I forget that most people are more normal than that.

[Mondaygirl]

Just a bit of an update: that particular lady never did respond. But the next day I got another email, and for this one (a 9.5 month old boy) I now have an interview set up for Sunday evening. And tomorrow morning I have a phone interview with another prospective client, who needs care for a 7 month old boy. Lots of babies! Wish me luck, you guys... I *love* babies and I would love to have both these little dudes in my care.

[mommylove]

great monday girl best of luck to you

[Artsand crafts]

Good luck! I love babies too! The younger the more adorable... I have had them as young as 3 months old.