Interviews

I just got back from an interview with a personal care home. I applied because it's a 2 minute walk from my house.
This was kind of a different interview, because I actually met the Director of patient care a few weeks earlier. She was in visiting another patient, so I had the chance to talk with her before the actual "official" interview.

When I entered her office, the first thing she asked me was "Why do you want to work in a care home?".
I told her I enjoy talking with the residents, especially the old war vets. She must have been happy with that answer, because she then proceeded to skip the entire page.

I think the secret to my success is my "gift of gab". When you can talk to people, and find that one thing that you have in common, it goes a long way in establishing a good rapport with them.
I have never been at a loss for words with anyone, and I think it helps others relax when there's no awkward silence.

After a quick tour of the place, she then asked me if this place was somewhere I'd like to work. I said that everything looked good, and will be starting there probably next month. It will be just casual work, so I can pick up a 4 hour shift if I'm bored.

Have you ever had a bad experience during an interview?

I remember this one interview I had. I sat in front of a panel of 3 people, and as I was answering a question, the one man took a drink of water and started sputtering. He was choking and coughing, but pretending to listen to me. After a few seconds of fighting for air, he got up and went into the back room. We could hear him coughing again, and once I knew he was alright said "That must have been a good answer." The other 2 ladies laughed, and when the man finally returned, he thought we were laughing at him....