Informal interview tips needed

B17Fan

I have an unofficial interview on Tuesday for an evening cleaning job at a children's nursery.
I've got very little interview skills and just wanted some tips.
It's a job I really hope I get, so I want to give a good impression.
I've not worked in a while and the last cleaning job I had was about 15 years ago.
Had a cleaning job interview a few months ago, where they just showed me round and explained the job, but I wasn't successful.
Want to show I'm enthusiastic and show I'm interested, so I would like to think of some questions I could ask.
Does anyone have any tips or ideas of questions I can ask?

Many thanks in advance

Wookey

One of the first I would ask is do they have a lockable COSHH cupboard/store for all cleaning materials, children and chemical cleaning products don't mix.

jobbingmusician

What could I do in the first 3 months in this role that would really impress you?

Are there any areas of cleaning which you feel are sometimes neglected?

ariarnia

B17Fan wrote: »

I have an unofficial interview on Tuesday for an evening cleaning job at a children's nursery.
I've got very little interview skills and just wanted some tips.
It's a job I really hope I get, so I want to give a good impression.
I've not worked in a while and the last cleaning job I had was about 15 years ago.
Had a cleaning job interview a few months ago, where they just showed me round and explained the job, but I wasn't successful.
Want to show I'm enthusiastic and show I'm interested, so I would like to think of some questions I could ask.
Does anyone have any tips or ideas of questions I can ask?

Many thanks in advance

I've got a cleaner and I interviewed a few before I found the perfect fit for what we need.

First off, congratulations on being invited to interview. You won't get invited to interview if the they don't think you can do the job (it's a waste of time) so mostly they'll want to see if you seem competent, reliable, dependable, and if you'll be a decent fit for what they need.

One danger of an informal meeting is the tendency to speak too freely. Spend most of your time listening and be wary of coming across as too 'enthusiastic' (read difficult to manage or fake).

When you're answering a question keep it short and focused on the job. 'Tell me about yourself' doesn't mean tell me where you were born, it means tell me how long you've been cleaning and who you've cleaned for/that they were happy with your work and any particular skills or qualifications that you have.

Never say anything negative about a colleague, former supervisor, or former employer. Informal interviews may be informal but a sense of personal responsibility, discretion, and honestly are important in cleaning and blaming others, bad mouthing someone or telling tales are big no-no's.

Emphasise you show initiative (when you finish a task, if you have time leftover, you do something else) but know when to follow the rules exactly, ask for help or get advice (such as when to report COSHH, to read labels and not to decant anything, to not use things if you've been told not to).

If you're going to be in a team, I'd want to know you don't just stick to your stuff if someone needs help. If you're being interviewed on site remember everything you do is being watched. Smile at people going past, hold open doors, pick up any bits of rubbish on the floor. Anything small can make a great impression.

And... good luck.

Come back and tell us how it goes?