dica #8 Online Guide to Interviewing

gente eu vi isso no au pair room da apc, e achei mtooo legal, pra quem ta na fase dos telefonemas, vai ser longa a coisa aq, mais eh importante e bem interecante oq eles falam, espericalmente a ultima frase

The first call

Once a family receives your application and is interested, they will call you. You can see a list of families who have expressed an interest in interviewing you on the My Interviews screen. There is no guarantee that the family will call, but if they are listed on this screen it means that they have asked for your contact information. If you click on the family in My Interviews, you will see information about the family – the names of the children and their ages, the family's location, and so on. Please review this information carefully – you will make a better impression on the family if you show that you are interested enough to study their information.

The call may arrive unexpectedly for you, so it is a good idea to prepare what you would like to say head of time. You may want to compose a list of questions to ask the host family, such as: what your role in the family will be, what their requirements are, and what hours you will be working. They will describe their family, tell you about their city, their occupations, and what kind of schedule and child care duties the au pair will be likely to have. During this initial conversation, they might confirm some aspects of your application that are important to them, such as when you can come to the US, your child care experience, your hobbies or interests, and your driving ability and experience.

Remember that this is a very important conversation for the host family as well as for you – they are deciding whether they would trust you to take care of their children. Try hard to make a good impression!

The second call

If the host family believes your skills meet their needs, they will suggest setting up a second call with you. This allows you and the host family to carefully consider the first conversation. You must speak with the family twice before agreeing to match, and the conversations must be at least 24 hours apart, in order to give both you and the family a chance to reflect.

If they decide that you are not suitable for their particular family situation, they will not call you a second time. Likewise, if you decide that you are not interested in the family, you may inform them when they call a second time. Keep in mind that you should be looking for a family that is a good fit – you should not be deciding based on the family's location or other external factors.

You should consider your choice of a host family carefully: it is a year-long commitment, and once you have agreed to match, you may not change your mind if another family calls you. On the other hand, if you feel it is a good fit, agree to match! Don't wait around to see what other families come along – you might miss a great opportunity!

Some things to consider when talking to the family

• The family is in a different timezone and will have difficulty finding a good time to call you. Please be sensitive to this and try to make yourself available at times that are convenient for them. Keep your contact information up-to-date to make sure families can reach you.
• Have paper and a pen ready so that you can take notes as the family is speaking.
• Prepare for the interview by studying the family's information and by rehearsing your answers to questions about your childcare experience, skills, hobbies, interests, and so on.
• The family will ask many open-ended questions, rather than questions with a "yes" or "no" answer. Please be forthcoming – give the families full, well-thought-out answers that will help them decide if you are a good match.
• Listen carefully to the family's questions and make sure you provide the information they are asking for.
• Remember that they are also evaluating your English skills and how well they can communicate with them. Don't get careless with your English!
• You will do fine if you relax and try to let the family get a feel for your personality. If we have accepted you to the program, then we are confident you will make a great au pair for the right family!

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