To think that if you have been a SAHM for some years, and are looking to return to work...

[MrsSchadenfreude]

...and you get an interview, it would be sensible to do some preparation before the interview?

I have been interviewing for a number of jobs over the past few months. A lot of the interviewees have been women who want to return to work after having stayed at home with their children for a number of years. Good CV, good covering letters. Presence, aptitude and general awareness and intelligence at interview, zilch.

If the interview says it will be "competency based" you can look up on the internet what this is likely to mean. And, dammit, there are even sample questions! And if you read the job spec, it will give you some fairly massive clues as to what the competencies might be! If you are asked what you do to get to know new team members, don't say "I am very shy. I would wait for people to talk to me." If you are asked why you applied for the job, and what interested you about it, don't say "I thought I could probably manage to do it." This does not inspire confidence in the interviewer.

It is also helpful to show some awareness/knowledge of what the organisation does - there are these great things out there called websites. Have a look at them!

And finally...don't end the interview by saying "I want to drop my children at school, and live in the arse end of nowhere, so can't be in until 11.00, and I don't know what I am going to do on Wednesday as I don't want to leave the children with a babysitter..."

Because the question is then, do you want the bloody job or not?

Do people really say those things? Seriously!

I have interviewed various people whose preparation and general attitude in person were rubbish. I don't think it's a SAHM thing

I suspect these people would be like this, whatever. They do sound a bit useless.

I recently returned to work after 10 years, after long stints in voluntary work, and extensive (over)preparation.

They might not want the job.

Sorry, what's it got to do with being SAHM again?

Yes, MamaMary. I sat there like this

Pootlebug - you may be right, but in all of those I have interviewed, it has been endemic in the SAHMs. Young graduates prepare well - the jobs we advertise tend to be admin/something a bit more interesting, so we have interest from both camps. Interestingly, almost no men apply.

Yes let's lambast SAHMs shall we?
YANBU to think that people should be prepared for an interview, but YABU to make sweeping statements about a certain group of people.

If they don't want the job, why apply and waste my time?

They may have to?

I am not making a sweeping statement. I am basing what I say on what has been my experience over the past few months, having been interviewer for a considerable number of jobs.

I dont think this is a 'SAHM' thing, though. Surely there are zillions of people out there like this?

Jobseekers allowance?

Were they applying because they wanted to?

Or because once their youngest child reaches a certain age, single parents in reciept of benefits are compelled to apply for anything and everything that comes their way?

No JSA here, Tatty.

You may well be right, LadyMary. But this is my recent experience of those I have interviewed.

Well, I have interviewed many people in my time and can say that in my experience bad preparation and general dimwittedery are not the preserve of the SAHM.

I'm not in UK.

One said to me, very crossly "I didn't expect to be asked a question about the job."

Lol I can never take these sort of self important threads seriously and tend to imagine the OP is really a part time counter assistant at Maccy D's

I've seen stranger things on internet forums you know

To be fair I've seen all these behaviours from new graduates as well. Some people are just rubbish (actually I'm also a rubbish interviewee, heaven help me if I ever need to get another job with someone I don't know already).

I've been a SAHM and I'm desperately looking for a job, but can't even get an interview because I'm a recent graduate, hence over qualified and under experienced. I'm sick of reading/learning about the companies I apply to, only to not even receive any sort of acknowledgement of my application.

Everything that is wrong with the planet is to do with the evil SAHM conspiracy.

Maybe, once she had been interviewed she realised what a crappy interviewer/organisation it is and thought it wasn't worth the bother.

I have turned jobs down because I tought the interviewer was a tosser.

LOL worraliberty!

Some people really do want to drop their kids off at school and really do live in the arse end of nowhere. They would be willing to work for an employer who understands this - but are not willing to pimp themselves to someone who probably in the overall scheme of things doesn't pay that much and have to get various bits and pieces of childcare to accomodate the job. They'd be willing to do it if its fairly flexible - but not if its not. So they are honest. They are probably not crying buckets of tears because you do not employ them, as they don't need the money as such, but have skills to offer if you are willing to overlook the school run thing.

Is that really that unbelievable?

MrsS - well there you go then, its not British SAHMS, it's foreign ones