Would you be put off by this?

[Bearbrownies]

I have to do an interview soon for my business, and I have no childcare atm. Would you be put off if the person interviewing you for a job brought their kids along? My kids are 2 and 5 btw.

DarlingNikita

Well, how would I know? All I would know from the (dreadful) first impressions, would be that my interview wasn't, in their mind, important enough to give me their full attention.

It would just be distracting for the person being interviewed so not very fair tbh.
I never understand what people mean when they say they have no childcare. Pay a babysitter, it's about £10 per hour maximum.

All I would know from the (dreadful) first impressions, would be that my interview wasn't, in their mind, important enough to give me their full attention.

Or that they thought it acceptable if another solution couldn't easily be found and that they would be flexible and understanding towards staff if they found themselves in a difficult spot.

Depending on whether you think the worst or the best of people.

DarlingNikita

Well, you have your view, I have mine. I wouldn't imagine them tonne understanding of staff in a jam on the basis of their inconsiderate behaviour towards said (potential) staff. I would imagine them to be rude and entitled.

rude and entitled

DarlingNikita

Yes, Nikita. The polite thing to do would be to call the interviewee, say you're unable to get childcare and to ask whether the interviewee would mind if the children were there.

It wouldn't bother me at all.

I understand if you think it's odd or it would make you feel uncomfortable, but some of you are making it seem like it's the worst thing that could happen.

The polite thing to do would be to call the interviewee, say you're unable to get childcare and to ask whether the interviewee would mind if the children were there.

Yeah as if I'm just gonna bring my children along without letting the person know

I run an agency, that means that the person in question I will be interviewing will NOT be working for me, they will be working for my client. I will interview and vet them, that's it. I don't see them again.

Yeah as if I'm just gonna bring my children along without letting the person know hmm

I didn't say let know. I said ask.

So you are a recruiter?

To me that's even worse, I thought you were recruiting for your own business. Do your client's know you would be dragging two kids with you to interviews? I used to to be in HR and no way would I use your agency if I knew.

Seriously unprofessional - there are such things as babysitters you know.

Would you take the kids along to a meeting with a client? Treat the candidate with equal respect.

If I was being interviewed by somebody who had two small children with them I would feel that I wasn't being taken seriously and that they didn't think I deserved their full attention. I really wouldn't like it.

Can't you do a phone/Skype interview and park the children in the other room with the tv?

I'd think it was very hard to do a professional interview with two kids sitting next to you - however well behaved they are. And I would find it off putting as a candidate. I'm all for flexible employment and work/life balance but I like there to be boundaries between the two.

I have enough kids at home and find it quite annoying when others bring them to the workplace.

An absolute no no. An interview is not a place for children, no matter how informal. It's an interview. People are nervous as it is without the added distraction of you having to keep an eye on them.

If you cannot sort childcare to go to an interview, how would you expect them to believe you would sort it for work and attend regularly? It's a terrible idea.

I run an agency, that means that the person in question I will be interviewing will NOT be working for me, they will be working for my client. I will interview and vet them, that's it. I don't see them again.

So what does your client think about you bringing your children to work with you?

To be honest, whether you're interviewing them to work for your own business or on behalf of another organisation, it still makes a bad first impression. The fact that you're recruiting for someone else just means that by doing this you're making the client look unprofessional as well as yourself.

I can just picture it:

Op settles 2 DC next to her
Candidate arrives.
OP: So tell me about your time with Cyber Corp?
Candidate begins to respond
Kid 1: waaah I want sweets
OP stuffs sweets into kid 1's mouth
Candidate, who had paused, continues
Kid 2: I need to do a POO
OP apologises to candidate and goes to loo with kid 2.
On her return asks candidate to continue.
Kid 1 starts wriggling and suddenly a pungent aroma fills the air.
OP excuses herself to go and change kid 1's nappy.
Candidate is getting pissed off but needs the job and continues again outlining her experience while the kids slurp their drinks and drop food on the floor.
They are now very bored and one begins kicking the table leg, hard, which is already wobbly, resulting in the drink in front of candidate tipping into her lap.
Candidate leaves and if she knows the company for whom OP is recruiting will likely ring their HR relating the details of earlier experience, resulting in OP losing client.