I went for a job interview yesterday.
It's a full time admin role. When I applied, I had been thinking about the possibility of putting my youngest into full time childcare. I didn't hear anything back for a couple weeks. Out of the plus last week, they called me and asked me to interview. I was surprised really, as I've been a sahm for a good few years now, and applying for admin work is a bit of a 'career change' for me, so couldn't for the life of me think why they'd even want to interview me (as no one else had!) in the time between applying for the job, I had decided that I didn't want to send my daughter to full time childcare. She loves her preschool, for one.
I spoke to some friends who advised I just go to the interview and if they liked me, they may consider reduced hours.
So I went. And I actually think it went really well. It was laid back, and I was really impressed with their goal for the company. I don't remember why, but I admitted I was surprised to hear from them due to my lack of relevant work experience. And they basically said they tend to interview those who's CVs make them want to meet that person. More concerned with how the person would fit in with the team etc.
Then one of them mentioned it being full time, and asked if that was ok for me, (not exact words) and I obviously had to be honest, and said basically what I said above, that I've since realised it isn't feasible for me to work full time. I explained that I was unsure if I should go to the interview, and they seemed ok with it. I dare say, one even looked a bit disappointed when I said I couldn't do full time. They asked me what would work for me and I said mon-fri is fine, and that is need to start later and finish earlier. I also said I would be happy to make up ours out of the office by remote working, if that was something that would work for them. They said it was something that they can think about, and it was reasonable that I asked, and I wasn't the only one.
They told me I was their last interview. And that they wanted to get it sorted quickly as they want the current post holder to help train the newbie, that I would know by Friday.
I felt quite positive coming out, which is not something that I ever feel after an interview! It's not necessarily the industry I'm keen on, but they seem like they really care about their staff, and think the better the work environment, the better the business. Which is exactly what I am after. I'm confident I could do the job well ...
I'm gutted that I am probably going to lose out on this job, and I won't be able to not think it's because I need to be at home for my children. Was I wrong to even go to the interview? Is there actually any real chance of me getting this job? Probably not. Do employers pretend to consider reduced hours to save awkwardness? How do I know if they genuinely would consider it? Ugh!!