The Interviews

Sitting here in the restaurant and watching V interview a student every 30 minutes.

She asks no questions about their previous experience.

She asks them about school/university life. Are they enjoying it?

She shares that we have similar aged kids and asks about their brothers and sisters.

She asks them about the kind of food they like

She walks them around the restaurant

She ends the interview by asking if they have any questions.

I, simultaneously, watch for smiles, clean shoes, ease of laughter, and how they change across the 30 minute conversation. In every case, and predictably, they relax and ask lots of questions.

I also let them know the two most important things for us are being on time and clean shoes.

We tell everyone, on the spot, they have a job.

Once they leave, V fills a small spreadsheet of days and times with their names.

What we have learned over 4 years with everyone we have ever employed is that attitude, timeliness and cleanliness are critical starting points. Everything else can be taught. And teaching on-the-job is something we are quite good at.

We aren’t employing people. We are adopting family members. In lovely Leuven.