Want to be a Care Professional?
Top 5 tips to shine at your interview with Home Instead Canary Wharf

Becoming a Care Professional with Home Instead Canary Wharf is an incredibly rewarding and often life-changing experience.

Not only does this profession allow you to see first-hand the positive impact your work is having on people’s lives, it also allows you to build meaningful and enlightening relationships with diverse and fascinating individuals that you would not typically encounter.

Experience in social care is also a highly sought after attribute for those people wishing to pursue careers in nursing, medicine, and specialist health care.

However, earning the privilege of becoming a Home Instead Care Professional is challenging. We seek only the best of the best candidates to become our treasured Care Professionals, as they allow us to deliver the kind of outstanding care that Home Instead is renowned for.

At Home Instead Canary Wharf, we are very particular on who we allow to work with our clients. On average, only 5% of applicants are successful in reaching the final stage of the selection process.

Your interview will probably be the most important stage of the process, and where most candidates let themselves down.

If you can do well at the interview, your chances of becoming a Care Professional are dramatically improved.

So, in order to maximise your likelihood of succeeding, here are the 5 most important things you should consider if you are invited for an interview at our Canary Wharf office:

Tip 1: Make sure you understand what being a Care Professional means

Our Care Professionals are not simply everyday ‘carers’, and they don’t just visit people’s homes to complete tasks.

Home Instead Care Professionals are unique individuals who genuinely believe in our mission to change the lives of those we support. They stand out from the crowd by their eagerness to help others, by the depth of their compassion, and by the kindness they radiate.

If it is ‘just a job’ that you’re seeking, then becoming a Care Professional is probably not the right fit for you.

Providing high-quality care requires dedication, passion, and a commitment to excellence.

If you can demonstrate these qualities, then you’re off to a strong start.

Before your interview, it is always a good idea to research the role and find out more about the sort of work you might be doing as a Care Professional, as well as understanding more about the Home Instead philosophy of care.

If you can show your interviewer that you’ve given the role serious thought and consideration, and that you have understood what is expected of a Care Professional, then you will be far more likely to achieve a positive outcome.

Tip 2: Be responsive

One of the most important skills we look for in a Care Professional is excellent communication.

In addition to having a good conversational ability, it is vital that Care Professionals remain in regular contact with their supervisors and managers whilst working.

So when you receive an email or phone call from Home Instead about your interview or application, you can give yourself a head-start and demonstrate this key skill by responding in a timely and professional fashion.

Tip 3: Arrive on time and present the best version of yourself

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

This old adage remains as true today as it ever has.

Care Professionals are expected to be strictly punctual when they visit clients, so anyone who wishes to become a Care Professional is expected to arrive on time for the interview.

The office is well-served by public transport, with Canary Wharf, Crossharbour, and South Quay stations all nearby, and the Sir John McDougal bus stop is less than a minute’s walk away.

Your interview invitation will contain a map and directions, which you should read carefully and check in advance.

Plan your route to the office the day before and be vigilant of your travel time. It is always advisable to add 15 minutes to the predicted journey time to account for traffic or transportation delays. Always call the office the day before your interview if you are unable to find the location on your map.

Remember that you want your interviewer to see the best version of yourself, so dress appropriately for the interview. Smart casual attire is recommended.

On arrival, make sure you inform the building reception office that you’re here for an interview with Home Instead, and take a seat in the reception area. Alternatively, you can call us to let us know you’ve arrived.

Tip 4: Be honest about your availability and capability

You will discover when you research the role of a Care Professional that they visit our clients’ homes to provide a range of support services, from companionship and housekeeping to personal care and medication administration.

Every client is unique, and we take great care in matching the right Care Professional with the right client, taking into consideration their individual personalities, experience, skill set, interests, and availability.

Therefore it is important that you are honest about your availability for work as well as the kind of work you’re prepared to do. This allows us to match you accurately with clients. It does not reflect positively on an individual if they initially claim to be available every day and willing to work with every type of client, but then later say they can only work a few days a week and do not want to support clients with personal care.

Tip 5: Be confident

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually need any prior experience of being a carer in order to become a Home Instead Care Professional.

Some of the key qualities we look for in candidates are a warm personality, a friendly demeanour, and a desire to support vulnerable adults.

If this describes you, then you should feel and be confident at your interview. The question that an interviewer will be asking themselves when they assess you is, “Would I want this person caring for my parents?”

So don’t let lack of experience or unfamiliarity with this employment sector make you nervous.

Be open, be friendly, and let your personality speak for itself.

If you’re excited by the prospect of making a difference to someone’s life, then we would love to hear from you!

If you’re interested in having our incredible Care Professionals care for you or a loved one, we would also love to hear from you!
Call our friendly care team today for a free, no-obligation Care Consultation on 0203 713 3161.