Are you interviewing prospective gardeners? An interview can be quite a challenging thing to do. The key is to be prepared. And to understand exactly what you want to get out of the interview. So to prepare your interviews, come up with a list of questions that you definitely must ask. And we have done the work for you already. Please have a look at our essential interview questions for your gardener. So that you can get through the interview process effectively!
Please elaborate on previous relevant work experience?
Once you start to interview your gardeners, you will have looked through their CVs. So chances are that you have a pretty good idea already of their background and previous work experience. Still, this is something you want to ask. It will be really interesting to hear directly from them, about their previous jobs. Are they talking about it passionately? You will also instantly learn about what type of gardening they were doing. And if that might be similar to the job you are looking to fill.
Why did you leave your last job? And what was the relationship with previous employer(s)?
Another very important thing to know. Are they still working for someone and are looking to leave. Then it will be really important for you to find out why they are leaving. It might not be a negative reason at all. Maybe the job changed. Or the family is relocating. But you can find out a lot from why someone is looking for another job. Are they just looking for a higher salary? There is nothing wrong with someone wanting to earn money. And getting a good salary for the work they deliver! But you want to be mindful if it is someone’s only motivation – as they might really dislike the job they do. Which will never be positive for a new employee.
Also, if your gardener is leaving because of any negative relationships with their previous employer. You don’t have to immediately get worried. Sometimes personalities simply do not match. And that does not mean they could not be the perfect gardener for you! But checking the reference of that particular job will definitely be worth it, so you can hopefully get both sides of the story.
What made you apply for this job?
This seems like an obvious question, but you would be surprised at how many people actually forget to ask this. Let them explain to you what they like about this role. What are they passionate about with this? This is their time to sell themselves to you. And your time to get to know their personality a little bit better too. So this question will give them the opportunity to really explain to you why they want this role. Because if they really do want it, they should be able to come across clear enough to convince you.
What do you want to achieve in 2-5 years? And in 10 years?
This is an essential interview question to ask your potential new gardener. You need to find out what their medium to long term goals is. If they, for example, what to move to another country in a year or two – does that work for you? Are you looking for someone short term or long term?
Gardening is hard physical work. Will they still be able to do this job in 5 years? or in 10 years? If you are looking for someone long term, then you need to think about this. If gardening is just something they do now to make money, their heart might not be in it. And that might be if a better, or more interesting opportunity comes up. That they will jump up to grab that, leaving you.
What are you less good at or looking to improve?
You will get plenty of people in jo interviews talking about what they are great at. But you will learn an equal amount, if not more, about what someone feels is not their strength. Are they able to recognise what they may need to work on? Someone who is mature enough will be able to acknowledge that they simply cannot be perfect at everything. But they should now, in their job, how they can balance it. And they would be able to explain to you how it either would not affect their work for you. Or how they are planning on improving.
What do you expect from this gardening job?
A final, essential interview question to ask your potential new gardener. The interview is not just for you getting to know candidates. Of course, you are leading this process. But you should not forget to ask them their expectations of the role is equally important. What are they looking for? Does it match what you can offer? Especially when it comes to the hours worked, the salary, and the rest of the package. Even though you may already have created a job package that you want to offer. It is still very interesting to hear what the gardener is expecting. So that all can be made really clear from the get-go.
How Can polo & Tweed Help?
Are you ready to start interviewing, with these essential interview questions to ask a potential new gardener? If you need some more guidance, or if you are looking for the right people to interview – contact us! Polo & Tweed will give you all the guidance in the recruitment process. We will do the full vetting and pre-selection for you too. We have many amazing gardeners on our books, ready to take on the next role. And they might be perfect for what you are looking for. So please contact us to have a chat about anything we could help you with in making this process as easy and smooth sailing as possible.