Today, parents are struggling to balance their careers while making sure that their children are safe, happy, and being well taken care of. Finding a nanny may be the right choice for your family, but it can be overwhelming to find someone that will fit your family’s specific needs. It’s important to remember that this person will not only become a part of your family’s life, but your family will become a part of theirs. HappiFamli has excellent tips and knowledgeable advice to help the nanny hiring process to go smoothly and to help you find an ideal match. Here is some helpful information from HappiFamli’s “Nanny Know How”
Before the Interview:
- Prepare a general list of questions you want to ask each nanny
- Review the nanny’s application and references well and create a list of questions based off this information
- Print a copy of the job description you posted
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During the Interview:
- Know the nanny may be nervous. Help put them at ease.
- Have a general outline of what you want to get from the interview
○ Introductions & tour of your home if you would like
○ Describe the job, your family and your children
○ Definitely go over any special situations (any health concerns/allergies, joint custody, relatives staying at house, parents working from home, etc.)
○ Discuss your general parenting style and family values (moral or religious beliefs, how you discipline, etc)
○ Describe how you see a typical day going and what your expectations of the nanny are
- Have nanny give some information on themselves & ask your nanny-specific questions
- Ask your general questions
- Ask nanny if they have any questions
- Thank the nanny for their time & let them know what your next steps will be – when can they expect to hear from you, are you still interviewing, will you be doing a trial day, etc.
Tips:
- Be yourself!!! This is the time to let the nanny know the real you so you can make sure it is a good fit.
- Make sure you are listening as much, if not more than, you are talking. You want to make sure you are getting a good sense of the nannies experience and personality to see if they will be a good fit.
Sample Questions:
- What made you choose working with children?
- Tell me about a child care position that is similar to this one?
- What type of a job are you looking for right now and what are your plans moving forward (1yr, 3yrs, 5yrs)?
- What drew you to this specific position?
- What types of things do you like doing with children my child(ren)s age?
- How would you handle the situation if my child did ……… (give some examples of things your child might do)
- What is the best part of working with children?
- What is the thing you struggle with most in working with children and how do you address that?
- What role do you see yourself playing in our family?
- How do you like to communicate with a family?
- Tell me about a time when you had an issue in a childcare position and how you handled it.
- What questions do you have about this position or our family?