The Nanny Interview - Which Questions To Ask?

 

Nanny interview

Now that you’ve made your top nannies list, you need to learn more about each candidate in order to decide who’s the best nanny for you. The nanny interviewing process is an important stage in finding a good, reliable nanny. From this process, you can learn more about your candidates and better understand the pros and the cons of each. The interview process has three steps:

 

Step 1 – Do your homework

Understand that a nanny interview should be conducted like any other job interview. As the boss, you should look for someone who you think can do the job in the best possible way, not necessarily someone who shares your interests.

In order to prepare yourself for the nanny interview, first ask yourself why you reached the point where you said to yourself, “I need a nanny”, i.e., which needs do you want your nanny to fulfill? As soon as you clearly define for yourself the nanny job description, it will be much easier for you to adjust your expectations accordingly.

Next, define which factors you want to focus on, i.e., characteristics and personality? Experience? Education? Lifestyle? On top of everything, let your gut guide you in this process; allow your instincts to help you in judging who the person sitting opposite you really is. nanny interviews are a great way to really learn about the candidate in front of you.

Step 2 – Conduct the nanny interview

The initial contact should be made by phone, in order to introduce yourself to the candidate and to arrange the first meeting. A good interview should consist of two or three meetings, i.e., the first Interview should be conducted outside your home and away from your family and kids. The purpose of this interview is to learn as much as possible about the candidate and present your nanny job description. At this interview, ask for the nanny's references.

Assuming you find the candidate who fits your needed nanny's profile, arrange a second meeting, which should take place at your home. Before this interview, call the nanny's references to cross-check and verify that no significant issues previously arose.

The second meeting should include your kids and other family members, including pets.

 

Step 3 – Nanny interview questions

In order to conduct a successful interview, ask the right questions. With the help of interview questions for nannies, you’ll achieve the interview's goal: learning as much as possible about your candidate's background, experience, expectations, and personality. The information you obtain will help you to compare candidates; this is why it's important to ask them all the same questions no matter what their backgrounds.

 

In addition to the basic questions you need to ask, such as age, location, driver’s license, working hours, and salary, you need to ask more informative questions.

 

Nanny questions to ask at a nanny interview:

 

Personality

• Why did you choose to work as a nanny?

• How would your friends describe you?

• Can you tell me about your relationship with your family?

• How would you describe your lifestyle?

Experience

• How long have you been working as a nanny?

• Last nanny work – Describe your experience. Why did it end?

• Can you provide one or two families’ references?

• What duties were under your purview?

• What is the biggest challenge of being a nanny?

Handling

• Which activities do you find most important to engage in with children?

• Describe how you handle a crying baby.

• As a nanny, have you ever handled an emergency situation?

• How do you react under stress?

• How do you exercise discipline?