Recent Posts
- Nanny Training Partner Receives CACHE Endorsement
- eNannySource.com Announces Strategic Partnership with Knowing Nanny for Better Family and Nanny Matching
- CPS Calls for Increased Water Safety
- Smart Day Planner Product Review
- Congrats to the 2018 INA Nanny of the Year
- Meet Modern Day Mary Poppins, Candi Vajana, 2017 Nanny of the Year
- Q&A with Jennifer Kuhn of Nanny Magazine
- CACHE Endorsed Nanny Training
- Caring for Three or More
- Making Learning Easy and Fun
- Mother’s Day Gift List
- Introducing NannyTraining.com
- National Nanny Training Day
- YES Prep Has Become eNannySource’s Newest Partner
- eNannySource is Now Partnering With KIPP
- 100 Things to Consider before Getting Your Kids Pets
- Fit Pregnancy: Walk to Wellness
- The Basics of Toy Cleaning
- Back to School: How to Help Your Kids Transition
- How Nannies Can Teach Children Boundaries With Peers
Archives
- February 2020
- January 2019
- May 2018
- April 2018
- June 2017
- May 2017
- March 2017
- January 2017
- May 2016
- April 2016
- June 2015
- May 2015
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
How do I pick nannies to interview?
September 23, 2010Dr. Lindsay Heller, The Nanny Doctor
Selecting nanny candidates to interview can be a tricky task that requires some skill! Fortunately enannysource.com provides you with what you need to know in to focus your nanny search and select only the cream of the crop to interview! The most important step is making sure that you have a clear idea of what you want and what you need in a nanny. After you have determined exactly what you are looking for, it is time to see who fits the bill! Here are some tips for determining who is in and who is out.
1) Make a list of qualities you can’t live without in a nanny! This is different for every family so it is important that you determine what your list is. Do you want someone with multiples experience? Someone who has been a live-in nanny? Someone who has a degree in child development? Someone that has nanny newborn experience?
2) Make a list of qualities that are absolute deal breakers! Does your nanny need to know how to swim? Do they need to be comfortable around dogs? Does she need to have cared for newborns?
3) Start the nanny screening process early. Don’t wait for the in-person interview to ask all of the questions. Start screening candidates via e-mail, then over the phone, or Skype and then in in-person. Only a select few of the potential nanny candidates should make it to the in-person interview.
4) Select only candidates who put their best foot forward! Individuals with strong portfolios, including their resume, cover letter and letters of reference are usually pretty together people themselves. This also goes for e-mail correspondence. If they are great at communicating via e-mail and professional, that will carry through to their day to day nanny work with your family!
← NannyPalooza 2010. Celebrating the Nanny Profession-across America! | Should I have my children present at the nanny interview? →
One of the most impressive nannies I ever met in my 27 years of interviewing nannies had a professional portfolio, had great responses to my questions and she turned out to be wanted by the FBI. Once we placed the calls to her references I got a call from the FBI agent the same day telling me that she had stolen cash, checks, credit cards and jewelry from her past employers and the agent asked for her current address so they could go arrest her. Beware of the applicant that seems too good to be true. Check references before inviting anyone into your home and verify that the person is who they say they are by checking their identification before offering someone a job.
Oh my gosh, that’s crazy!! You really just never know who you’re talking to. We’ve been lucky so far in that we’ve managed to find excellent nannies for our kids over the years.
I think the list of absolute deal breakers is a MUST. We had deal breakers and then ended up making an exception for a nanny we thought would be a good fit by letting two of our deal breakers slide. As it turned out, those two deal breakers DID end up coming into play and a few months later we were back on the hunt for the perfect nanny. Stick to your instincts!
When do you recommend running a background check on a potential candidate?
Hi Isla! That really depends on how much money you want to spend on background checks and how you feel about the candidates. You can run a rough, preliminary check on someone simply by typing their name into Google and searching different social media sites for them – you might be amazed at what pops up! From there, you probably want to run background checks on people you are seriously considering as candidates. Definitely run the check with enough time to get the results back before you have someone start working in your home. We offer comprehensive background checks on eNanny, ranging from basic to in depth!
i definitely think #4 is important, but – like Pat said – also easy to falsify. it doesn’t take a lot of work to have someone clean up your resume for you and put together a nice looking portfolio. not saying that’s not important by any means though – obviously you want someone who takes the time to be presentable! just that you shouldn’t solely rely on a professional looking portfolio/resume.