Tips for Families: The Nanny Interview Process

You're almost at the end and you're closer to getting a Nanny.  It doesn't matter if you found your Nanny applicant through the more traditional way like posting an advertisement on the phone book or through a Nanny agency.  You might have taken the easier route of finding a Nanny at an online database like .  But whatever means you used, you still have to interview the Nanny.

The first interview process is through phone.  This is more of a "getting to know you better" interview.  This is just a pre-screening to see if they're qualified enough for a personal interview.  Most families wouldn't base their decision much on the phone interview.  But make sure that the Nanny applicant is professional enough to merit a personal interview.  You should ask a lot of general questions at this point.  You can check resources for sample questions.  There is a lot of information that you can find online.  Here is a sample list of questions from NannyToYou.com that you can ask:

• What kind of experiences do you have with regards to childcare?
• Do you like taking care of children? (If no, you may want to end the process here and politely inform the applicant that he or she is not the one you're looking for.)
• What made you apply for the job?
• How was your last experience in taking care of a child?  What was the best part about it?  What were the challenges?  Why did it end?
• What motivates you?
• What are your hobbies and interests?
• Do you want children of your own?
• What do you think of violent tv shows and videogames?
• What is your philosophy in life?  How would you apply this to taking care of children?
• How would you enforce rules?  How would you discipline a child who breaks a rule?
• If for example I want something enforced a specific way and you don't agree with it, how would you handle it?
• Have you ever been in a child-relate emergency?  How did you handle it?
• Please tell me about the most difficult family you've worked with.
• If my children asked you about the birds and the bees, how would you handle it?
• How do you think the previous family that you worked with would describe you as a Nanny?

It is important to note that these are just general questions.  You can definitely work around these questions depending on their answers.  It is also important to take note of the questions that you asked and their answers.  You can use this later on when you interview them personally.

Now comes the harder part of interviewing the Nanny personally.  Interviewing the applicant in person is not only required, it is also logical.  This is the make or break part of the whole process.  It can be hard or it can be easy.  I'm sure most of us prefer the easier way.  But easy shouldn't mean haphazardly.  Here are some tips on how you can effectively conduct your interview process:

• You can refer to your phone interview at this point and ask for a more detailed explanation if necessary.  You can also check their sincerity better at this point.
• Interview as a couple.  It gives the Nanny the impression that you are serious about the well-being of your children.  If it's not possible, you can ask questions that your spouse may have in his or her behalf.
• At this point, you can ask them specific questions about your family.  If your children have special needs, ask the Nanny applicant how she is going to handle this.  It would also depend on how old your children are.  You can also check if the Nanny has experiences in handling these types of concerns and/or age range.
• Observe the Nanny.  Is she shy?  Is she energetic?  What is her personality?  Think how the Nanny's personality will affect your children.
• Ask more "out of the box" questions to see how she would answer.  Some Nannies come to the interview prepared with answers to general questions so asking her more challenging questions can test her.
• Introduce your children to the Nanny.  First impressions, although not the end-all and the be-all, can be a helpful gauge to see if a relationship with your children and the Nanny can work out.  Introduce them and have the Nanny take it from there to see how she will handle it and how your children will react.
• Ask the Nanny if she has any questions, and be prepared to answer questions.  You should encourage her to ask any questions that she may have.  If she does ask questions, it means that she is really interested in the job and she did research.  This is a good thing since you'd want someone who is passionate enough to care.
• Thank the Nanny for her time and set expectations.  Tell her what's going to happen and when he or she can expect a decision.  A decision is not needed at this time.  So just set expectations and be sure to meet it.

With these tips, the interview process should be smooth sailing and you should be a step closer in finding your Nanny.

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