Did you hear about the family who asked nannies a 65-question survey before even meeting candidates – all for a 2-day a week job?
I was recently in a similar frantic nanny-search boat. I had just started my new job here at Care.com and suddenly found myself without care for my 18-month old daughter, Ella. I hadn’t looked for a nanny since I was on maternity leave and quickly found that starting a new job, caring for my daughter and looking for a nanny was way too much for a mom to handle! I couldn’t think of the important questions to ask, let alone 65.
Okay, so where to even start. That was obvious. I had just started working here.
So, I posted a detailed job description on Care.com. I was very specific about what I needed in the hopes to get just a few, very qualified applicants.
I said things like:
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“Must have 5+ years of experience (with at least 2 different long-term positions)”
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“Must have a very flexible schedule” since I work full-time and travel a bit
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“Must have experience with all ages of children – from newborn to school age”
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“Must cook, do laundry and light housekeeping”
Do you know that I still had 95 applications?
Clearly, I live in an area (Manhattan) where there are a lot of nannies! But this was pretty overwhelming. The good news? I found someone terrific within 4 weeks. But I figured I could help other families find their ideal nanny – without having to ask a long list of questions. Here are the 9 things that helped me find my nanny – and I hope can help you find yours!
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Clear Responses. In my Care.com inbox, I immediately wrote “No Thank You Notes” (a Care.com feature) to the candidates who weren’t well-spoken and deleted them from my inbox. I kept each applicant who had personality and clearly explained why she wanted to work for my family.
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Quick Sales Pitch. When I called to touch base, I only set up interviews with the nannies who treated our phone chat like a job interview.
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On-Time Arrival. Is she on-time for our interview – or early? Late is not acceptable.
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Family Nearby. It always makes me feel better when the nanny has a family of her own to go home to. However, I also needed to make sure if the nanny herself had young kids, someone could take care of them or stay with them if they got sick.
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Interests. What does the nanny like to do in her free time? This is a question that helps me connect as a person. It can get us talking and start a conversation. Yes, we will have an employer-employee relationship. But this person will be in my home and with my child. I want her to be a teammate. So I want to know her interests. (Here are more nanny interview questions you can ask.)
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Emergencies. Has she had experience with an emergency before? And do I get the sense that she could be cool under pressure. I like to throw some “if this happened.. what would you do?” scenarios too.
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Limited Technology. Is she willing to be off her phone throughout the day?
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Specifics. How would she handle my picky eater? What would she do when Ella threw a tantrum? Does my crazy schedule bother her?
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Chemistry. The final check is the good ol “gut check” and the chemistry between us. Will I enjoy seeing this person show up each morning and bond with my child? If so, please join our family!
For each interview, I had my laptop and I took notes. And I’d check what they said against what their references (later) said to make sure it all lined up.
Finding a new nanny is really hard, but what I realized is, it should be. This is your child – or children, and you’re not just leaving them with anyone. But, if you really think about what is important to you in a care provider (and write everything down), it can be much less daunting! Good luck and I’d love to hear about your nanny search…let me know how it’s going – and tell me the tips you have below!
