Nanny Guide > The Nanny Job Interview

The nanny job interview is your opportunity to become acquainted with the parents, the children, and the work (perhaps living) environment. You may be excited, nervous, or in a down right panic! Follow the Scout Motto "BE PREPARED" and read the following tips for putting your best foot forward.

What to Wear - Personal Appearance:
You generally want to go to any job interview dressed in the style and manner you would dress to perform the job. Clean, neat, but rather casual will be what you want to aim for in the nanny interview. Think along the lines of GAP clothing. Neat pants - khakis for example - are a good idea if you will be working with young children because you want to be comfortable sitting on the floor with the child if the opportunity presents itself. Make-up and hair should be neat and simple - kid friendly! In addition to your wardrobe, 4nannies.com makes the following suggestions:

• Common sense dictates that excessive body piercings, tattoos, the Goth look and revealing clothing be avoided at all costs. How you dress on your off time doesn't matter, but don't show up to the interview looking like your next stop is a club!
• Beware of excessive perfume and body odor.
• Cigarette smoke is a turnoff - most families don't want a smoker working with their young children.

What to Bring:
You should make sure you have the following items with you on the job interview:

• Identifying documents such as a driver's license and Social Security Card
• A current copy of your resume
• A copy of the family's job advertisement and/or job description if available
• Any letters of recommendation, certifications such as Heart Savers or Red Cross First Aid
• A list of questions you want to make sure are covered such as responsibilities, hours, salary, taxes, when they need someone to start, etc.

There is a very thorough treatment of questions you may want to ask the family at NannyNetwork.com.

At the Interview:
Keep in mind that the parents are often as nervous with an interview as you are. Be on time! Take a deep breath, shake hands, and sit where indicated. Most parents will offer you a refreshment. Only accept if you can hold it without your hands shaking! Be careful of nervous habits such as twitching, fidgeting, playing with your hair, etc. If the child(ren) is there, address a greeting directly to him/her. Sometimes a mild compliment ('What a lovely baby' - no gushing here!) or a joke can help break the ice.

Hopefully the parents are prepared with their own list of questions. They will often want to know about your background, the previous work experience you have had, and any relevant education or training. The questions in a nanny interview can get rather personal - questions about your family, how you were raised, your feelings on discipline, and the like. This is not because families are naturally nosy but because this gives them some ideas about how you might interact with their children. If you have skeletons or secrets in your family closet, be careful how they do or don't come out in the interview. Keep positive and don't lie. If you aren't comfortable discussing a particular topic, be prepared to tell the parents that with a smile. Remember, you will be working with this family's children in a relatively unsupervised setting, and personality and lifestyle play important roles in determining the right 'job match.'

The parents may touch on some sensitive areas about your past experience in the interview. By all means stay positive and be prepared to 'turn lemons into lemonade.' Some examples are:

• Why are you (or did you) leaving your current job? "I feel I am ready for a new challenge, which is why I am here with you today."
• Why did you only stay with the Jones for two months? "Shortly after I began, I realized that the position was not a good fit. I felt it was best for everyone that I move to a position that better matches my skills and style."
• You haven't been a nanny before? "I am sure you may question whether I have the necessary skills and maturity to fill the position, however, I am can assure you I am strongly motivated, truly want to work with children on a personal level, and have the drive to conquer any challenges you set forth. I am completely qualified to handle this position."

Remember, stay positive and keep a smile on your face! Your demeanor tells the parents as much as your answers.

Be careful to understand and completely answer the parents' questions. Don't be afraid to answer their question with a question to clarify what they mean. A family may commonly ask you something like "How would you deal with Mikey when he misbehaves?" While you may have some ideas on the subject, it is best to ask the family what they would like done. Your answer might be something like "Well, in the past I have had good luck with 'time out' for preschoolers. What do you find works best with Mikey?" Or "I prefer to keep my discipline consistent with the parents methods. What do you do when Mikey misbehaves?" Experienced nannies will tell you that failure of the parents and the nanny to discuss and agree on childrearing practices in the job interview(s) is the most common cause of 'short term' employment!

If the child is present at the interview, you are strongly encouraged to spend some time interacting with the child. The parents want to see how you engage the child, and expect someone truly interested in child care will want to interact with the child. If an infant, make sure you wash your hands before holding and definitely after diaper changes and before handling food items. For toddlers and preschoolers, you might sit on the floor with the child and comment on or play with their toys. Generally the preschoolers aren't going to want you to hold them right away - don't push yourself on the children.

The job interview is a two way street. Make sure you ask and get all of your questions answered too. And don't be rushed into a decision. If the family offers you the job on the spot, it is a good idea to take a brief cooling off period. If you might be but are not sure you are interested, ask for some time to think it over. Perhaps you have another interview lined up - you may want to delay your decision until after that. And it is always a good idea to check the family's references first - talk to their prior nanny or child care provider. A form for this is linked below.

As the interview is closing, it is a good idea to summarize any follow-up. Who is going to get in touch with whom and when? Only give the family your personal references to contact if you are serious about taking the job. You don't want your references bothered by phone calls from families you aren't really considering.

After the Interview:
The interview went well, you loved the children, the employment terms all meet your expectations, what now? Sending a thank you to the family for the interview time is always a good idea. This could be a quick note that you mail them, or even an email if you have been in communication that way. It should convey thanks and reiterate something positive about the interview and how your skills/experience relates. A quick 'Thanks for your time today in the job interview. Mikey seems like a lovely boy and I have so enjoyed working with preschoolers in my previous job." If the family says they will call you by a specific date and they don't, you may decide to call them and check in. This keeps you up to date on where you stand and also conveys your interest to the family.

If the family has offered you the job, and upon reflection you decide it is not a good match, be courteous and let them know. It is an uncomfortable phone call, but doesn't need to be long and involved. A simple "I really appreciate your job offer and have given it a lot of thought. However, at this time I don't feel I am the best match for your job." is all it takes. Don't get dragged into details, just stick to your "I am not the best match" approach (take the 'blame' yourself), thank them again and say good bye. NEVER take a job offer and not follow up with the family.

If you do accept the family's position, make sure you get all of the details in writing. See the sample work agreements linked below.

Related Information
Checking Family References
Nanny Payroll Tax Calculator - compute take home pay.
Sample Nanny Work Agreement

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