When it comes to family decisions, finding the right nanny is one of the most important. You’re looking for someone you can trust to keep your children safe and help them thrive. You want to make sure that the nanny you hire meets your family’s specific needs and that your family also meets what they are looking for as an employer. These tips will help you to get the most out of the interview process so you can make this important decision confidently.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Get clear on the job
  2. Conduct a pre-interview with prospective candidates
  3. Prepare your interview questions.
  4. Introduce candidates to your child (or children)
  5. Request references
  6. Create a written work agreement.

1. Get clear on the job

Before embarking on nanny interviews, prioritize what is important to you. Are you looking for someone who will spend plenty of time playing outside? Will they need to drive your kids or take them on public transportation? Are you hoping to hire someone who will stay with your family long-term? Write a detailed job description to review with your candidate.Also be sure to review your local and state laws to ensure you meet your legal obligations as an employer.

2. Conduct a pre-interview

Before you schedule an interview with a potential candidate, schedule a pre-interview call to share details about the position and ask key questions to make sure that an interview is worthwhile for you and the potential nanny. 

Be ready to share the following details:

  • number of children
  • desired hours and schedule
  • wage rate and payment schedule
  • benefits
  • pets in the house
  • whether you will pay on the books (file taxes)- this is the law in many places
  • health and safety procedures 
  • other job requirements (CPR certification, vaccination, drivers license)

3. Prepare for the interview

  • Questions go both ways. Encourage the potential nanny to ask you any questions and answer them honestly. You might be the one officially conducting the interview, but communication is a two-way street. It’s essential that your applicant has a clear understanding of the job and feels like the position is a good fit. 
  • Get to know each other. The interview is a great opportunity for you to get to know each other better, so share your parenthood journey and philosophy. Candidates may be juggling multiple roles and caretaking responsibilities, just as you are. Share the broader picture of your lives with one another.
  • Be clear about your must-haves. For example, if you are engaged in strict sleep training with your child, be clear and ask the candidate if they are comfortable letting your baby cry for long periods of time. Let them know if you implement sticker charts, screen-time rules, consequences, motivations, and boundaries.
  • Ask open-ended questions. Pay careful attention to the answers. If you’re not clear on an answer, follow up.  Ask for stories. Ask for examples of challenges they faced in their past work and how they addressed those challenges.  Scenario-based questions are often informative.
  • Be mindful of bias and discrimination.  Avoid asking a candidate about age, religious views, race, sexual orientation, or their plans on becoming pregnant.
  • Check your legal responsibilities. Your city or state may have specific laws relating to the responsibilities of nanny employers, and it’s your obligation to know what those are before you hire. 

4. Create your list of interview questions

About the job

  • Why do you want this job and what are you hoping for?
  • Do you have any questions about the job description?
  • Will the commute work for you?
  • Would you be interested in taking on extra hours occasionally?  Are there additional caregiving responsibilities that you have outside this job that would be helpful for us to know about? 
  • What kind of housekeeping tasks would you consider part of childcare duties?
  • Are you hoping for a long-term position?
  • Are you willing to work with our family’s specific medical needs, dietary restrictions, religious practices, etc.?
  • What are you looking for in a family/employer? 

Training and background

  • What has your past childcare experience been like?  
  • Why did you get involved in childcare?
  • Do you have, or would you be willing to get, CPR or baby first-aid training?
  • Do you have any additional childcare training or education?
  • How long have you been a nanny? What do you love about it and what do you find challenging?
  • What brings you joy when you are  caring for children? Can you describe one of your favorite moments with a child?
  • What languages do you speak? Would you be open to speaking with my children?

Health

  • What precautions do you take in regards to COVID, health, and safety?
  • Will you need an accommodation to perform any specific job duty? What would the accommodation be?  (See U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for additional information about accommodations for disabilities.)

Philosophy and approach

  • What kind of activities do you do with children that are my child’s age?
  • What is your discipline style? What do kids like best about you? 
  • What was the most challenging experience you had with a child you were taking care of and how did you handle it?
  • What was the most challenging experience you had with a previous employer and how was it resolved?
  • What do you consider your most important responsibility as a nanny?
  • How would you handle an emergency?
  • How do you deal with a baby crying, a toddler whining, an older child refusing to follow instructions, siblings fighting, hitting, yelling, or other difficult situations?
  • How do you comfort children?
  • What would you do if my child fell and bumped their head? 
  • What would you do if my child grabbed something from you or another child?
  • What reasons might you reach out to us for assistance? Are there any activities or responsibilities that you aren’t comfortable with?  
  • Do you need any more information or have any  concerns about any aspects of this job?

Getting to know the candidate better

  • What other work or life experience has helped  you as a nanny?
  • What do you love to do in your free time?
  • What do you see yourself doing in the future?

4. Introduce your child or children 

You may want to introduce the candidate to the children they’ll be caring for. Ideally, spend some together so that everyone can assess whether the candidate will be a good fit. If you want to do a practice session with the nanny candidate and children, make sure that you pay them for that time.

5. Request references

Once you’ve found a candidate you’d like to offer the job to, ask them for two or three recent former employers you can call for references.

 6. Create a written work agreement

If the references are positive, offer the nanny the position. If they accept (hooray!), you can begin to create a written work agreement together. 

Next Steps

  1. Create a written work agreement with the nanny.
  2. Learn more about how to become a fair employer.
  3. Become a member of Hand in Hand.