Nanny Interview Process: Understanding the Interview + Trial Period

We’ve talked about the many ways for a family to hire a nanny – online resources like your local Facebook groups, word of mouth, or hiring a nanny agency are just a few ways to get the process started. Whichever route you take, you’ll have to prepare to interview and trial qualified nannies face to face and preferably, in your home so the prospective nannies can get a feel for your family’s structure and routine.

It’s important to remember that career nannies have chosen to be a nanny long-term and some nannies may not be spectacular interviewers.

Most nannies are not used to the typical professional setting so they may not interview as well as you’d expect, but we’ve known these nannies to be outstanding with children. Although interviews are a very important piece to the hiring process, they shouldn’t be the ultimate deciding factor. Your goal is not to determine how well the nanny does when fired difficult questions or if you can get along with her for the next ten years, but rather ask questions that will help you further understand her and assess the basics: Did she show up on time? Did she say anything abnormal? Ultimately, the interview is for you to decide if the nanny checks enough of your boxes to invite her back for a Trial Period.

Interview Structure

Before beginning the interview, it’s important to understand how interviews are commonly structured. Interviews are unpaid, typically hosted in your home, and last between 30 minutes and an hour so it would be best to set aside 1 hour. This time is really for you to understand and connect with the nanny so it is not necessary for children to be around. It’s okay if children are present, but this time is not to assess how the nanny interacts with them. If you decide that it would be in your best interest to invite the nanny back for a paid Trial Period, this time would be best utilized to assess how the nanny engages with children.

It would be in your best interest to be prepared to take notes on the interview so be sure you have a paper and pen before you start. Nanny Harmony advises on a three-part interview structure:

Part One

Start by introducing yourself and telling your family’s story. You can briefly discuss details of the job and what you’re looking for in a nanny. A few sample topics for this part are:

• Start date

• Hours and days required

• Quick rundown of responsibilities and expectations

Part Two

Ask the candidate to talk about her experience and assess the points that might align with your story. Some sample questions for this part are:

• Describe the past childcare positions on your resume

• What are your hobbies and interests?

• What are your greatest strengths/ weaknesses?

Part Three

Finally, end on some questions to better understand your nanny personally and professionally. Some personal questions to ask your nanny are:

• What are your long-term goals?

• Why did you decide to become a nanny?

• What are your favorite activities with children?

• What do you find most challenging or interesting about children of this age?

4.  You may close the interview by thanking the nanny for meeting you. If you are working with an agency, let the nanny know you will be reaching out to the agency for feedback. If you are working alone, let the nanny know when she can expect to hear back from you regarding next steps.

Trial Period

Once you have finished interviewing your prospective candidates, it’s important to invite one or two candidates back for a paid Trial Period. Nanny Harmony advises on this period being between 1 and 2 days, but no more than 5 days – each of these visits being around 2- 4 hours long. This is the time for you to show your nanny what her typical day will look like, where cleaning supplies are located, a rundown of nap and feeding schedules, etc. The nanny should come prepared with activities for children in down time and this is a great opportunity for you to assess whether or not she’d be a good fit for your family.

If you choose to work with an agency like Nanny Harmony, reach out to them after the Trial Period for detailed feedback on each nanny. The great thing about hiring an agency is that they’ve already met these candidates. If you find yourself stuck between two or more great candidates at the end of a Trial Period, a nanny agency would be happy to weigh out your options and help you choose the right fit for your family. Once you’ve made a decision, an agency offers assistance in writing a contract and extending an offer.

If you’re hiring a nanny without the assistance of an agency, an interview and trial period are both crucial to deciding whether or not a nanny would be a good fit for your family. Once you’ve decided to offer a position to the best nanny, it is also important to write up a contract for the working relationship so that duties and expectations are clear to both parties.

For more information on nanny contracts, check out our blog here.