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Key Interview questions: nannies

American Nanny & Home Care would like to share the following helpful tips for families searching for nannies and other household domestic help which includes key nanny interview queries, key housekeeper interview queries, your nanny contract , nanny payroll/taxes made easy.

Tips for interviewing nannies:

• While on the interview observe how your nanny interacts with the children if they are present at the interview. If she pays little or no attention to the children but rather directs all of her attention to the interviewer/parent who is asking the questions then this could be a red flag that she is may not be a multi-tasker who will be able to focus full attention on engaging the children.
• Try and keep first interview with nanny (unless you are extremely interested in this candidate) to a shorter 30 minute interview time and then invite those candidates who are your favorites to come back for more time and or meet the rest of the family and the children.
• Always invite favorite nanny candidates back to spend a few hours or even an afternoon where nanny and children can have some downtime in the kid's favorite play area. Make sure the area affords you the opportunity to take an occasional sneak peak to see how well she engages them!
• Never pay an agency a full fee upon day one of your nanny's start date. Ask them if you can have a few weeks working trial to see how well things go before you pay any fee. It is impossible to tell what real time chemistry and or issues will unfold based on an interview and or a day long working trial.
• Some families prefer not to have the nanny meet the children on the first interview. You can even choose a local coffee shop or your office as the first meeting place.

These key questions when interviewing your nanny might help you decide if she is in or out! :
What would you do in case one of the children has a medical emergency?
Right answer: call 911. If she answers call mom, she strikes out!

What would you do in case there is a fire in the house?
Answer: "Call 911" is the correct answer but you might also ask her what she should do besides call 911. She should add, "Make sure everyone is safely out of the house from the fire with a head count".

What would you check for if a baby does not stop crying?
Aside from the obvious answers like check to see if baby is hungry, tired or needs a diaper change she should say, "check to see if the baby is sick"

What kinds of engaging things would you do with a 3 month old baby?
Hopefully her answer includes such specifics as talk to the baby, sing & clap to the baby, read simple story books to the baby, play music C-D for baby if mom has C-D player, get the baby out to the parks and for walks on great weather days, etc.

Ask nanny to give specific answers about what engaging things and activities she can do with a child- both indoors and outdoors?
Listen for a quick answer that includes as many age appropriate things as possible such as take him to the park, zoo, story time at local book stores, finger painting, coloring, arts & crafts, Lego's, puzzles, building blocks, reading, board games.

Ask her the kinds of SPECIFIC things with which she will engage the child when in the park?
If she says walk around or read to him then she's out! Right answers include: get in the sandbox with him and play, help him go down the slides, etc.