You've just been introduced to a family – great news! Here are our top tips for making the interview a success.
Be proactive in setting a date
- The family will initially suggest some dates and times for the interview. If you can do these – great!
- If you can’t make any of the dates, click ‘I can’t do any of these times’ and you will get the chance to message the family directly. Make sure you’re proactive in proposing some alternative times and dates you can make
What if my timetable for next term isn’t confirmed?
- Don’t worry, we will have told the family this before they agreed to meet you. It’s good to make sure they didn’t miss this though, so it’s worth mentioning at the interview
- If you decide to work together, the family can “reserve” you by paying a deposit. This means you’re guaranteed the role in
January, if you can still do the days and times they need when your timetable is released - If you can no longer work the days they need when your timetable is confirmed then they’ll become a “VIP Family” and we’ll work tirelessly to find them a replacement in time. If we can’t, we’ll return their deposit
- You’ll also become a “VIP Nanny” and we’ll give you priority with other families to maximise your chance of finding you a new role as soon as possible
- 90% of the time this works out – you can tell the family this as they may want some reassurance
Make the right first impression
- Be on time or early (leave plenty of time for getting lost and work out your route on google maps beforehand!)
- Be positive and enthusiastic – it’s great to have some questions prepared (check below for some suggestions)
- If you're meeting the children, be sure to interact and engage with them as well as the parents
- Confirm the days and hours they are looking for care, and when they want someone to start
Or for a phone interview…
- A phone interview is a bit different from a face to face meeting. Your voice has to do all the work! Normally you can let your facial expressions and body language express your emotions, but over the
phone your voice has to show all your enthusiasm - It's your responsibility to call the family so make sure you make the phone call on time! This is absolutely crucial as a late call will give a bad first impression
- Remember to go somewhere quiet, make sure your phone is charged and has signal, and speak clearly
Be prepared – here are some questions the family might ask you
- What prior experience do you have?
(This one's especially important to most parents, so be ready to talk confidently about your previous work with children. If your experience is from a non-nannying role (e.g. you volunteered at a school abroad), think about examples you can give of responsibilities you had caring for children, and duties you undertook that are similar to those required for nannying. The more experience and enthusiasm you can demonstrate, the more confidence you'll give the parent that you're right for the role)
- Why are you interested in becoming an after school nanny?
- What do you like to do in your free time?
- Would you feel confident helping with English/Maths/… homework?
- What kind of fun activities would you like to do with our children?
- Have you got any skills or talents that you'd like to share with our children?
- Would you be happy to help out with extra babysitting on evenings and weekends?
- Would you be happy to help out with additional activities outside of your regular hours e.g. dog walking, batch cooking?
- Are you available to help out in the school holidays?
Meeting multiple families? Read on!
Meeting multiple families? Be transparent
If you’re due to meet multiple families and you want to have these meetings before deciding on a family to work with, be open about this.
It helps each family to understand your availability. When you thank them for their time at the end of the interview, just politely let them know when your other meetings should be done by, and that you'll be in touch again soon.
Here are some suggestions for good questions to ask the family
- Can you tell me about the kids’ personalities? What kinds of activities do they love doing?
- Would you like me to follow a daily routine with the children?
- What are your rules on screen time?
- Are there any foods the children can't or shouldn't eat?
- Have you had a nanny before? If so, what did they do that was really great/not so great?
After the interview
- It's always a good idea to drop the family a message after your interview. Thank them for taking the time to interview you, tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them (and the children), and let them know that you're looking forward to hearing from them
- You can tell us how the meeting went by filling in this
2 minute form. One of the Koru Kids team will then be in touch with the next steps
Here's an example of positive feedback we got recently from a parent about a Koru Kids nanny. It's a great example of what parents are looking for in a nanny at interview…
"She was 20 minutes early, which is always a good sign, and extremely polite from the moment she entered the house. She was very pleasant, kept smiling and showed an interest in my daughter by asking questions, which was really nice."
Nervous about meeting the family for the first time? Click here to see a video on how nanny Nancy deals with the situation!
