OUR STORY: Second Round Interviews

So here we are, it's the final countdown and we're down to the final four already!! I can't believe it! Let me start by saying that at this point if we ended up with any one of these four women as our nanny, we would be truly blessed. I was so impressed with the sincerity, competence, and character of each one of them.

For our second round interviews, we did things a bit differently. First off, we had my mom come and watch the interviews. We streamed the interview (via Skype) from our computer screen to the TV, so that my mom could sit on the couch and watch. She always has such great insight, so this was very worthwhile for us. We also set up an audio/video recording of the interview thinking that we would have it to play back afterwards, but between our strong gut instincts and my mom's feedback, we didn't need to watch the playback afterall. Having said that, I still think it's an excellent idea especially given that sometimes you're too in the moment to really hear what someone is saying; you might get a certain feeling or interpret it a certain way, and when you watch the playback you might be surprised (for better or for worse). We also ensured that each candidate met both Orly (our golden retriever), and Logan (our son), in order to gauge their reaction to them.

My husband, Mike, was in a particularly disgruntled mood, as I think he was just overwhelmed by the whole process emotionally and tired from a long day's work, but it certainly made it a bit more challenging since I was worried that the candidates would misinterpret his attitude (which was somewhat stoic) for being an unkind or aloof person, but we proceeded with the interviews anyways because such is life. We had a few hiccups in the interviews including needing to have my mother-in-law look after Logan in a separate room from the interviews because they were having so much fun that he was giggling and giggling, which is cute, but quite distracting. Once we had the room restored to some peace and quiet so we could focus in on the interviews, things went quite well, and became very clear.

Of the four candidates going into it, we had one that we were pretty giddy about, two that were strongly consistent from the start, and one that was a bit of a late comer and seemed very genuine and competent, but didn't have us quite as hooked as the others.

It is so interesting how this journey goes up and down like a roller coaster and spins faster than those really fast tea cups at Disney World. We went from being totally giddy about one candidate to feeling as if we had maybe had our blinders on in the first round, and went from being a bit nonchalent about another candidate to feeling blown away with her continued sincerity, kind nature, and honesty.

In the end, the decision felt very obvious, although it doesn't make it any easier to choose just one candidate when you have four amazing people who are ready, willing, and able.

What we learned from round two:

1. Schedule the interviews carefully. Scheduling four interviews in one night when my husband had worked a long gruelling day probably wasn't the best idea. And while we all wish that we could all be perfect all of the time and just chipper up for the good of the interviews, no one's perfect, and we would all do well to forgive one another's graces (especially those of our loving spouses), so the moral of the story is...plan accordingly.
2. Check for inconsistencies. Luckily we had my mom on the scene who is quite the sharp one, but if we hadn't, I'm not sure we would have seen some of the inconsistencies in certain interview answers unless we had played back the video of the interview. Don't be shy when you hear something that isn't quite adding up to just dig a little deeper. Sometime's it's nothing and it will put your mind at ease, and if it is something, then better to know now.
3. Don't rush! This is a problem for us with every interview in every round. We just seem to rush a bit when moving through the interview. Take your time, slow down, listen, breath, and enjoy the ride. 

Stay tuned to read about who we choose as Logan's nanny!

SUNDAY'S STORY CORNER: A leap of faith and never a look back

The goal of Sunday's Story Corner is to share warm fuzzy stories for all of the parents out there in need of a little reassurance. Maybe it's just the camp person in me, but I LOVE sharing positive stories. 

This week's story comes to me, personally, at a very important time. You see, as I'm writing this blog to support all of the parents out there who are embarking on a journey with a nanny, I'm embarking on that journey too. Sometimes in life, things don't always go our way. Stories come across our ears that are disheartening, and nerve-wracking, and while things don't always work out as we might hope, and everyone gets some bad luck once in a while, I want to share with you a story that should serve to remind us all that there is a LOT of good in the world. 

This week's story comes to us from Tessa. Tessa lives in Toronto and has three children. Here is her story:

Our kids had always been daycare kids, but we found ourselves moving to a new neighbourhood, with half-day kindergarten for my eldest and a nanny was the only way to go. After two nanny share arrangements fell through, we were on our own with the clock ticking down to September. Friends gave suggestions of nannies their friends had used, or relatives of their nannies -- but nothing was clicking. As newbies to the nanny world, we were flying blind, but trusting our guts. One night I happened to be scrolling through a neighbourhood blog and a posting by a nanny caught my eye. An ECE grad with limited nannying experience, but a love of children and of teaching through play.

After an interview -- conducted jointly with another family whose son was going into SK and would come to our house in the afternoons -- we jumped in together. Committed to open lines of communication in an arrangement that was new to all of us.

We loved our nanny and, most importantly, our children loved her. She spent all day with my 3 year old daughter while the boys were at school and they developed a special bond - snuggling on the couch in the mornings to talk about the day ahead, scraping her barely-there hair into the tiniest of ponytails (and photographing it for me), and filling the day with little rituals that I still hear about and try to keep up!

One of my most wonderful memories: when I was in the hospital on Easter Monday recovering after delivering my third baby, our nanny took the older two out for a special day. They picked out gifts for the baby and had lunch, and then decorated the front walk and windows for me and baby Pippa. Arriving home to such an incredible welcome was overwhelming. I put the baby bucket seat with our tiny new girl in it on the floor in the living room, and the nanny and me and the older kids all circled round, in love. 

Our nanny is with another family now and the kids are back in daycare, but we are so grateful to have met her and have had her care for our children. It was an amazing experience.

Hopefully this story gave you a warm fuzzy feeling. If you'd like to pay it forward by sharing your own warm fuzzy story, write to me! I welcome success stories of all kinds about your live-in (or live-out) nanny experiences!

11 TIPS for Successful SKYPE INTERVIEWING

Interviewing via Skype is becoming increasingly more common these days. Whether you’re interviewing someone from overseas, the other side of the country, or right in your own backyard, it is a great way to test the waters (particularly if you’re interviewing a high volume of first-round candidates).

I have read so many articles on how to successfully perform when you're being interviewed via Skype, but what about when you’re the one conducting the interview?! Without further adieu…

1.     No distractions. Skype interviews already have inherent distractions due to the nature of video chatting, lighting, camera movement, potential lag time etc. so don’t create unnecessary distractions. If possible, have someone come over to look after your kid(s) in a separate space from the interview.

2.     Be prepared, but adaptable. Go into the interview with your interview guide prepared and notes on any additional information that you want to discuss, but be open to going with the flow if natural conversation takes you in a different direction for a moment, or if specific questions aren’t working for you.

3.     Take a screenshot. Taking a screenshot of each candidate and placing it in their folder will give you a visual cue when recalling your interview with them during the post-interview debrief/reflection. “You may not remember what someone said, but you will remember how they made you feel” is one of my all time favorite quotes. Having a visual cue will help you to bring back the feeling that you got during each interview. Speaking of not remembering what people said…

4.     Take a screen recording. Take an audio/video recording of the interview. Sometimes during the excitement of the moment it is easy to get swept up, but then difficult later on to remember exactly what was said. You’re excited, distracted by reading other cues (tone of voice, body language etc) and might not be taking the most thorough notes, so take a recording and that way, you can sit down later on when the excitement of it all has worn off and rewatch the interviews. You might be surprised by what you find.

5.     Be organized. Ensure that you have pre-added each interview candidate on Skype, and have all of your materials ready. You already have enough excitement without scrambling around at the last moment.

6.     Set up your physical space. Take the time to find the best room lighting and position for your camera. Setting the stage can go a long way in creating a comfortable and smooth interview.

7.     Invite others. Consider inviting people whom can offer you a third-party perspective. The great thing about Skype is that people can attend the interviews without attending the interviews. We had my mom sit in the living room, and sent our screen to the TV using our Apple TV so that she could watch the interview live. If having other people present would make you uncomfortable or serve as an unwanted distraction then consider sending them the video recording to watch afterwards.

8.     Don’t rush. Schedule adequate time for each interview so that you’re not rushed. It’s better to reschedule if need be than conduct a fast-paced interview where you skip over important questions and details.

9.     Take notes about more than what they said. Sometimes we get caught up writing down what someone answered to a question, but it can be helpful to write down other things like gestures or body language (for example: put an * next to an answer with “she smiled and got very excited” or “she didn’t seem confident with her answer”). Taking notes on personality, gut feelings, and gestures will help you to remember more details about the interview.

10. Paraphrase. It’s important to make sure that the interview candidate has understood the question that you’re asking. Sometimes there can be language barrier which is amplified by video conversation, so take the time to paraphrase your questions (and theirs) if you pick up on a lack of clarity in the discussion.

11. Remember to smile! It’s so important to establish a good rapport and smiling makes people feel at ease. Particularly given that you might experience some technical difficulties like the video lagging, it really goes a long way to keep a smile on your face and make each person feel comfortable.

Don’t forget to offer each candidate a glass of water or a cup of tea at the beginning of the interview!...Just kidding, although it might be a funny (albeit cheesy) icebreaker sort of joke!

Happy Skyping!


Did you find this or another post you read helpful? Drop me a line using the comments box below. I always love to hear from readers. 

OUR STORY: First Round Interviews

Starting the process of interviewing to find the person who will care for our soon day in and day out, share our home, and be welcomed into our family was not a task easily undertaken, but here's our story...

We received over 100 applications for the position of live-in nanny (about 110 from our FB and care.com posts, another 10 from our Kijiji post, and about 40 from our Canada Job Bank post). For our first round of interviews, we selected 17 front running candidates and sent them all the pre-interview email providing more in-depth information about our family (see my post on screening applicants for sample pre-interview email). We then heard back from 11 candidates which to me demonstrated the efficacy of sending out a pre-interview email as it further screened for fit. We had a few no-shows come interview time and in the end we interviewed 8 first round candidates.

I was so nervous going into the interviews because I kept thinking about how paramount it was that they go successfully. This would not be a good time to doubt the strength of the selection process that I had created, or our gut instincts. Even though in reality it would have been possible to extend the interviewing process for as many rounds as we’d like, it really did feel ominous; as if we had this one shot at finding the perfect caregiver for our precious baby. I could sense a lot of anxiety from my husband as well, who despite his seemingly aloof nature, was just as nervous as me to see whether or not we would find anyone that would be adequate for our son.

It was the evening of our first interview, and we had reviewed all of the candidate packages. The first interview was a very exciting one as the individual had submitted a wonderful cover letter detailing her passion for children and telling us about her family back home in the Philippines. One of the most important elements of an application for me is the cover letter. I really value when people take the time to not only tailor it to our specific situation, but are open enough to share about who they really are; their background, and family life.

Mike (that’s my husband) and I scrambled to get everything set up for our first interview. We moved the screen of my laptop around to find the best lighting, and got ourselves positioned. We would be conducting all of the first round interviews via Skype (post on Skype interview tips soon to come). I have studied interviewing fairly extensively throughout my post-secondary education, but sometimes struggle with actualizing the theory that I am so familiar with.

In our first interview, I sort of dove right in. I’m more of a structured sort of person (albeit warm and friendly…I hope), but Mike is much more casual, laid back and informal. We made a great team because he seemed to know just when the right time was to jump in and ease the mood of the interview. I fear that if I had been alone, I would have interviewed in far too formal a nature, which does not yield optimal results. Yet if he had been alone then an interview probably would not have taken place. The goal of interviewing (or at least the interviewing practice that I favor) is to make candidates feel as at ease, comfortable, and confident as possible because it will enable them to be their most sincere self and will create an environment that welcomes them to take some time, reflect on your questions, and provide more in-depth answers. I have a tendency to rush from question to question leaving little room for easy conversation, but Mike, a conversational mastermind just seemed to float effortlessly from one question to the next, interjecting an appropriate amount of small talk, and follow up questions. He had a real knack for establishing a flow of reciprocal conversation, rather than the interrogation style that I was struggling to avoid.

My biggest fear going into the interviews was that we wouldn’t find anyone remotely suitable; that no one would be qualified enough, possess the right temperament, and be the right fit for our family. I couldn’t be more wrong. As our first interview came to a close, we were elated (and relieved) that the first candidate was so wonderful, but as we moved on to the second candidate our worries swung the other direction as we began to wonder how we would ever choose the right person amongst a sea of wonderful, competent, and suitable candidates. We ploughed through interview after interview of lovely people. We had many genuine conversations, and heard some very interesting stories about nanny situations worldwide. Listening to several candidates’ stories about some of their living conditions and treatment by previous employers made me very proud to live in a country where employers (for the most part) embrace caregivers as part of their family, treat them with respect, and value their role in their household.

We did have a few doosies including candidates that were ill prepared, unqualified, or poorly suited to our family. Perhaps one of the more notable flops was when we interviewed a candidate who made ten times more of a fuss over our dog, Orly, than over our son. She fawned all over the dog, and then barely glanced at the baby. Now as you can see from the photo on the right, Orly IS pretty darn sweet, but that doesn't make it any less worrisome when someone seems more interested in our friendly furry friend, than our son.

While we did introduce Orly the dog to all of the candidates to ensure that we could sense a level of comfort with dogs, we only introduced Logan if he happened to wake up during the interview as we felt that the second round interview would be a more appropriate time to introduce him. 

Looking back on the first round interviews, I feel like we could have improved the outcomes by changing a few things. Here are the suggestions I would have based on our first round interviews:

1.       Go slow. We really did rush through certain parts of the interview.
2.       Don’t be afraid to ask follow up questions. While I do feel it important to make people feel at ease, there were times that I didn’t ask follow up questions that crossed my mind because I didn’t want them to feel as if I was grilling them.
3.       If it’s not working, just toss it! There were a few questions that didn’t work interview after interview. They were either poorly phrased or just weren’t set up to elicit the sort of responses that we were hoping for. Rather than try them 3 or 4 times, I wish we had just given them the ax after the second time that they didn’t work. They were a waste of space in the interview. 

In the end, it was actually a pretty clear-cut decision. We chose 4 candidates to proceed on to the next round of interviews. I won't use their names, but candidate 1 was a front runner from the very beginning (lovely cover letter and resume, strong interview, and very warm and consistent), candidate 2 was someone that I had been talking to for several months and was very excited about (genuine and competent), candidate 3 had us giddy with excitement (she was peppy, talkative, social, and confident), and candidate 4 was a late comer to the running, but had a great interview (seemed very competent, and calm).

Stay tuned for my post on the second round!

STEP 4: INTERVIEW Prep & Candidate Selection

Preparing for interviews can take a lot of time and effort in researching the right questions to ask which is why I've developed a whole Resources section of my blog that will provide you with everything you need. There, now you can take the time that you would have spent researching, and go do something you enjoy.

Check out the Resources section for: 

• Free interview guide templates (1st and 2nd round),
• Skype interviewing tips and tricks, 
• Information on prepping and basic how-to

You can also check out our own interviewing journey in the Life & Reflection section.

Good luck! And remember, "success is where preparation and opportunity meet" (Bobby Unser).

QUICK TIP: Keep On 'Em

If you're heading up the process of finding a nanny yourself (ie. sans agency), then here's a quick tip: make sure you keep on top of every step of the process to keep things moving efficiently. My PD7A came in the mail quite some time ago and I sent it in immediately to the Canada Job Bank to validate my account and get my job ad processed. Well today I noticed that the job still wasn't posted, so I decided to call the good folks at the Canada Job Bank. Turns out they had made an error and only ran the job posting for one day almost a week ago. Now I'm not criticizing the job bank because everyone makes mistakes (and they were so friendly and apologetic), but it just goes to show that you need to do your due diligence and call the appropriate people every step of the way. It's a good thing I called because they were able to get the job posting duplicated and posted within a few hours, but to think we wasted a whole week just assuming that everything was moving along as it should and if I hadn't called then the error wouldn't have been picked up at all, so pick up that phone and make it happen!...and always remember that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. ;-)

Related Posts:

Process Overview
Step 2: Writing a Job Posting
Step 3: Filing with the Job Bank

SUNDAY'S STORY CORNER: More Than Just a Nanny...a Co-Parent

Making the decision to bring a nanny into your home and your family is a big one, and most big decisions in life don't come without their apprehensions. Sleepless nights worrying about whether you'll have that instantaneous connection, how your kids will fair through the transition, and whether you'll be able to find the balance of employer and family are all part of the package. I've heard a lot of worries pouring from the hearts and minds of my fellow mommies who are approaching the move-in time of their nannies and mostly I hear about fretting over the right balance between employer and friend/family, wondering about how a live-in nanny might impact a marriage and the sense of privacy in the home, and worrying about whether or not you and your kids will build an immediate bond with the nanny.

Well here at Nanny&Me, I've created Sunday's Story Corner with the goal of sharing warm fuzzy stories direct from your home to my blog, and out to all of the anxiety ridden parents in need of a little positive reassurance. Maybe it's just the camp person in me, but I LOVE sharing positive stories. So if you're feeling anxious and would like someone to share a story about a particular worry that you have, or maybe you just want to share a wonderful tidbit from your life, write to me! 

I welcome success stories of all kinds about your live-in (or live-out) nanny experiences!

To start our week off on the right foot, here's our first Story Corner sharing which comes to us from Jennifer of Toronto. Jennifer's the owner of a small business called Pawsitively Pets and has two wonderful kids. Thanks for writing in Jennifer! Here's Jennifer's story...

As a small business owner I knew from the time we even considered getting pregnant that our family would need a nanny to help us to raise our children.  I wasn’t looking for just someone to come in each day and take care of my son, but some who would become a part of our family and someone who could embrace our values as parents.  After all, we would basically be co-parenting together.  Having my own business, I really didn’t get a maternity leave.  Once home from the hospital with my son (who is now 3) I started taking him to work with me and basically working a reduced work schedule.  When he was 5 weeks old my husband took 8 weeks of paternity leave as my “busy” season was starting and would demand a 40-60 hour work week for two months.  It was during that time that my husband and I knew we would need a nanny to start in the fall when our son would only be about 4 months old.  So our search for a nanny began.  We were looking for a live-in nanny, someone already in Canada and we were happy to take over their sponsorship.

We had some of our friends nannies put the word out through the “nanny network” that we were looking, and soon had 9-10 potential candidates to interview.  In addition to picking someone who would be an ideal fit for our family and caregiver for a 4 month old we also needed someone who was comfortable with dogs – we have 2 of them, one who is quite big the other who is small.  Although the job description did not include any care of the dogs, it wouldn’t work if someone was afraid of them.  

We also wanted to nanny share our nanny with a neighbour each day from 3pm – 6pm, when our nanny would pick our neighbours kids up from school and take care of them until they arrived home from work. I was only going to work until 230pm each day so I could spend time with my new baby and have some sense of a maternity leave and that special mommy-baby time.  

The start to our nanny interviews was a rocky one, the first two interviews didn’t even show up, which left me with some serious anxiety about how I would ever find someone I could trust the care of my baby with.  The first person who did show up was so scared of the dogs she couldn’t even make it into the house (I warned everyone that we had dogs and they needed to be comfortable with them.)  The next candidate seemed very competent and friendly but never looked at my baby or asked to hold him.   And then came Gemma, and I knew from the moment she walked in the door, pet the dogs and reached for the baby that this was going to be a good fit.  Everyone always says to trust your gut and mine told me this was our nanny, and after interviewing the candidates that came behind her I knew she was the one.

One month later Gemma moved in with us and we began the process of making her a part of our family.  I spent time with her going over how we do things, but told her to be sure to tell me if something didn’t work or if she found my son was outgrowing a certain routine. I let her know what was important to me with regards to the babies care and schedule and that baby always came first, housekeeping and other things were always second.  It took some time for a relationship to form between my husband and I and Gemma, (Gemma is naturally very shy and quiet,) but the relationship with my son was instant and I could tell how much she cared about him.

The main thing that has helped our relationship is that we are working together, I call Gemma my co-parent or the kids 3rd parent (we now also have a daughter.) We talk about things as they come up, make changes as we need to and I don’t worry about what isn’t getting done.  I have learned from my own time with both kids that often all the things you want to get done in a day can’t happen, things interfere and the kids come first, so I don’t expect more out of Gemma than what I can accomplish, and quite frankly she always seems to get more done than I do when I am with the kids.

Gemma has been with us for 3 years now, she is now a live-out nanny and hopefully after 15 years of living in Hong Kong and Canada she will finally be reunited with her husband as he should be arriving early next year.  Our hope is for Gemma to be with us for as long as possible, but we know she too wants to have her own family and that she will be an amazing mom to her own children one day.  We know there will be a day when Gemma is no longer with our family, but we know that she will always be a part of our family and that we will always have a relationship with her.  

So You're CONSIDERING a NANNY: here are the BASICS

So you’re thinking about getting a nanny, but what does this really look like? There are so many childcare options to choose from. Most people are familiar with the options of daycare and homecare, but perhaps less familiar with the realities of having a nanny (live-in or live-out, or an au pair).

A live-in nanny is a great cost-effective option for families who require more flexibility (around the hours and type of support required). You need to be the type of family who is comfortable having someone come in and share your home (and if you’re like us, then this even excites you). Thinking about the type of set up you have in your home and what this would look like is a good idea. In our home, we have a basement suite that we used to rent out, so it already has a kitchen and bathroom which will provide a bit of privacy for us and our nanny. We will still be using the basement space, but for us, the idea of providing her with her own washroom seems like a win-win for everyone. People have live-in nannies in all sorts of homes…condos, mansions, little bungalows (that’s us), so it’s really about deciding whether or not it would be a good fit for your family. Check out my post 7 Reasons Why a Live-in Nanny is a Great Childcare Option which should provide you with more insight into the things you’ll want to give some thought to. When hiring a live-in nanny, most people go through the Live-in Caregiver Program as it is very difficult to find domestic live-in nannies (of course you want to try to find one, but my experience has been that there aren’t many!) When you sponsor a live-in nanny (see my post, A Bit About Sponsorship), there are some guidelines that you need to follow with regards to the set up in your room and salary. If you’re like us (very community-oriented) then a live-in nanny is a great way to bring that much more love into your child’s life and your home.

A live-out nanny is a great option for families who require a more set schedule like a M-F 9-5 work week. Live out nannies do cost more money as they are typically paid between $14-17/hour (vs. $11/hour for a live-in) and don’t require sponsorship through the Live-in Caregiver Program, but if you can afford it and you either don’t have the space for a live-in, or don’t feel that a live-in would be a good fit for you and your family, then a live-out is the way to go. Live-out nannies still provide a lot of the benefits of a live-in nanny (no pick ups/drop offs, 1:1 care etc…again check out my post (here). If you want to see a cost comparison of a live-in vs live-out nanny, I've drawn one up for you, just click here. 

A note on au pairs. An au pair is not to be confused with a nanny, they are not the same thing. Au Pair’s are typically younger people (18-24) on a cultural exchange. They will help look after your kids, expose them to a new culture, do some light cooking, and cleaning, in exchange for room & board, pocket money (stipend) and a family experience. It is not the same as hiring a nanny to look after your kids. There are guidelines and rules around how many hours the au pair can work each week. Au pair’s are a great option for families where one person works from home and needs some additional support during the day to get some work done. The big thing to consider here is that au pair’s are mostly in it for the cultural exposure and experience. This is not necessarily a bad thing; some families love this aspect of it, but other families aren’t comfortable with the fact that they don’t have all of the educational and work experience of a nanny. They will also be expecting a different relationship with your family than that of a nanny. While a nanny may or may not spend time with your family when they’re not working, an au pair will expect to be part of the family during their stay with you. I of course hope that people also welcome their nannies as part of their family, but there is a different relationship expectation with an au pair vs. a nanny.
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Whichever route you choose, do some homework. Think through what each option will look and feel like for your family, and the pros and cons of each option. Hopefully my blog will support you and provide the information needed to do so, and if you ever have any questions, just write to me. :-)

Related Posts:

A Bit About Sponsorship
7 Reasons Why a Live-in Nanny is a Great Childcare Option
The Live-in Caregiver Program 
Live-out vs. Live-in Nanny Cost Comparison
Agency...to Be or Not to Be

INTERVIEW GUIDE & SUPPORTS: 2nd round interviews

You made it through the 1st round of interviewing...congratulations! By now all of your hard work and effort should be starting to pay off as you begin to get excited about some of the candidates that you've met. Hopefully a few of them are really standing out to you as strong candidates and if you're really lucky then right now you're probably thinking that you'd be lucky to have any one of your remaining candidates.

2nd round interviews are a good time to ask the tougher questions. You've established a rapport with each candidate and you should feel comfortable now to delve deeper in the interview. Remember that this could be your last chance before making your final choice, so really go for it!...if a candidate answers something that makes you feel uneasy, ask them for further clarification, don't be shy.

This is also a good time to have you child/children meet the candidates. You can gauge their interactions with your kids and it should provide some great insight about fit.

As with the 1st round, if certain questions just aren't working, then drop them, don't force it. Remember to clarify the question if the candidate is having difficulty understanding what sort of answer you're looking for, and take your time. Don't rush! If you're interviewing by Skype, then take an audio/video recording of the call. Sometimes during the interview, you're so in the moment that everything seems fuzzy afterwards (like any big exciting event!), so it will be good to have a video to refer back to and review responses. Particularly when there is a strong chemistry with someone, or lacking in an initial chemistry with someone else, it can create a bit of a "blinders" effect where you just remember how their answers made you feel, but not what they said. When you go back and review the answers afterwards, you may be surprised at how the scales tip.

If you followed my instructions for the first round interviews then you should have a printed out package with each candidate's resume and cover letter, so be sure to review that package again before each interview (including your notes, which may remind you of additional questions or clarifications that you wanted to ask this round), and of course, print out a 2nd round interview guide for each candidate.

SAMPLE 2nd round INTERVIEW GUIDE, click HERE

Stay tuned for my post on Skype-based interview tips, as well as our own first round interviews coming soon!

You're well on your way to finding a wonderful nanny, so good luck and happy interviewing!!

So WHO IS Footing the BILL?

The age-old question of whether or not to use an agency to help you find a nanny is a tough one. If you have the time and energy, then chances are you can manage the process of recruiting and selecting a nanny, and filing the paperwork yourself, but I completely understand that for some people the task seems too overwhelming. I have a great support network of savvy and competent people around me which has probably contributed to my confidence in taking on the process.

For many people, the cost associated with hiring an agency (between $800-1,400 if sponsoring from overseas) is a huge deterrent and feels like a big undertaking. Recently I had an acquaintance contact me and share the good news that she had found a wonderful nanny through an agency. She was elated to tell me that she didn’t even have to pay anything. The agency was operating out of Hong Kong and wasn’t charging her a cent, which I am learning is not so uncommon when using overseas agencies. I can see why this would seem like a great idea; a FREE agency that will do all of the legwork and find you a great nanny, what a steal! But who’s footing the bill? Surely the agency isn’t just working out of the kindness of their heart. The answer…your future nanny. Your future nanny is likely in debt to the agency that found her the position with you, and potentially previous agencies as well.

Now some people might say, “well is that really a big deal?” I mean people use talent agencies and pay them fees right? Yes, but perhaps on a different scale. If a band uses a talent agent to find them a gig, they will probably pay them a small reasonable commission, but they certainly won’t be going into debt to do it. I spoke with one individual from the Philippines who was in debt to an agency who charged her the equivalent of $1,200 Canadian to place her with a family. The average wage in the Philippines is equivalent to about $200/month Canadian, and the average wage in Hong Kong (for a nanny) is about $450/month Canadian. If a nanny is in debt to an agency for $1,200 when they’re making $450/month, that is a LOT of money. Imagine using a recruiter in your profession, and perhaps finding a job that pays you $4,000/month and then owing the recruiter $12,000 for finding you the job! There are nannies out there that owe multiple agencies finder’s fees and when you’re making minimum wage (for live-in positions) this really adds up to be a serious burden, but a lot of nannies don’t have other options as they don’t know where to look to find the positions, and don’t have adequate experience or professional job training to feel confident in pursuing positions themselves.

To the best of my knowledge, Canadian agencies don’t charge their nanny candidates fees, but it is probably a good question to ask. Maybe you’re comfortable if they charge them a small  amount or even a not so small amount, but the important thing is to be informed. If you’re finding a nanny and completing the process on your own, then hopefully my blog offers you helpful resources and if an agency is the right fit for you then hopefully my blog is still helpful to you, but I’ll leave you with this, just keep in mind that if you’re not paying an agency, then someone else is footing the bill because they’re not working for free.

INTERVIEW GUIDE & SUPPORTS: 1st round interviews

When it comes time to interview your selected candidates, it can be a really intimidating task. While I did study some interviewing in University (did a minor in Organizational Leadership) and do have some workplace interviewing experience, I still felt apprehensive about conducting the interview of all interviews...the one that will lead to choosing the person who will care for our son! I did a lot of internet-based research on nanny-specific interview questions, and while I came across some very standard stuff, for the most part, I felt that it lacked in the type of content, format, and flow that would solicit open and easy conversational-style interviewing. The interview guide that I developed is still no Mona Lisa, but I hope that providing you with a full spectrum of possible questions will give you enough content to pick and choose what will work for you and your family, and will provide you with a template to work from. 

Proceeding with the interview and using the interview guide:

If you've followed the organizational system that I laid out in Interview Guide & Supports: Screening Applicants and Organization, then you should already have folders with the supporting documents for each of your interview candidates (ie. resume, cover letter, photos) on your computer. Prior to interviewing each candidate, print out their cover letter and resume, as well as the interview guide. Take 5 minutes to review their documents and familiarize yourself with them. Make notes on any questions that you want to ask.

In my mind, the first round interview should focus on general questions, getting to know one another, and screening for core competencies. Sometimes when prospective candidates have received interview coaching, it may be hard to dig deeper beyond them communicating the elements that they've practiced ahead of time, but just take the time this round to get a feel for them, and you can do the digging on the 2nd round. The 2nd round interview guide (soon to come) will focus more on delving deeper into fit, pressing/probing for clarity, and using behavioural questions. First round interviews can be conducted by Skype, in person, over the phone, or even by live messaging like Facebook chat.

When you begin the interview, start out the interview by creating a sense of comfort and ease. Ask “small talk” questions about the weather where they are, how their day has been etc. You want to feel a sense of personability before moving into the questions.

If there is a language barrier with certain questions try rephrasing, and if after a few interviews, you find that certain questions aren’t working to get the type of answers that you’re interested in, then scratch them off. Being adaptable and open to the interviews taking their own shape will enable you to find a good flow to your interviewing style. 

The interview guide may seem like a lot of questions (30), but aside from the odd more talkative candidate, you will probably find that the interview will only run about 30-40 minutes each. It's important to be able to completely focus on the interview, so if you can arrange childcare for your son(s)/daughter(s) that would be ideal. While it's a personal decision, I think it's ideal to have your child/children meet prospective nannies during the 2nd round interviews and keep the 1st round interviews simple and focused, having said that, meeting the kids can help to break the ice and ease any tension, so do what feels right to you.

A good number of candidates is about 5-8 for the first round of interviews and 2-4 for the second round of interviews.

SAMPLE 1st round INTERVIEW GUIDE click HERE

Stay tuned for my post on Skype-based interview tips, as well as our own first round interviews coming soon!

Good luck and happy interviewing!!

Related Posts: 

Interview Guide & Supports: Screening Applicants & Organization
Interview Guide & Supports: 2nd Round Interviews