First Questions Nannies Should Ask Parents in an Email InterviewNow that nannies are using nanny web sites more than any other method to find jobs (click here for poll results) it's likely they will make their first impression with potential employers in an email.
Just like potential nannies should ask the parents open ended questions about their children when speaking on the telephone and in-person, nanny job candidates should ask the parents about their children in emails.
Open ended questions require the parents to respond with more than a “Yes” or “No” answer. For example, prospective nannies should ask: “How would you describe your
children?” Or,“What activities would you like your nanny to do with your children?”
These questions encourage the parents to describe activities their children enjoy to see if the nanny has an interest in those areas. The job applicants and parents can also explore if they have similar parenting philosophies in the first emails.
Emails will never replace the gut feeling parents and nannies feel an in-person interview. But as
more nannies are using web sites to successfully find jobs there is likely more hiring decisions made via emails than ever before.
Please click here for a long list of questions you can pick and choose from to ask during a job interview.
What are the most important questions you parents ask in a nanny interview?
6 comments:
I just ask basics in the email. Salary, how many kids, what do the kids like to do? I ask less in the email and more in the in person interview.
You are a great resource I want to thank you for all your hard work.
I draw my questions from the list Kathy Webb has at the 4nannies site.
I have literally been hired long distance with out any face to face interview ahead of time so between many emails and phone calls a lot of things get covered to make sure the parents and I are making really informed decisions.
However, since my last job search was face to face since I was comfortable asking those questions online, it became easier to say they and go through them all.
I haven't asked detailed questions in emails, I leave that for the actual interview. The questions I ask in email are simply to make contact, be nice, say I'm interested, and make certain the job is full time, live out, how many kids do you have? More than that is left for later.
No way I will ever post on a website. Crazies out there. If you do post job online, think before you meet. Never let your gaurd down.
There is so much to fear online. Nannies include much too much information about themselves online. For goodness sake set your social networks to private, and be careful who you accept as a friend, don't post photos of your charges, they aren't your kids.
Do you even know how much of your stuff automatically gets shared when you interact with a new application? And even if you are vigilant about keeping up with your privacy settings, your friends can share your private information with third parties very easily.
Then scams, too scared to try nanny web sites.
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