First impressions are formed within seconds of meeting someone for the first time, keep this in mind when preparing for your interview with a family.
- As soon as the family expresses interest in interviewing you, make contact as soon as possible and lock in an interview time. A phone call should be your first point of contact, not a text.
- Wear clean, tidy, professional clothing and shoes. Ensure you are well–groomed including tidy hair and clean groomed nails. Don’t overdress or wear inappropriate revealing clothing or high heels – remember this is a nanny interview, dress accordingly!
- Don’t be late: Ensure you have the address and contact number of the family and allow plenty of time to travel and map out your route.
- Bring a hard copy of your CV along, use this as a reference or talking point as appropriate.
- Know the job! Make sure you have found out as many details as possible about the children, family, and the nature of the role prior to meeting with the family.
Be open, friendly and chatty and be prepared for some of the questions you might be asked for example:
Why do you want to be a nanny?
What activities do you enjoy doing with children?
What are your views on children’s routines and rhythms?
What are your views on behaviour management strategies?
Can you give me some examples of age appropriate activities for children?
Are you comfortable with house work and preparing meals?
What other experience and skills do you have?
Are you flexible with hours i.e. babysitting or if a parent is running late?
- Engage with the children, it is not just about impressing the parents / whanau (introduce yourself to them).
- Be a good listener not just a talker!
- When the interview complete, ensure you thank the family/whanau for their time and express that you enjoyed and appreciated meeting them and their children.
- Lastly, make sure you follow up with an email or phone call thanking the family for the opportunity to be considered for the role, and emphasise that you would be delighted to work with them and their children into the future.
Good luck, you have got this!
