An interview is completely a two way street. Just as much as a family is trying to see if you fit their life, you are evaluating whether their home will be a safe, respectful, and happy place for you to spend your days. To make sure you do not run into uncomfortable surprises down the road, focus your questions on the parents’ management style, household boundaries, and daily expectations. Keep things beautifully professional and supportive by asking about how they run their home, rather than prying into their private life outside of the job.
Parenting Style and Alignment
- How would you describe your overall parenting style, and what are the most important values you want your kiddos to learn?
- How do you typically support your kids through big emotions or frustration, and what words or approaches do you like to use in those moments?
- What are your child’s unique little personality quirks, and what is the best way to comfort them when they are feeling sad or overwhelmed?
- What are your biggest goals for your kids this year, whether it is making friends, emotional growth, or school?
Job Expectations and Professional Boundaries
- What does a great, successful day look like for your nanny, and what would make you feel like your employee is truly thriving?
- How do you want to handle things if you work from home and the kids cry or get upset when you have to step back into your office?
- Are there any non childcare tasks, like organizing toy bins, helping with pets, or grocery runs, that you are hoping your nanny will handle?
- How do you prefer to catch up on updates, schedule changes, or daily challenges at the end of a shift?
Safety and Long Term Vision
- What is your family’s game plan for emergencies, and who should I call first if I need to make a quick decision for the kids?
- How do you see our professional relationship growing and shifting as the kids get older and their daily needs change?
BONUS: Infant/Baby Specific Questions
- What does your ideal daily pace look like for an infant, and how much flexibility do you like to have within that schedule?
- How do you prefer to handle updates on the baby’s day? (e.g., Do you like using a daily tracking app, a shared notebook, or just catching up at relief time?)
- What is your comfort level or approach to common infant milestones that will pop up this year, like sleep training, bottle weaning, or starting solids?
- Since babies’ needs change almost month to month during that first year, how do you prefer we collaborate on updating things like wake windows, nap schedules, and starting solids?
How to Use These Questions
Treat your interview as a friendly collaboration between two professionals. We highly recommend weaving these questions naturally into your conversation as you chat, rather than saving them all up for a big, formal block at the very end. When a parent mentions a routine or tells a story about their kids, use that as your cue to drop in one of your screening questions. Feel free to use these as a helpful baseline, and don’t hesitate to add a few of your own that align with your unique style and professional values. It is also important to be your authentic self and not try to mold yourself into what you think a parent wants. A mutual fit with aligning parenting styles is very important!
Psst – Want to Know a Secret?
Here is a link to the top family questions if you want to be prepared!
Want to Start a Job Search?
Reach out to info@mbfagency.com or go to the website to start or update your profile!