Happy Home Childcare - Your Nanny Agency for London

Interview tips

The personal interview can be quite daunting if you are unprepared, especially if you have not interviewed before.

Giving this process some structure will really help in progressing with the interview, finding out what you want, and making sure you don’t miss any thing out.

Different people have their own ways of structuring interviews, but we have found that this one works well..

1. Start with the position.

This is an opportunity for you to explain the details of the position, including the locale, the household etc, and is the time you can sell the position – don’t forget that as well as interviewing, you are also being interviewed. Be positive, but make sure that you are realistic and honest.

2. Use the CV as a tool for going through the candidate’s history.

Generally its best to do this in reverse chronological order, so start with the educational background and then go on to work experience. You will no doubt have already read the CV before accepting an individual for interview, so you may already have some questions on what is written.

3. Questions.

Up to this point, you have let the candidate talk about him/herself, guided by the CV. Now is the time to fill in the gaps and ask questions that you feel have not been covered in the preceding dialogue. This part is best facilitated by a prepared list of questions.

There is a multitude of questions you can ask. Only certain ones will be relevant to you and your vacancy. Here are some that we have found useful in the past..

  • Why do you want to work as a nanny/housekeeper?
  • What are your childcare experiences?
  • What are your philosophies regarding the upbringing of children?
  • What are your views on child discipline?
  • Why do you want to look after children in their home as opposed to a nursery etc.?
  • Talk about a time where you were involved in an emergency situation, and what you did to resolve it.
  • What do you like most about working with children?
  • When looking after a child in the age group x-y, what kind of activities do you engage?
  • Have you had to cope with temper tantrums in the past, either publicly or privately? How did you handle each situation and what differences were there?
  • Have you helped any children in the past with toilet training?
  • Have there been situations where you have had conflicting views with your employer over the caring of a child?
  • What are your views on television watching? What programs do you feel are suitable for a child aged x-y?