Upon completion of an initial telephone, Skype or Facetime interview, successful candidates are likely to be invited for further interviewing face-to-face!
Here we’ve pulled together our best tips for putting your best foot forward at interview, and giving yourself the very best chance at bagging your dream job. You’ve already done the preparation, thought about how to present yourself and polished your CV to perfection, so there’s nothing left now but to get on with the show!
Our Top Five Tips..
1 - Arrive on Time:
Bear in mind that if you’re attending an interview at the employers’ home, there may not be a waiting area for you, so arriving too early could be an inconvenience to them. There may, however, be security to get through, so do make sure you’re arriving ahead of the interview time. You should have emergency contact details for the client; if there is any chance that you might be late let them know ASAP – and if you can’t raise the client then do let the agency know. (Please note that any contact details are for emergency use only – do not use this information to follow up with a client unless they contact you first!).
If the interview is in a hotel, go to the Concierge and they should be able to point the client out. If the client is still interviewing, discreetly catch their eye and let them know that you will be waiting a polite distance away. Similarly if you have the clients number you could send a brief text message instead, letting them know you are there and will wait until ready to be seen.
2 - Greetings:
Stand tall, keep your shoulders back, SMILE, and offer a firm handshake whilst making eye contact with your interviewer. Be prepared for a bit of small talk before moving swiftly onto the interview questions, so be led by your interviewer on this. You may be greeted at the door by a member of house staff, or shown in by someone else who works for your potential employers: therefore, remember that they are probably ‘interviewing’ you too, so be polite, professional and positive with everyone you meet.
3 – Listen and Take Your Time:
A common bugbear among interviewers is a candidate who interrupts. Nerves can often be to blame for an over-eagerness to answer a question, but it can come across as clumsy or rude. Know that it is ok to ask for some thinking time if you need it: far better to give a full and well-thought-out response than to rush into an answer for fear of silence.
4 – Positive Attitude:
You will inevitably be asked why you are leaving your current job. Remember that the nanny industry is quite small with many clients and nannies known to each other; so be careful when interviewed and NEVER speak negatively of any current or previous employers to a prospective client (or another nanny/member of household staff!). Offer only positive, forward-looking reasons - think about what this new role offers you. Likewise, resist the urge to bring up your own shortcomings or weaknesses. Everybody wants to see you in the best light today.
5 – Enquire:
It’s also likely that you will be asked whether you have any questions about the role and you should naturally have things you’d like to know. Having no questions at this stage can make you look disinterested; this juncture is an opportunity to work out whether this job might be a good fit for YOU.
Don’t be afraid to ask more about the children, the location and some of the responsibilities of the role but please do avoid/refrain from a discussion of salary and benefits at this stage. This will inevitably look bad if your first (or only) question is one of remuneration – so please do leave this subject to us, as this our domain! If pressed, then do cite your current role.
With clients busy, both professionally and personally; don’t be offended if you are only interviewed for a short amount of time. Some nanny interviews can be as little as 10 minutes long, with others lasting over an hour. The most important thing to remember is that however long the interviewed lasted, if you have given the best account of yourself that you possibly can, that is what will get you through to second interview/trial!
Next up: How to ace your trial period. Like this article? Don’t forget to share it with your fellow nannies!