California Nanny Attire

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im here to ask if California nannies dress like they would for an office job when they interview or if it is the norm to dress super casual. I just moved here so I am not used to the whole beach culture thing. I know I looked good. If it was for a corporate job I know it would have been fine. But it appeared there was a certain "look" all the nannies had. I thought you are supposed to dress to impress. But I can see how looking corporate could lead the mom to think you aren''t "fun" or "playful".

So....NO I am not asking if you think I looked pretty. How would you even know that without a picture?

And she didn't make a choice so why would I say people choose blondes specifically.

Dramatic much?

You sound like the drama queen, OP. You say you know you looked good. The other candidates clearly thought they also looked good. What advice is needed?

Wow okay then never mind. I WASNT ASKING IF I LOOKED GOOD.

I was asking if it was appropriate interview wear. I followed care.coms FAQ
(which I wil paste below) but I felt over dressed. And I am trying to find out if LA Nannies and employers are more casual.

NEVERMIND.

CARE.com info
"No matter what you are interviewing for, you want to look as professional as possible. If you have a suit, wear the suit. If you don't have a suit, wear business casual clothes, like ironed pants and a blouse,"

Congratulations! You're making yourself come across as an even bigger drama queen. Using all caps to yell and scream "nevermind?"
Yes, you were over dressed. There. Done. Easy.

[Anonymous]

See the "Nanny Attire" thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See the "Nanny Attire" thread.

Not relevant. The OP was asking about interview attire, not workday wear. Stop trying to dredge up posts from years ago.

[Anonymous]

I live in SoCal and we just are laid back by nature, esp. the way we dress.

OP, do you live on the West or East Coast?

Anyway, on my nanny interviews I go dressed very casual. I do not go dressed to the nines or even to the fives.

I usually wear a pair of shorts, a loose fitting blouse or shirt, a pair of tennis shoes or sandals and no jewelry and light make-up.

I want to convey the image that I am not one who really cares too much about mussing myself up, that I am a fun and care free type of girl. I like to get down on the floor and play and if we go to the park, I have no qualms about sliding down the slide or running around on the grass. My clothing does not restrict my movement at all and if the child should spill something on me, no problem!!

If I arrived dressed in nice slacks, a pressed blouse and nice shiny shoes, I don't think a family would have that impression of me.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

PP I am on the Palos Verdes Penninsula and I also applied in the manhattan beach areas.

The one interview I was worried about, where I looked very different from everyone else, was with a "hollywood" family in manhattan beach. I ended up not getting an offer.

On the other end. I did get another offer from a more corporate family which I accepted. I think I will dress down more if I ever do more interviews.

Thanks for your help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in SoCal and we just are laid back by nature, esp. the way we dress.

OP, do you live on the West or East Coast?

Anyway, on my nanny interviews I go dressed very casual. I do not go dressed to the nines or even to the fives.

I usually wear a pair of shorts, a loose fitting blouse or shirt, a pair of tennis shoes or sandals and no jewelry and light make-up.

I want to convey the image that I am not one who really cares too much about mussing myself up, that I am a fun and care free type of girl. I like to get down on the floor and play and if we go to the park, I have no qualms about sliding down the slide or running around on the grass. My clothing does not restrict my movement at all and if the child should spill something on me, no problem!!

If I arrived dressed in nice slacks, a pressed blouse and nice shiny shoes, I don't think a family would have that impression of me.

Are you twenty-something?

[Anonymous]

I think this is a tough one for nannies.

I'm a MB, and I know that people dress up more for interviews, but I also worry a little when I see a lot of "fussy" dressing (lots of dangly jewelry or scarves, shoes that won't stay on your feet if you have to move around a lot, very corporate-looking suits, or dresses, particularly with short skirts). I want to know that you know what a nanny job entails, and that you can dress for it. I know you're not going to be happy trekking to the park in kitten heels, but how do I know if you know? And, personally, I would be fine with someone showing up in their nanny clothes, but I'm laid back about that kind of thing.

Now, if the initial interview is somewhere other than the NF's house, and there will be no opportunity to interact with the children, then I think it's more reasonable to dress more formally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a tough one for nannies.

I'm a MB, and I know that people dress up more for interviews, but I also worry a little when I see a lot of "fussy" dressing (lots of dangly jewelry or scarves, shoes that won't stay on your feet if you have to move around a lot, very corporate-looking suits, or dresses, particularly with short skirts). I want to know that you know what a nanny job entails, and that you can dress for it. I know you're not going to be happy trekking to the park in kitten heels, but how do I know if you know? And, personally, I would be fine with someone showing up in their nanny clothes, but I'm laid back about that kind of thing.

Now, if the initial interview is somewhere other than the NF's house, and there will be no opportunity to interact with the children, then I think it's more reasonable to dress more formally.

Interesting thanks for the feedback

I never met the children but it was in a beach city so it makes sense that they were more laid back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in SF and have a nanny. You sound like you were way overdressed to go on a hike through Golden Gate Park and have my muddy-handed 3 yr old touching your pants.

This. Maybe it's different in the bay area, but casual is the way to go around here. You are dealing with kids, either infants, toddlers/preschoolers or picking up grade school children from school. People dress up for work or a night out but even the rich moms are wandering around the city in yoga pants, looking like they can go off for a run at a moments notice. We dress for what the job attire will be like, dresses are usually NOT something worn as it's harder to play basketball in one or a skirt while keeping everything covered nicely. Maybe slightly more dressy for interview, nice jeans instead of worn in ones etc. Most moms are happy to see me show up in running shoes (that look nice not dirty) so they can see I will do great running around with the kids (even during the interview) and won't get all messy.

[Anonymous]

I'm a California nanny and for the interview you always want to look nice (professional) but once you get the job, it doesn't matter what you wear. Most moms out here don't really care what the nanny wears anyways. Levi, yoga pants, sneakers, it's all good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a California nanny and for the interview you always want to look nice (professional) but once you get the job, it doesn't matter what you wear. Most moms out here don't really care what the nanny wears anyways. Levi, yoga pants, sneakers, it's all good!

Op here
Thanks!

I got hired by one of the families I interviewed with when I was dressed like I described. They are a corporate family so I think they liked that I dressed up for them. Since I got the job I wear comfy jeans that don't slip down t shirts with cardigans and occasionally a blouse. And toms. Tom's are my new addiction. My charge is a super sweet 7 year old and he is really into board games so we aren't doing too much running around getting dirty.

[Anonymous]

Socal MB here. What you wore is just fine but I would lose the blazer. We're informal here but I would like that you didn't look like those other nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in SoCal and we just are laid back by nature, esp. the way we dress.

OP, do you live on the West or East Coast?

Anyway, on my nanny interviews I go dressed very casual. I do not go dressed to the nines or even to the fives.

I usually wear a pair of shorts, a loose fitting blouse or shirt, a pair of tennis shoes or sandals and no jewelry and light make-up.

I want to convey the image that I am not one who really cares too much about mussing myself up, that I am a fun and care free type of girl. I like to get down on the floor and play and if we go to the park, I have no qualms about sliding down the slide or running around on the grass. My clothing does not restrict my movement at all and if the child should spill something on me, no problem!!

If I arrived dressed in nice slacks, a pressed blouse and nice shiny shoes, I don't think a family would have that impression of me.

LA mom here. You should not wear shorts to an interview. Jeans and tennis shoes/sandals with a shirt (no printed t-shirt) would be fine.

[Anonymous]

CA nannies? Bhaha, this is such a stereotype.
I moved here from CA, and on my interview with whom I am employed for, it was 2 summers ago, BURNING HOT, I woke black jeans, flats and a top with a blazer, hair down (which i regret) and a necklace.

It's important to look professional, but no that is not what CA nannies wear, it depends on the person and what they want to portray.

I think it's great that you picked that outfit, and were prompt etc.
Depending on the mom...if she likes that then she will stick you out from the rest