Parents, how many references do you require?

[Anonymous]

I have been having a hard time getting references to call me back. Is it unreasonable to expect 3 solid references? I hate to pass up seemingly great nannies when it may be no fault of their own and this seems to be a common problem. Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Maybe they're away on vacation.

[Anonymous]

I know that my references are not easy people to get in touch with. I typically send them an email to expect reference calls, and I give potential employer 2 numbers and an email address so they can set up a convenient time if necessary (a couple of them have moved to the west coast). It seems to work well. As for how many, few people ask for a specific number, but I give them all of my reference letters and my 3 most recent references.

[Anonymous]

Questions for OP:

1. Did these nannies give you their reference letters?

2. Did you already interview with these nannies?

[Anonymous]

I required three. I did not mind if one was a character reference.

[Anonymous]

I required three. I did not mind if one was a character reference

This is what we require.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it pays not to be so close minded. If you found someone who was with one family for three years and with another family for seven years, she'll get snapped up by a smarter MB. Your loss.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it pays not to be so close minded. If you found someone who was with one family for three years and with another family for seven years, she'll get snapped up by a smarter MB. Your loss.

[Anonymous]

Three, but I allow one to be a personal reference. Often the nanny can't use her current employer as a reference, so the two previous jobs before that plus a personal reference work for me. One nanny we interviewed had a gap in her resume which we pushed on and she then provided the reference. . .and it was awful. Glad we probed.

[Anonymous]

I would love to have three, but it depends a bit on how much experience the candidate has. We interviewed one woman who had been with one family for 13 years - obviously she wasn't going to have 3 references. So someone whose references account for a significant portion of their work history, even if they can only provide one or two, might be great.

I would never hire someone without being able to speak to at least one significant reference, and even then I think I'd want two. It's just too risky otherwise. I would be willing to take a character reference in lieu of a formal employer reference for one of 3, or MAYBE one of 2 references, but I'd need everything else about the candidate to be truly stellar.

[Anonymous]

I require contact information for all recent full time employers, in addition to whatever character and babysitting references the candidate chooses to provide. I would never hire someone without first speaking with at least two prior long-term employers.

The fact that your candidate's references are not returning calls within three days or so would be a red flag for me. I've found that if a nanny is worth hiring, her former employers think highly of her and will go out of their way to return calls and emails in order to help her find the right new position.

[Anonymous]

If a family is not returning your phone call...say within at least 3 days, then they probably have nothing good to say and that is never a good thing.

If a family truly loves a nanny and wants to help her secure a new job, they would want to talk to a prospective new family and say great things about her to them.