Good on paper Vs. Gut instinct?
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Anonymous
| We are interviewing night nannies for our newborn to be born in a few months. There is one candidate we both really clicked with and loved, but she has the least newborn experience of everyone we spoke with. What would you prioritize? Personality fit or experience? I should say that she has worked with newborns, but only a handful vs others who have NCS certification and experiences with dozens of different newborns. |
Anonymous
| Unless you have a special needs infant, go with the personality fit. |
Anonymous
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Personality. I paid for working interviews for four people. Three were perfect on paper and one had zero nanny experience.
One of the perfects wanted us to follow HER lead and got huffy when we wanted to do things differently. One was not happy with her main contact being DH rather than me. One was just ... weird, I can't put my finger on it. We went with the one who had no experience. Over three years in still going strong. |
Anonymous
| Absolutely go with personality. A normal newborn is not as frail and fragile as you think - and I assume you want the same nanny for the duration, right? Go with the person who you are going to feel most comfortable with in your home. |
Anonymous
Oh, wait - this is for a night nanny position? Short term? Definitely go with the one with the most experience and certification. |
Anonymous
| Yes, it's short term. |
Anonymous
Definitely go with the nanny with the most experience and the most night experience - no question. |
Anonymous
+1 You are not even going to see that much of her - who cares about her personality?! Go with the nanny with the most experience and best training. |
Anonymous
We will see her a bit at first since we both want to work alongside someone who knows more about how to soothe/bathe/etc. babies, so personality matters to some extent. I just really liked her vibe and her references gushed about her, but I guess we should go for experience as the number one priority. |
Anonymous
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It's all chemistry here baby!
No matter how qualified someone is, how much education and experience they may have under their belt...IF they do not have a personality that will mesh well with me and my child, then there is no way a successful nanny/parent/child relationship will work. I have met many people, no names...Who have taken many Child Development courses and have ECE units, etc., yet I would never leave them with my child in a million yrs. |
nannydebsays
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OP, is this your first baby? If so, I would consider why you want to hire a night nanny/NCS. Do you want someone who can help you through the transitions to parenthood, by teaching you how to care for baby, and being a guide? Or do you simply want someone to take over the night shift so you can sleep?
If you want experience and expertise, check references carefully and hire the best (able and willing to "teach" parenting hacks and newborn care, able to explain "Why?" she does XYZ...) teacher of the candidates regardless of personality click. If you want night time relief only, check references carefully and hire whoever you will be happiest to see each night. And the candidate you prefer might just be the best choice! If she is someone you are willing to learn from, and her references state she is a terrific newborn care educator, go with her. |