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[quote=Anonymous]1. application to ad
Tons of applicants, weed out obvious mismatches, including people that responded with one liners and/or didn't read the ad.
2. phone screen, and be prepared for the nanny to ask questions to determine if you have all of *her* deal breakers, just like you are doing for her
Weed out any deal breakers, compile a list of questions that you feel would show you each candidate's philosophies and methods without tipping them to what your philosophies and methods are, choose the top 5-15 who match.
3. phone interview, ask for emailed resume, though some have contact info in the resume and so hold onto it until in-person interview
You want to give a scenario and see what they think the ideal response would be.  Then, give them some more information to make it more challenging, and see what they think they might do.  Granted, it's not what they might actually do, but how they would respond can be very telling.  Example: Four kids running in the backyard, they split up. Kid 1 runs towards the playset, kid 2 runs towards the side of the house, kid 3 runs towards the gate to the pool, kid 4 runs towards the garage.  Extra information: pool gate might be open or child can climb, garage door might be open, child is young enough that climbing on the playset without adult to catch for a fall might mean a break, or there's an open gate at the side of the house.  Decent nannies will immediately say that they would run after the kid going towards the pool, but upon receiving more information, what they choose and how they explain can be very telling.
4. in-person interview, expect to be handed reference list if contact info was not in the resume
You want to get an idea of how well they present themselves, but be aware that you are also setting up the dynamic of a working relationship.  If you don't dress in business attire, the nanny may assume that you want someone who will talk about her personal life and be less formal.  On the other hand, if you do wear business attire, the nanny may assume that all personal details are inappropriate, and that the working relationship will remain just that, and you risk getting someone who will view it as simply a job and a paycheck, rather than loving the child(ren).  There has to be a balance, imo, so that there are boundaries and no job creep, but so that the nanny will feel valued and secure loving her charge(s).
Most nannies won't hand out contact info until they meet you in person.  They have a finite number of references, and excessive calls can wear out the goodwill a family had when the nanny moved on.  Overall, most of the information that a family will provide is positive, which is why the nanny is willing to use them as a reference.  Ask for information about her professionalism, punctuality, examples of what she did in her off hours to prepare for their child, etc.  Ime, the most useful are the examples of what the nanny did in her off hours.  A nanny who doesn't do anything for her charge over the weekend is not as interested in the child and her position as a nanny who researched a new activity at the park or a new craft.  Yes, some nannies do all of that research during nap time, but the best nannies are usually the ones who go above and beyond.[/quote]

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