THE ANXIOUS PARENTS GUIDE TO QUALITY CHILDCARE
by Michelle Ehrich

Chapter 6: Screening and Interviewing

You are now at a turning point. Until now, we have focused 
on developing the means to conduct an effective search for 
quality childcare and our efforts have been fairly 
self-contained. This chapter will offer you advice on 
screening and interviewing a pool of applicants...

SCREENING INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES (and DEALING WITH COMPETITION 
IN THE MARKETPLACE)

When I first began to screen and interview live-in nanny 
candidates by telephone, I spent the bulk of the initial 
interview (immediately after the screening) discussing 
Candidate Qualifications and Job Requirements in a very 
factual and businesslike (yet not unfriendly) manner. 
In two early instances, once when I called back a candidate 
for the second interview and once when I spoke to the agency 
for feedback, I learned that the candidates had since made 
plans to visit another family (i.e. the face-to-face interview) 
because they "just hit it off right away with the mother/family 
(i.e. employer)". Then it dawned on me: even though I thought 
that our position and children were the best in the world, 
there was a lot of competition out there! Read that sentence 
again to make sure you remember it!

This was an important lesson to be learned. I modified my 
interview methods, adopting a more conversational approach 
to form a personal connection with the candidate. I began to 
spend more time initially talking about the personalities of 
our children, our priorities in life, our perspectives on 
childcare and our community etc., then gradually shifting 
focus to learning more about the candidate’s qualifications. 
It took a bit more time up front, but this enabled me to form 
a personal connection by selling the candidates on "us" - our 
family, our children, our job and our town - before I took the 
time to learn more about their qualifications and assess if I 
was interested in them. While the success of your efforts in 
"selling the job" to a strong candidate may not be immediately 
evident, your failure in this regard can be readily so. 

Chapter 7: How To REALLY Check References

If you have gotten to the point where you like a candidate 
or center enough to arrange for an personal face-to-face 
interview, take the time to check references first. Do so 
for any childcare arrangement you might be considering,
( in or out of home), even if the candidate came very highly 
recommended from a close friend or relative, and even if you 
are 100 percent certain that this is the right candidate for 
your position. Think of the rush you feel when experiencing 
love at first sight and the letdown that occurs once you see 
your beloved in the light of day. References complement the 
interview process by serving as a vital reality check. Keep 
in mind that checking references is about as much fun as 
interviewing, so you may find it necessary to remind yourself 
that you have a very important and worthy goal: finding the 
very best caregiver and arrangement for your child....

Human nature is such that people shy away from saying bad 
things about others, especially to strangers who call from 
out of the blue. When calling a reference, keep this in mind 
and be gracious as you introduce yourself and explain the 
purpose of your call.....The manner in which you pose your 
reference questions should be informal and friendly rather 
than adversarial. Be well prepared so that the conversation 
is productive and you don't waste anyone's time.
 

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