5 Ways to Lose a Nanny Job Before You Start

Interviewing for your perfect nanny job can be an exciting opportunity to showcase your skills and make a positive first impression. Unfortunately, many nannies unknowingly sabotage their chances of securing the position by making critical errors during the interview process. Whether it’s exaggerating their experience or appearing completely inflexible, there are several pitfalls that can quickly lead to losing a nanny job before it even begins.

1. Mistake Your Position. In the nanny and family relationship, the parents are the employers, and the nanny is the employee, yet nannies can often be found to position themselves like independent contractors or business owners by stating what they will and won’t do and by presenting their set hourly rate of pay as a requirement to the family. While of course nannies are welcome to accept or reject any job offers – and even counteroffer any they wish to pursue- it’s the parents – the employers – who establish the job duties and the rate of pay they are offering and the nanny who decides how they will respond to what is offered.

2. Draw a Line in the Sand. Parents are seeking someone to bring into their home and join them in caring for their children. More often than not, childrearing becomes a team effort. While nannies certainly have a role, duties, and responsibilities in every job and taking steps to avoid job creep is wise, heading out of the gate with a list of things you will and won’t do because they aren’t your job can send the message you have no flexibility and aren’t a team player.

3. Bait and Switch. It’s not uncommon for a nanny to see a job and apply, hoping that once the family meets her, they’ll increase their budget, meet her demands, or change something else about the position they are hiring for. Doing so leaves a bad taste in a family’s mouth because it sends the message that the nanny may not be forthcoming or keep her word when it really counts.

4. Overshare. No parent wants to leave an interview wondering what the nanny will say about them after hearing negative talk about past employers. And when a parent asks how a nanny spends her free time, she really doesn’t want to know every detail. Sharing strong opinions about politics or religion during an interview can also be a turn off and unintended offensive comments can be hard to come back from.

5. Misrepresent Yourself. Chances are before scheduling an interview the family has done an Internet search on you. They’ve likely seen your photos, viewed your comments, and read every news article you’ve ever been mentioned in. They’ve also reviewed all the information you’ve provided and maybe even called a reference or two. You can expect that during the interview they’ll compare what they have learned about you to how you present yourself. If these things don’t match up, it may be a red flag.

Interviews are make-or-break moments where first impressions truly count. Avoid sabotaging your chances of landing your perfect job by avoiding these common errors.

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