Adventure Nannies Blog

3 Ways That Excellent Nannies Have Screwed Up Their Trials

 

 

 

 

All right nannies: you’ve sailed through the screening process with flying colors, you’ve wowed placement managers and parents alike, and now you’re headed to your trial. The trial is often held over the course of a weekend and is a time for nannies and families to see how they work together as a team.

Once the family has welcomed you into their home for the trial, they’ve invested many hours in their search for nannies and at this point, the position is yours to win. Still, the trial is definitely the make or break part of the hiring process, and through the hundreds and hundreds of nannies that we’ve screened, we have seen a few exceptionally talented candidates completely drop the ball during the trial, and we want to help others avoid the same fate. Here’s what NOT to do when you’ve landed a trial with the nanny family of your dreams.

 

 

1. Sharing Your Shortcomings On Day One

You might be so excited to meet the nanny family and nanny kids in person that you forget to establish some professional boundaries. When you’re in the position of trying to make the best impression, sometimes it’s tempting to catch a case of word salad and let your internal dialogue become a little too public. Some folks allow their nervous energy to result in being too open, too blunt, and too honest about their private lives, professional lives, and everything in between. Keep in mind that the trial period is essentially one long, drawn-out first impression so if you’re treating the prospective hiring parents as your own personal confessional, telling them everything you disliked about your previous nanny family, all the things about your boyfriend that get on your nerves, and how you voted in the recent election, you will likely find yourself without a job offer. Be professional, respectful, and focus on asking clarifying questions and listening rather than dominating the conversation.

 

 

2. Calling Out Everything You’d Change

If you are an exceedingly experienced childcare professional, it might be difficult for you to enter a new home during a trial period and not mention everything you feel the family may be doing wrong. You may be surrounded by different parenting styles right off the bat, and while you should eventually be comfortable discussing varying differences in behavior guidance, scheduling, etc., the first few moments you enter the home as a guest and potential employee is not an appropriate time to come at the parents with a huge list of things you’d do differently. You should be observing, asking questions, playing with the kids, and generally trying to gauge the potential for a great match. When you approach a potential employer with so many differences of opinion on day one, your feedback often falls on defensive ears because you’ve yet to earn their trust – from their perspective, this stranger who sounded great on paper is now in their home throwing down a whole new world order. Take the time during the trial to get to know the family without asserting your experience in a way that is alienating, be willing to offer your opinion when asked, but unless a child is in danger, avoid calling the parents out if you want a callback.

 

 

3. Failing To Read Social Cues

Most important to any situation involving you and another human is acknowledging and reacting appropriately to the social cues. Are you being open, are you listening, observing? Are you aware of the raising of an eyebrow after you share something, do you notice furtive glances shared between the parents while you’re in the room? These quick and quiet cues are the key to understanding how others are interpreting you and your words and actions. Intention matters, but when it comes to landing your dream job, the impact is much more relevant than intention. You may have the best intentions at heart when you go to change the baby’s diaper on the first day, but if a parent gives you ‘a look’ it’s your job to recognize that and change your course. Ask a question, clarify how they’d prefer you do something, but whatever you do – don’t ignore social cues. Don’t assume you know it all, even if you’ve got decades of experience! If you aren’t reacting to subtle feedback, parents are less likely to comfortable offering you more critical feedback, and you will struggle to exceed their expectations.

Do you have any personal experiences from doing family trials that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear about it, reach out to us here!

Are you ready to find your ideal nanny for your family? Reach out to us here!

 

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