Nanny&Me

SCREENING APPLICATIONS:

The first step of the interviewing process is to decide WHO to interview. We received over 110 applications in the first 24 hours of posting the job so there was a big task at hand! I would say of the 110 applicants, there were 20 viable and complete applications (by complete application, I mean someone who has submitted a resume, a personalized cover letter, and any supporting documents that they deem suitable...photos, references etc.). We did receive a LOT of applications with insufficient resumes and cover letters. At first 110 applicants may seem like an overwhelming number and a daunting task, but here's how we looked at it...the more applicants the better because it provides a bigger pool of individuals to choose from, and it becomes clear very quickly which candidates are qualified and worth pursuing, so don't be intimated because so long as you develop an organized system (don't worry, I'll provide you with one) you'll get through it.

I personally feel that it is best practice (and in good taste) to respond to every single applicant. I developed some verbiage that I would use to reply to each candidate and by cutting and pasting it, it doesn't take too long to get back to everyone. Once I had decided who would be interviewed (we'll get to how I got there in a minute) I sent out an email to the rest of the applicants that went something like this: "Thank you for your application for our nanny position. Due to the overwhelming number of strong applicants, we are unfortunately unable to offer you an interview at this time. Should we proceed with interviews and find ourselves unable to secure a nanny, we will revisit your application and you may be contacted for an interview. Best of luck." (Of course feel free to copy and paste my response).

So how did we screen applications? I developed a basic checklist of what was required to obtain an interview and then provided "wildcard" spots to people whom didn't meet the requirements but my gut was saying that they would be a great fit (example: someone who has a disorganized and incomplete resume, no formal cover letter, but writes me a nice email that resonates with me). Our checklist went something like this:

• Complete resume (Name, education, job experience, skill set)
• Identify minimum 3 of the 5 traits we're looking for (either directly or indirectly in cover letter or resume) which are: playfulness, hardworking, creative, patient, caring. 
• Have formal childcare training or live-in caregiver course
• Have experience working for multiple families (demonstrating that they have experience adapting to different families and environments, and have stuck with nannying as a profession) 
• Cover letter
• Minimum 1/2 page in length
• Personal in nature (must tell me something about themselves, why they want the job etc.)