Landing your dream nanny job doesn’t end when the interview wraps up. What you do in the hours and days afterward can be just as important as the conversation itself.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what to do after the interview, including following up with the parents, sending along references, communication tips, what to do once you receive an offer, and how to negotiate with confidence.
Pro Tip: Nannies, don’t be nervous to negotiate the offer. Many parents have never hired a nanny before and don’t know what the industry standards are. Help educate the parents about what nannies expect.
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Follow-Up
After the in-person interview, we recommend emailing the family to thank them for their time.
You can let them know how much you enjoyed meeting them, and how you could really envision yourself becoming a part of their family’s team, or maybe how well you felt you connected with them.
We recommend sending this follow-up email several hours after your interview on the same day.
References
In that follow-up email, make sure to add something along the lines of, “Please let me know if you think of any additional questions you’d like to ask”, or “If you’d like to get in touch with my references, I have those ready to send along if you would like them”.
Communication
The family will likely follow up to your follow-up message to either request your references or to let you know what their timeline is for making a decision.
If they do let you know what their timeline is, make sure to thank them for letting you know.
It’s absolutely okay to let them know that you do have other interviews planned, and if you have a timeline of your own, make sure to communicate that to them.
Even if you don’t, it’s a smart negotiation tactic just so you’re not left wondering what’s happening, and where they are at with things.
Let them know if you have a specific date in mind that you will be making a decision about your next position.
Receiving the Offer
Hopefully, after all of this, you receive the job offer for the position that you are most interested in. If so, congratulations!
Remember that any job offer you receive is likely not written in stone.
If you receive a job offer that is not quite what you were looking for, it’s okay to negotiate.
Negotiation Tips
If you’ve received multiple job offers, but the family of your choice offer isn’t quite on the same level as some of those other offers, make sure you communicate to your top choice family that you would like to make things work with them.
One negotiation tip is to share with your top family that they are your top choice, and that you are thrilled to have received a job offer with their family.
From there you can communicate to them that you have received multiple offers, and if they are able to either come closer to or match your top offer, you would be thrilled to accept the position with their family right away.
Remember, if you are asking for something more than their original offer, it’s important to reiterate to them what you bring to the table.
As an example, one nanny was able to negotiate her job offer to include a relocation assistance package that was double the original offer, paid up front, and without providing receipts.
The nanny communicated to the family that this would allow her to expedite her move timeline, which was beneficial to them, because they needed an earlier start date, and it also helped her to avoid the cost of having her unreliable vehicle shipped, and instead sell that and invest in a new safer and more reliable vehicle when she arrived in the area.
When you’re negotiating with a family, remember that it does carry some risks with it, it’s always possible that the family could lose interest in you as their candidate.
Make sure to let them know when sending that counteroffer back that you would like to find a way to make things work with them.
We hope you found these tips helpful, and we wish you the best of luck as you land your dream nanny job.