Interview Questions for Babysitters
We believe in helping everyone find the best care, while also championing the incredible caregiving professionals that do this difficult but necessary work. Sitter.com team consists of homeowners, moms, dads, grandparents, daughters, and sons so we get it. We know how important it is to find impeccable care for your loved ones quickly and safely. We also appreciate the need for our caregivers to find work in a dignified and efficient manner.
After interviewing many babysitters and many babysitters later, we've learned what questions should be asked when you're interviewing babysitters. We recommend you order your questions chronologically, beginning with the candidate’s work history, and when you’re interviewing for a nanny position, you want to question the applicant specifically about their experience with children. It’s also a good idea to ask for references and request a background check. Here are some relevant questions to ask:
- Where did you previously work?
- How long were you at your previous job? Why are you leaving?
- What is your experience working with children, particularly those who were the same age as mine?
- What do you love about working with children? And what do you find challenging?
- What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
- What kind of housework are you comfortable doing?
- Did your previous job require any housework?
- Tell me about the relationships you've had with the people you've worked with in the past.
- What past accomplishment would you consider your most significant career accomplishment to date?
- If I were to poll everyone you've worked with, what percentage would not be a fan of yours?
- You are at the park with a child and they fall, hit their head and are unresponsive. What do you do?
- What would you do if you were feeding the kids lunch and they broke out in hives (having no known existing allergies)?
- If a child started choking, what would you do?
- What are the signs that a child may be sick? What would you do if a child had a high fever?
- Do you have any questions for us?
Today's Parent recommends once you’ve concluded the first round of interviews and are able to narrow down the list of candidates to the top two or three, the next step from there is to arrange a kind of trial run, during which you invite the top candidates to spend a few hours or a day watching your children, during which time you can see them in action.
