kind of
person you would like to hire, if they came through an agency, and if so, which
one. When you get a couple of names of agents or agencies, call and spend some
time talking to the agent about what they can do for you, how they work, and
the ways that they are most successful in placing nannies in jobs that end up
being long term and/or very happy for all parties involved.
Ask, what are some
of the mistakes parents and nannies make in this process. Ask them how you can
avoid making those mistakes.
Ask the agents for references
(other parents) that you can talk to in order to get advice on how to go about
hiring someone from their particular agency.
Keep in mind that the nanny
agencies who give you parent references will give you good ones – not unhappy
customers -- but still talk to the women and listen to their stories. Make at
least a half hour of time to sit down and talk to the women about their
experiences with the agencies.
There are certain places online
that you can post ads and have nanny candidate’s e-mail or phone you.
Craigslist.org is one such place. AOL and
YAHOO have city pages where you place or read classified ads. Most newspapers
have online employment ads. Careerbuilder.com is another one.
1. Never list your address in any ad – not even on bulletin
board ads. As well meaning and honest as you are, not everyone else is. There
are creeps and weird-os out there that will find out you have children, where
they live, and in worst-case scenarios, they stalk and bother you and your
family.
2. You may not discriminate by age or sex in your ad. You
cannot say you want someone over a certain age or under a certain age. You
cannot say you want a particular gender of person to employ. You may hire
whomever you please – you just can’t discriminate.
3. Do not say that you are a single mother. Again, there are
weird-os who will call and leave obscene messages if they think that you are a
defenseless woman.
