1. Information required in details – Ask for information as much as possible since your first contact with them either through telephones or emails. Essential information should cover their work experience, family background, previous occupation before a babysitter/nanny and reasons why they like babysitting or nannying.
Other important detail includes information from their former employers regards to reason of job leaving from previous family. If possible, ask for the telephone numbers of their ex-employers for future contact to verify their background.

2. Check backgrounds – If previous employers cannot be contacted, citing that telephone number is not available or re-location of address, a police check may be required. This police’s database contains personnel information in details particular individual crime records including properties stealing.

3. Interview in person – After collecting enough information, the next important step is to arrange an interview appointment with potential candidates. It is suggested that the participants in the interview should include your husband/wife, your children and yourself. This is to observe whether the babysitter/nanny can get along with your family members. Not only babysitting involves relations between the child and the babysitters, but also relationship with family members should take into account. During an interview, you would be able to notice personality and communication capability of the babysitter/nannies from the way they responded to your questions (Some candidates could not answer the questions direct to the points even though speak the same language as yours). You may take the interview opportunity to observe whether this candidate is likely to be able to look after your kids and even prove their work experience as they cited by asking them to demonstrate how to hold your baby (in case of infants) or observe the way the candidate talk with your kids (in case of children). Be aware that the test should not take too long for an hour, so that the candidate felt disadvantageous since the beginning of the job.

4. Keep them informed about their responsibility, working hours, payment and provided welfares. Do not forget that babysitters or nannies are similar to other working people that they require appropriate earnings and good remunerations. Therefore, they have the rights to acknowledge information covering job responsibility, working hours, holidays, over time payment and other welfare benefits such as annual bonus or medical compensation. It is to create a good feeling to them in order to be ready for starting the job.
If this information is not clearly informed the babysitters/nannies at the beginning, it might be a trouble later when they already started working. You may think that they should already know about these offers, but actually they might not know this information yet. Particularly those babysitters/nannies who gained several years of working experience in childcare, they might have been given different information according to different duties in each family.
Therefore, provide clear information to them can avoid misunderstanding each other in the future.

5. Trust your feelings – If you feel uncomfortable to keep conversation with the candidate during an interview, it is possible that this babysitter/ nanny is unlikely your type to get along with. Trust your feeling, not to choose her.
Instead you would rather select the one you feel comfortable to talk with as you must stay in touch with that babysitter/nanny for a long period of time to look after your kids. First impression is very important.

6. Advantage and disadvantage to hire babysitter/nannies who already had children - There are some advantages for selecting a babysitter/nanny who have their own kids. They have gained direct childcare experience (if they look after by themselves) and they also acquire a common sense of motherhood which would rather create better understanding your feeling than those who have none of children. On the other hand, the babysitter/nannies who already had kids, may often take leave when their kids are sick or have none to look after at home.
Therefore, information should be questioned in details regards to who look after her children in normal time and whether someone takes care of them in case of sickness. You must be aware of this emergency case in order to prepare some solutions beforehand.

7. Select at least three babysitters/nannies – after conducting interviews, you may agree with you husband/wife to choose the most perfect babysitter/nanny, but also suggest to select the other two spared in your final list. In the case of the most prefect candidate could not work for you or already agreed to work with other families, you would be able to choose the first or second runner ups alternatively.