Keep the Standard. Lose the Nonsense.
How a returning nanny made us rethink our recruitment process at Preferred ChildCare
A nanny we had already successfully placed with two families came back to Preferred ChildCare looking for another position.
Wonderful, right?
We knew her and her incredible experience. We had already completed her screening, checked her references, and worked with her through two successful placements.
Yet, when she came back to us, our recruitment process treated her almost exactly like someone we had never met.
She was being asked to complete forms she had already filled out, provide information we already had, and work through steps that made perfect sense for a brand-new candidate but not necessarily for someone we already knew well.
She almost walked away.
Not because our screening standards were too high or because she was unwilling to follow our process.
Because we were making it unnecessarily difficult for her to work with us again.
When she told us how frustrated she was, I realized she had a point.
We had spent years establishing our standards and creating processes to protect the quality of our placements. But somewhere along the way, we had stopped asking whether every step was still necessary.
That experience made us take a closer look at how we were recruiting nannies at Preferred ChildCare.
And it started with a very simple question.
Why are we doing this?
High Standards and Complicated Processes Are Not the Same Thing
I am probably one of the last people who will ever tell a nanny agency owner to lower their screening standards.
We are placing people inside private homes, around children, and into some of the most personal parts of a family's life.
Our screening matters, talking to eferences matter. Our interviews, background checks, and the time we spend getting to know our candidates all matter.
Families trust us to do this work well, and we have a responsibility to take that seriously.
But I think sometimes we confuse having a comprehensive recruitment process with having a complicated one.
We add another form because something happened a few years ago. We add another question because we want to be thorough. We create another step because it made sense at the time.
Eventually, we have a process that nobody has stopped to question.
I have been guilty of this myself!
That returning nanny helped me recognize that our standards and the processes we use to uphold them are not necessarily the same thing.
The standard is what we are trying to accomplish.
The process is how we get there.
As our agencies grow and change, we need to make sure the processes we have built are still helping us accomplish what we intended.
What Happens When Your Nanny Recruitment Process Becomes Too Complicated?
One of the things I hear agency owners talk about constantly is how difficult it has become to recruit qualified nannies.
Candidates start applications and never finish them. They stop responding to messages. They seem interested in a position, and then we never hear from them again.
It is frustrating, especially when you have families waiting for qualified candidates.
Sometimes, we are quick to assume the problem is the candidates.
They are not serious about finding a position. They do not want to complete the paperwork. They are applying to too many agencies.
Sometimes those things may be true.
What if the problem is not always the candidate?
What if we are making it harder than it needs to be for qualified nannies to work with us?
This is not just something we have experienced at Preferred ChildCare.
According to a 2024 SHRM article discussing the Monster Work Watch Report, poor communication was the most frequently cited reason surveyed candidates withdrew from an application process, at 47%. Another 36% said they had withdrawn because of excessive demands during the interview process. These findings are from job seekers across industries, not specifically professional nannies, but I think the underlying issue is worth considering in our industry.
Candidates have expectations about how they should be treated, how their time is valued, and how clearly we communicate with them. If our process is unnecessarily difficult, we may be losing wonderful candidates before we even have an opportunity to get to know them.
We Discovered That Fewer Than 15% of Our Nannies Were Finishing Our Process
As we continued reviewing our recruitment process at Preferred ChildCare, we discovered something that really got my attention.
At one point, fewer than 15% of the nannies who started our application and screening process were actually finishing it.
Fewer than 15%!
Now, I absolutely believe that not every person who begins an application is going to be the right fit for our agency.
And that is okay.
We should be selective about the candidates we represent.
But I also knew we needed to understand why so many people were not making it through the process.
Were we losing candidates because they did not meet our standards? Or were we losing qualified candidates because we were making the application process unnecessarily difficult?
When we started taking a closer look, we found duplicate questions, unnecessary steps, too many handoffs, and places where candidates had no idea what was supposed to happen next.
Our screening standards were not the problem.
We needed to improve the experience surrounding them.
And that meant being willing to question some of the processes we had been using for years.
How to Improve Your Nanny Agency Recruitment Process Without Lowering Your Standards
If you have not reviewed your agency's recruitment process recently, I would encourage you to take some time to walk through it from the candidate's perspective.
Not from the perspective of someone who already understands how your agency operates.
From the perspective of a nanny who is interested in working with you for the very first time.
Here are a few things I would encourage you to consider.
1. Look at what you are asking candidates to complete.
How many forms does someone have to fill out before they can have a conversation with your agency?
Are you asking for the same information more than once?
Are there questions that could wait until later in the screening process?
I am not suggesting that you skip important screening requirements or stop collecting information that helps you make good placement decisions.
But do you really need every piece of information at the very beginning?
At Preferred ChildCare, we started asking whether every question and every form served a specific purpose.
If it did, we kept it.
If it did not, we needed to consider why we were asking for it in the first place.
2. Make sure candidates understand what happens next.
Think about what happens after a nanny submits an application.
Do they receive a confirmation?
Do they know whether someone will be contacting them?
Do they understand what the next steps involve and how long the process may take?
Or are they left wondering whether anyone has even reviewed their information?
We spend so much time creating wonderful client experiences, but our candidates deserve that same attention.
They should know where they stand in the process and what they can expect from us.
And our teams should have clear expectations about who is responsible for communicating with them.
You do not have to have an answer for every candidate immediately. But you can make sure they are not left wondering whether anyone is paying attention.
3. Treat returning candidates like people you already know.
This was a big lesson for us.
If you have successfully placed a nanny before, why would you treat her exactly like someone who has never worked with your agency?
Of course, you need to verify that her information is current and complete any screening that needs to be updated.
Their availability may have changed. Their experience may have changed. You may need updated references, background checks, or additional information depending on the position and your agency's requirements.
But that does not mean you need to start the relationship over from the very beginning.
We should be able to recognize the relationships we have already established while maintaining the screening standards that protect our families and candidates.
A returning nanny should feel like someone your agency is excited to work with again.
Not like a stranger who has to prove they have ever met you!
4. Pay attention to where candidates are dropping off.
If candidates repeatedly stop responding at the same point in your recruitment process, I would encourage you to look at what is happening there.
Are they being asked to complete another lengthy form?
Are they waiting too long to hear from someone?
Is there a step that is confusing or difficult to complete?
Are they receiving the same questions from multiple members of your team?
Sometimes the issue is not the process itself but how we are communicating it.
And sometimes, when we look more closely, we discover that a step we thought was important is creating unnecessary work without improving our screening or placement decisions.
You do not have to guess.
Look at your application data, talk to your recruitment team, and, when appropriate, ask candidates about their experience.
Their feedback may tell you something you would never have noticed from inside your agency.
Your Candidate Experience Is Part of Your Agency's Reputation
I think sometimes we forget that candidates are forming opinions about our agencies long before we ever present them to a family.
They remember whether we responded to their application.
They remember whether we respected their time.
They remember how we treated them when they were not selected for a position.
They certainly remember when we make it unnecessarily difficult for them to work with us!
A wonderful candidate may not be the right fit for the position you are currently trying to fill. But that does not mean she will not be perfect for another family in the future.
The relationship we establish with them today may be one we continue building for years.
At Preferred ChildCare, some of our strongest candidate relationships have developed over multiple placements.
Those relationships are valuable, and I want our recruitment process to support them.
Not make them more difficult than they need to be.
Keep the Standard. Be Willing to Question the Process.
I am grateful that our returning nanny was willing to tell us how frustrated she was.
It was not necessarily what I wanted to hear, but it was something I needed to hear.
It gave us an opportunity to take a closer look at how we were doing things.
As agency owners, I think we need to be willing to have those conversations.
We have worked hard to establish our standards, build our reputations, and create processes that help us deliver exceptional service.
That does not mean every process we created three or five years ago still makes sense for the agency we are running today.
Protect the standards that matter. Be willing to question the things you have simply always done.
And remember that the way we treat our candidates is just as much a reflection of our agency as the experience we provide to our families.
All my best,
Megan
p.s. A Little Homework for Your Agency
Before you move on to the next thing on your to-do list, I want to encourage you to take a few minutes to think about your own processes.
If you are ready to take a closer look at how your agency is doing, I would love for you to complete my Nanny Agency Scorecard.
It is an opportunity to look at your business, recognize what is working well, and identify areas where a few improvements could make a meaningful difference.
