Blog

What's in your Nanny Resource Box?

With new years resolutions the topic of conversation in January, what better time to get your Resource Box organised or set up?

5 ways to calm your nerves before your job interview

Preparing for your job interview can be as simple as having a good understanding of the family you are wanting to work for.

7 reasons WHY you should Nanny through an Agency

While operating as a ‘solo’ Nanny may seem an attractive idea, it can also be challenging- Here are 7 reasons to work through an agency.

What do we typically learn at a Placement Solutions Professional Development Day for nannies?

Continuous learning is so important to career nannies and this session looked at the importance of play or, more specifically, the importance of unstructured play.

Know the company that you are looking to work for…

You have secured an interview with Placement Solutions and you feel excited about the prospects of working for the agency as a Nanny or Household Manager. But a wave of dread comes across you, what do you really know about us? How do we differ from other agencies? What can we offer you? Are we the right fit for you? So many questions fill your mind…

Let’s talk Ethics…Soft Skills as important factor in your application

Working in childcare means working in an industry that is loaded with ethical and moral questions, values and opinions; even more so when it is in-home childcare. It can be quite easy to oversee what lies right in front of you. That’s why we as recruiters try to point out the important facts right from the beginning. And besides a screening of your ‘hard’ skills, such as knowledge of child development, skills in settling, nappy changes and activity planning, this also involves an assessment of your ‘soft’ skills such as communication skills and, you guessed it, ethical values and positions.

Interview styles - One approach doesn’t fit all

With the Nanny Pilot being in full flow the recruitment department faces lots of first times and novelties. We do have interviews in recruitment offices in small towns, interviews in family’s homes, interviews with children and dogs around; we have skype interviews and inductions and we can see nannies interacting with children.

Those different situations make it easy to see advantages and disadvantages of each and we thought it a great time to compare different interview styles.

Between invitation call and interview – Communicate, communicate, communicate

One thing that recruiters are continually asked is, what makes a good candidate. The answer to this would seem simple, one that has good experience, good qualifications and presents well. Whilst this is all true, there is also some other influencing factors that a candidate might not think about. It’s that time between having a phone interview and attending the interview that people sometimes forget about.

Is your Social Media Job-Ready?

This is even more important when working in Nannying and Household Management where trust, role modelling and confidentiality are of the utmost importance. 

Don’t search for words at an interview – Follow (the) STAR

Working as a recruitment consultant myself I can tell you that we love behavioural interview questions. And we also know that they put applicants in a somewhat difficult situation. I recently read an article on a great method to deal with behavioural interviews and think it is a great tool for all of us to have.

New Year - New CV

New Year’s resolutions are not for everyone.  Nevertheless, the beginning of a new year is a great time to look back at where you have come from and, more importantly, to take a good look at where you are heading.

If one of your to-do list items for 2023 is a new job (maybe as one of our amazing nannies or Household Managers , a career change or finishing studies to start your dream career, refreshing your CV is a great first step.  The first impression any new employer will have is your resumé and of course you want your first impression to be a good one.

How to entertain the kids (cheaply) during the winter school holidays: top twelve tips from the nannies

The nannies and housekeepers (in-home childcarers) at Placement Solutions have put together their top twelve tips to make the most of school holidays.