10 Signs Your New Nanny Lied to Get the Job


Posted on March 8, 2012 by admin | in Background Check

Most job-seeking nannies spruce up their resume with creative wording in order to paint themselves in the most flattering light possible, while staying within the bounds of the truth. On occasion, a nanny candidate may stretch those boundaries into outright untruths. Here are ten signs that your nanny may not have been completely honest during the interview process.

  1. Her Skills Seem Less Developed Than Stated – If your nanny claimed to speak three languages fluently, but avoids the subject after completing the interview process, she may not have been completely honest about her skills. Keeping an eye out for ineptitude in areas she claimed to have mastered can help you spot a nanny that lied to get the job.
  2. She Seems Nervous When Questioned – When casual questioning sends your nanny into defensive mode, it’s a huge red-flag that she’s hiding something. While direct and abrasive questions that clearly indicate doubt on your part will understandably make her react defensively, conversational inquiries that get such a reaction should be considered suspect.
  3. Her Behavior is Awkward With Charges – Nannies who falsely claim to have experience with children will often be awkward or even downright uncomfortable in the presence of their charges, especially infants and toddlers. Observing her level of comfort when interacting with your children is a great way to determine whether or not she has experience working with other kids.
  4. She’s Easily Flustered or Upset – Working with children can be nerve-wracking, but an experienced nanny will take the small stuff in stride. A nanny that becomes hysterical at the first sign of trouble is almost certainly quite inexperienced.
  5. Stories Seem Inconsistent – Over the course of several weeks, your nanny is likely to open up and speak more with you during the times that you’re both in the home. If it seems that stories aren’t matching up with what she told you in the interview, it’s very likely that she’s lost track of her own tales, at least momentarily. Even a small slip of the tongue can bring an elaborate tale to the ground.
  6. Results Are Not What She Promised – If your nanny was hired because of specialized skills, such as problematic behavior or special needs, and your children don’t seem to be benefiting from the skills she claimed she had, she might have embellished her qualifications a bit.
  7. Questioning Kids Indicates Her Lack of Skill – Asking your kids about their day and the things that nanny did with them is another way to investigate your nanny’s claims without appearing overly suspicious. If she promised to teach your children certain skills or to perform certain activities that never come to pass, she may not have been entirely honest in the beginning.
  8. She Makes Rookie Mistakes – Everyone makes the occasional mistake, even the most seasoned of nanny veterans. When your nanny regularly makes beginner-style blunders, however, it might be a good idea to look into her actual skill set as opposed to the one she claimed to have during the interview process.
  9. Children Are Frequently Injured – Bumps and bruises are par for the childhood course, and are almost impossible to completely prevent. However, kids that are constantly hurting themselves may indicate an inexperienced or inattentive nanny.
  10. You Return to Chaos at the End of Every Day – Coming home to find that your house is a war zone filled with screaming children, a frantic nanny and a living room that looks like a bomb went off is a sure sign that your nanny can not handle the demands of childcare, and might not have been honest. Unless your children are exceptionally difficult, this inability to maintain control indicates inexperience.

A family should never hesitate to verify the claims of all nanny applicants through background checks and interviews with previous employers and references. Skipping this important step in the hiring process could turn into issues that could have been avoided by some simple verification.

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