The responsibility of answering questions.
The Nanny Podcast
When someone asks you a question, what you might not think of or realize is the enormity of responsibility that comes with. Let me frame it for you. When I ask a client what they are looking for, it happens that I can see them over the phone tapping their fingertips together in delight of being granted the wish of being able to have whatever they can think of. Which of course is not true. Same with nannies and for example salary wishes.
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Why are you applying for this job?
The Nanny Podcast
A common question you might get in an interview is “why are you applying for this job”. And I bet that the person asking it has something in mind that they want to hear. It’s never going to be the same answer that is the right one. This is one that I have been thinking a lot about recently, I had a client who said the first question they ask is always why are you applying for this job, and the way he told me it seemed very obvious I should know exactly what his right answer was.
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What does a gap in your CV mean?
The Nanny Podcast
Let’s talk about a gap in your CV and how people read it. First off, I just want to say that I generally think that it is much better to address possible objections first, meaning, if you think someone is going to ask or wonder about something, take charge of that conversation and lead it where you want it to go rather than be caught off guard and not feel prepared to answer, or even comfortable to.
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Honesty in a time of pandemic
The Nanny Podcast
Since the beginning of the Sars Cov2 pandemic we have all collectively gone through a traumatic period. We are all affected differently, but regardless of how, the world is different now. We are different. Some things are good, some things are awful and I always try to look at it, trying to find the silver linings. One of the things I like is a new level of honesty. We have relied on each other’s honesty to stay safe and healthy, and we will continue to do so.
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Sharing parenting values with the family
The Nanny Podcast
Parenting values can be controversial topics in all kinds of circumstances. What philosophies do you agree with? Which ones do you disagree with? That's what we will talk about today.
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Have you envisioned your career path?
The Nanny Podcast
Today I thought we could talk a little bit about your career path and whether or not you have an idea of where it’s going.
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Where do you want to be in five years?
The Nanny Podcast
Have you thought about where you want to be in five years? Not only geographically, but emotionally, physically, in your career, in your relationships? I think it’s always good to have goals to aim for, and for the areas that are your priority right now, a clear path to take you to the next step.
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Who do you want to be?
The Nanny Podcast
Who are you? Who are you now, and who do you want to be? It can be in any area of your life, but because we usually talk about work and career, let’s talk about who you want to be as a professional.
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Who are you?
The Nanny Podcast
Friends, this is the first episode of the third season of The Nanny Podcast. I am so psyched you are here with me. Let’s start this season with something a little different.
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The Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 17
The Nanny Podcast
Today I want to talk to you about figuring out who people are, using simple tools like search engines online. Always a good first step to start building the image of the person you are trying to figure out.
info_outlineNanny Podcast season 2 episode 7 “ending a job”
Welcome to this week’s episode of The Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host. I am so happy you are here.
Today we are going to talk about ending a job. We get questions about this from nannies from time to time, often from nannies we haven’t placed.
This might sound strange, but how you will end your job has a lot to do with how you started it. Did you feel a good connection with the family? Did you feel like you had a good and honest line of communication?
Ok, so let’s break it down.
You want to end a job. There are lots of reasons why people want to end a job. Let’s say you have decided that you want to take your career in a different direction and you want to look for a job that is a better fit for you.
Of course it could also be that you want to earn more money, that you want to work different hours and you want your tasks to be different.
Then maybe you don’t want to end the job bur rather renegotiate the terms of the job.
Assume you have a good communication and relationship with your family. And you have a contract in place. The importance of a contract has so much nuance. It is an agreement between you and your employer, they know what they can expect from you, and you know what you can expect from them. You have agreed on terms and it is very important that you keep them. It is as important that you honor the salary you have agreed on and don’t go asking for more a few weeks into the job (the time for renegotiating the salary can be in your agreement too) as it is that your family doesn’t start asking you to do things you have not agreed to do, like tasks not related to the kids, unless you have renegotiated the terms of the new work. You see where I am going with this.
If all those things are in place, having a conversation around ending your job might be a difficult conversation from an emotional perspective, but with agreed terms for how long ahead of time you give notice and so on, there aren’t any surprises.
From the nannies who come to us for advice, I know that most people do not set themselves up this way.
This is why it is so important from the beginning that you work with families that share your values, that see your value and that you respect and who respect you.
So if you don’t have that relationship with your family today, there are steps to take. Have very clear agreements. Just as a very basic start, what are the hours you work? What do you get compensated for that time? What happens if you work more, how are you compensated then? What are your tasks? If they want to renegotiate the tasks, you have to bring it up, either say, I am not comfortable doing this task, I am hired to do xyz, or say, with the added work responsibility I would like to talk about how I will be further compensated.
So when you want to end a job, be courteous, be kind, be respectful. Know before hand what you want, so that if you end up in a situation of negotiation where the family might want to keep you with different terms, you know what you want and where your boundaries are. Allow for their feelings and reactions and remember that they have nothing to do with you, it is about how they are feeling. There might be a moment of panic, looking for a new nanny is hard and emotional. Maybe they feel overwhelmed. That is not on you, but you have the option of creating the space for them to end on good terms.
Speaking of ending on good terms, do it. You might need the references, but it is just good manners and good human behavior to try to not end relationships badly if you can help it.
Thank you so much for listening and spending some time with me today.
If you have any comments on today’s episode, if you would like to ask any questions or if you just want to say hi, you can always email me at [email protected] and put podcast in the subject line. I love hearing from you :)
Today’s episode is brought to you by Mamatoto, the place where mothers go for education, support and connection. It’s a great place to learn about prenatal nutrition, take courses to prepare for pregnancy and birth and find support into motherhood. Check them out at mamatoto.info