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Picture this: You've been working with an agency for a few weeks. They've finally found someone who seems perfect- great experience, wonderful references, the right vibe for your family. You schedule an interview, maybe even a second one. You're starting to imagine this person in your home, caring for your kids, becoming part of your daily routine. You're bouncing a daily (or maybe every other day) email to your nanny agency and chatting through next steps as they get back with you.
And then you get the call: they've accepted another offer.
If you've been through this, you know exactly how frustrating it is. You're back at square one, and that sinking feeling in your stomach reminds you that finding great childcare is one of the most stressful things you'll do as a parent.
The Reality of Hiring Top Talent
Here's what families don't always realize: the best nanny candidates don't stay available for long. We're talking days, sometimes even hours. When an experienced, qualified, professional caregiver hits the market, multiple families want to meet them. Multiple agencies are reaching out. The clock is ticking from the moment their resume lands in our inbox.
This isn't like hiring for other positions where you can take your time, do three rounds of interviews, and deliberate for weeks. In the nanny world, hesitation costs you the candidate. And honestly? The best candidates know their worth. They're not going to wait around while families figure out their schedules or debate whether to move forward.
Speed vs. Thoroughness: You Shouldn't Have to Choose
So how do you move quickly without sacrificing the careful vetting process that makes you feel confident about your choice? How do you compete for top talent while still making sure you're making an informed decision?
The answer is simple: you need a team with the capacity to do both.
A solo practitioner or a small agency might be wonderful people who genuinely care about your family. But when it comes to moving fast on exceptional candidates while maintaining a thorough process, they're limited by bandwidth. One person can only do so much. They can't be coordinating your interview while simultaneously checking references, reaching out to other potential candidates, and staying on top of the dozen other families they're working with.
At Southern Standard Nannies, our team structure means we can move quickly without cutting corners. We can coordinate interviews in real-time, communicate with candidates throughout the day, and move through our vetting process efficiently because we have multiple placement specialists working simultaneously. When a great candidate becomes available, we're on it—getting them in front of the right families fast, while still doing our due diligence on the back end.
What This Means for Your Search
Having a larger team with broader reach doesn't just mean we can move faster. It means we have more candidates in our pipeline at any given time. If your top choice accepts another offer (and yes, this happens), we're not starting from scratch. We already know who else might be a great fit for your family, and we can pivot quickly to get you back in the game.
We also have the resources to stay connected with candidates even when they're exploring other opportunities. We can keep the conversation going, maintain relationships, and sometimes circle back when timing works out differently than expected. A small operation simply doesn't have the capacity to juggle all of these moving pieces while still giving your family the attention you deserve.
The Bigger Picture
Look, we get it. Hiring someone to care for your children is personal, and you want to feel like you're more than just a number. Having a larger team doesn't mean you're getting less personalized service- it means you're getting the best of both worlds. You get the attentive, hands-on support that makes you feel taken care of, plus the speed and reach that actually lands you the candidate you want.
Because at the end of the day, what matters most is finding the right person for your family. And in a competitive market where top talent moves fast (UM, NASHVILLE), you need a partner who can keep up.
We're here to make sure you don't lose out on incredible candidates because the process moved too slowly. We're here to give you both speed and thoroughness, confidence and efficiency.
That's the Southern Standard difference.
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Ready to work with a team that has the reach and resources to land you top talent? Let's talk about your family's needs and how we can help. Reach out today.
