As a working mother of three children, I have a deep and genuine concern about who is watching my kids while my husband and I are both gone during the day.  As an experienced nanny-finder in the 21st century, I would recommend using the following five tips before deciding to hire a potential candidate, despite how qualified they might seem on paper.     

1. Conduct both telephone and in-person interviews.  
The interview process must contain these two parts.  Beginning the process with telephone interviews helps to eliminate candidates whose personalities, experiences, and skills do not meet your criteria.  Once a candidate has been approved for an in-person interview, explain in detail exactly what type of needs and expectations you have, so that there is no chance of having a misunderstanding or experiencing miscommunication down the road.

2. Do some online research.  
With the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook(R) and MySpace(TM), you can search for the profiles of potential candidates.  You can also search their names in popular search engines and see if you find any relevant information about them.

3. Check the candidates' references.  
Checking references is a crucial step when looking for the right nanny, especially because you'll likely be able to talk to other parents about how qualified or trustworthy these candidates really are.  You can also get a truthful perspective of how they interact or take care of other people's children.   

4. Run thorough criminal background checks.  
Although many nanny-placement agencies provide parents with "background checks," these reports often contain errors and might be missing important information that could potentially influence your hiring decision.  I recommend that parents read the fine print noted on any background check form, in an effort to ensure that both "on-site" and "in-court" checks have been conducted.    

5. Have a probationary period.
It is always a good idea to see if a nanny or babysitter is a good fit for your family before actually deciding to hire the candidate on a long-term basis.  Offer a one-week trial period, perhaps even on evenings or weekends.  After that time, you and the candidate will have a better understanding of how things will run, which will also help you make a decision about whether or not a candidate is suitable for your family.