Tips for Writing a Nanny Resumé
As a nanny, you’re expected to be many things: a babysitter, occasional housekeeper, chauffeur, tutor and parental figure, among others roles. Nanny agencies and families naturally have high expectations for the employee who is entrusted with caring for their children and home. A strong resumé is the best way to present yourself as a highly competent and trustworthy applicant. Charlotte’s Best Nanny has come up with a quick checklist of important things to include in your resumé. These tips can help ensure that you land the optimal position and new family for your qualifications.
Always offer detailed experience and accomplishments
Families in search of a nanny are looking for someone who will become a direct extension of their household. You want to sell yourself and your services convincingly so that employers can picture you improving their home lives in clear ways. Think of advertisements as you write the “professional experience” section of your resumé. This sample resumé offers specifics into the applicant’s previous work schedule and responsibilities:
- Cook healthy, well-balanced meals for children 4 days of the week
- Taught children safe behavior skills and social manners, such as engaging with other children at the playground, approaching animals and pets, and preventing injury in the kitchen while helping with cooking meals.
It’s important to include specific instances of your past duties to allow employers to visualize how you will make that same positive impact in their homes. This tip is very important for applicants who are new to the childcare industry, as your related work experience is the main factor that determines whether families will take a leap of faith to hire you. Any and all child-care related experience will strengthen your application, as long as you show how your responsibilities have prepared you for the nanny position. If you have babysat before, describe how you were able to entertain and form close bonds with the children. Or maybe you’ve worked in a daycare or summer camp and can provide instances when you handled emergency situations and teaching moments within your group.
Another clear way to prove your impact is to include stand-out accomplishments. Here is an example where the applicant has shown how she has not only cared for the children but also improved their academics:
- Tutored children in schoolwork, raised two children’s math scores by one letter grade over a semester through tutoring of lesson material
- Implemented reading time with children every afternoon to encourage active learning, which resulted in a 45% increase in reading comprehension testing scores in the classroom
The strongest accomplishments are measurable, so find figures for time you have saved your employers, grades you have improved, budgets you have worked wit, and how often you have provided additional services which have benefited the family. Doing so will show, not just tell, potential employers that you will make a great asset for their family.
Make sure to include your outside passions and interests
The ‘additional skills’ portion of a resumé is the place to include the minimum qualifications that families expect of you, such as a driver’s license, clean driving record, CPR and health certification, and authorization to legally work in the country. Beyond these prerequisites, include some personality into your resumé by adding some of your outside skills and interests. You can list any foreign languages you are fluent in or are currently learning, sports you play, how you enjoy cooking, playing an instrument, and more like this. Families appreciate learning about a potential nanny’s talents outside of childcare, and may hope that you will integrate some of your unique passions and knowledge into caring for and teaching their children. Presenting your strengths and qualifications clearly in your resumé will help you stand out from the rest. By following these simple tips you will be one step closer to your new job in your nanny career.
-Written by Elizabeth
