Are you looking for a great family to nanny for, but aren’t getting any responses? If you’ve already gathered the other documents you need to nanny in order then maybe it’s something about your CV that’s keeping the phone from ringing.
Like with any job, it’s important to make your application stand out. But how do you write a nanny or babysitting CV that gets you noticed? Follow these simple guidelines to make sure you’re giving it your best shot.
1. Write a clear objective—and mention scheduling
In the world of professional CVs, objectives can be a real make-or-break moment—and more often than not, it’s the latter.
What is an objective? The objective is a personal statement at the top of your CV that states clearly what your goal is. 2 to 3 sentences tops. With many CVs, this section can easily read as stale or unoriginal, but when it comes to nannying, it can be a great way to clarify what you’re looking for right away to help weed out families that aren’t the right match.
Clearly state here what you’re looking for in terms of hours and scheduling. If you’re only available in the evenings and on weekends, then it’s best to say that up front so you have a better chance of reaching the right families. If you’re looking for a full time role, then there’s no point in talking to families who can only offer you 2 afternoons per week. If you’re somewhat flexible, then it’s fair to add that, too. Just be realistic and clear about what commitment you’re willing to make.
Compared to other industries, nanny jobs have such a broad range of scheduling possibilities. Therefore it’s twice as important to be straightforward here to avoid confusion and disappointment down the road.
2. Include most relevant childcare experience at the top
While the fact that you had an internship with Google is impressive, it’s not all that relevant for a nanny CV—unless maybe the role was in an onsite daycare. Instead, add any babysitting or nannying experience at the top of your CV, right under the objective. Put the most recent and longest roles first, and work backwards toward the least recent.
If your list of families is long, there’s no need to put every one. Choose 4 to 6 of the best examples, showing casing the skills that lineup with your objectives.
For professional nannies with a long list, it can be a good idea to keep a “Master CV”. This is a CV where you list every family you’ve ever worked with, and details about each role. Then, as you apply for future jobs, you can curate your CV with roles from your list that best showcase how well you fit for that role.
For instance, if you are applying to work with a child with allergies or another medical condition, highlight a previous role where you were trained to use an Epi Pen. You can do the same for any criteria, such as working with infants, multiples, traveling, and so on.
If you don’t have much professional nanny experience or recent babysitting experience, add in roles that showcase your ability to work with children, such as camp counseling, coaching, tutoring, or teaching music lessons.
If you’re still struggling to find fitting childcare experience to add, why not look into some volunteer opportunities? Think outside the box about ways you can start adding childcare experience to your CV—because without any relevant experience whatsoever, it’s going to be hard to get positive responses.
3. Add skills & certifications
What trainings have you taken to make sure you’re fully competent to deal with little ones? Infant and child first aid is a pretty standard requirement from many agencies and families. Without it, your application might wind up straight in the “No” pile.
Additional skills and certifications are also great. If you’re hoping to work with infants, then why not sign up for a course on introducing solids? Or if you’re goal is to help the kids speak in another language, then why not take a workshop on vocabulary building?
The internet is packed with great options for expanding your skillset, both online and in person. Just remember when you’re shopping for courses, check reviews and ratings to make sure courses are reputable. Do your due diligence to make sure any course you spend money on is well-respected and will provide you with information that can help in your childcare career.
Bonus: Include references right away
Strictly speaking, it’s not necessary to include references directly with your CV. However, when you do, it shows complete confidence in the relationships you’ve built with those families. It sends a strong positive message that could be just the ticket to help your application reach the top of the pile.
You can choose to add references in a few ways. Probably the best way is to add a written letter of recommendation from your employer. However, if time or space don’t allow it, you can also add a name and phone number for a previous family at the bottom of your CV. Just make sure you clear it with the family ahead of time, so they’re not surprised when they wind up fielding calls from your prospective employers.
Let Lighthouse review your CV
At Lighthouse, we provide free CV auditing for each nanny in our pool. If you’re interested in applying to join the Lighthouse Nanny pool, send us a message with your CV at apply@lighthousenanny.com.
