Category: Job Ending

How to Write a Nanny Resume Like a Champ

4/2/2018

We here at KITH & KIN often get some very well qualified nannies, but their resumes are either incomplete, or not up to date. But what if you've never written a superb and professional nanny or housekeeper resume before? We're here to help!

Finding a new nanny job in NYC can be a daunting endeavor. There will be a lot of highly experienced, ready-for-anything nannies vying for that amazing position. When you’re up against dozens of other competent nanny candidates, families and agencies will often not even consider candidates who don’t have a professional nanny resume. Having a polished, professional nanny resume is the very best way to ensure that you will get your foot in the door past that first hurdle, and onto an interview.
When working with kids, it’s okay to have a little more fun on your resume than you might in other job fields - but you want to make sure that you’re still keeping it professional and always including a few key pieces of information.

Here are our tips to help you create the best professional nanny resume to help you stand out!

STEP ONE: Begin with a Clear Layout.

A good resume is visually straightforward. Your name should always be at the top of the page, in a clear easy-to-read font. Underneath should always follow whatever contact info you feel comfortable sharing. We recommend listing only your current home city and state and your preferred email address. Some candidates will include a job title directly beneath their name, which read something like “Childcare Professional” or a jazzier “Modern Day Mary Poppins”. Totally up to you! Think of your résumé more like a CV (curriculum vitae) - one page may not be enough to cover your experience, so feel free to scrap that old "one page only" rule.

Do you have more experience beyond a nanny or housekeeping positions? Don't be afraid to have two or three separate headings, if need be.
"Nanny Experience" for nanny-specific positions, and "Other Childcare Experience," or, "Teaching Experience," is appropriate for childcare settings, teaching experience, or volunteer positions.
If you have other work experience that is unrelated, say in retail or food service, you can create another heading that says, "Additional Work Experience," to make up for any gaps in your employment, just know that these will be verified.

Beneath each subsection you will want to outline each position. Here, indentation is key. Your layout should be visually clear, making use of whitespace and implementing a clear font. Bullet points and differently weighted font will make all the difference.

STEP TWO: Who are You?

Start off your resume with a brief description of your skillset. Here is your opportunity to let yourself shine!

Create a heading that says something like, "Introduction," or, "Background". Place under this heading a one or two sentence introduction where you can briefly state what your qualifications and personal values are, what you are seeking in a position (temporary, long-term, part or full time, etc.).
You can create a second heading that says "Special Skills," if you have anything that sets you apart. Are you skilled in baby sign language? Do you know how to prepare specialty meals? Have you studied, lived, or worked abroad? Do you have a high-level of schedule flexibility? Put it here!
Make a third heading that states something similar to, "Education," or, "Education and Trainings," if you have additional specializations. This may also be put at the bottom on the résumé. Here you may list your achievements such as degrees or coursework, CPR/First Aid certifications, INA Basic Skills Assessment, and any additional trainings or further education in childhood development. NOTE: If you don't have a full degree, do not state that you do! Instead, write, "Coursework toward xyz degree" and the date.

STEP THREE: Position Details - Clear and Complete.

 Household Experience
For each and every Nanny or Housekeeper position you have held we always recommend listing your relevant positions in reverse chronological order (most recent at the top). When listing your childcare experience be sure to include:

On one line, state only the last name of the family, if permitted (no first names), and the city and state job was located
Month and year of start and end of position: be specific to give a clear picture
Specify whether full or part time; long-term, or temporary
The number and ages of children when you started (ex: "3 month old and 4 year old at start of position")
Bulleted list of duties, with between 2 to 5 bullet points, condensing where necessary (avoid the paragraphs - one sentence per bullet will do)

• Use the bullet points or indentation to give a quick description of each childcare position, for instance “Responsible for the full-care of their infant son including: bottle feeding, naps, diapers, tummy time, and laundry” or “Assisted with after-school care for two children ranging from travel between activities, homework help, dinner preparation, and bedtime routine”.
• Be specific without writing an essay. If you were taking on tasks such as arranging playdates, or scheduling for the gardeners to come, this can be described as “Activity planning” or “Arranging household maintenance”. No task is too small to consider, it’s just a matter of presenting it as an employable skill!

Other Experience
For positions outside of nanny or housekeeping, feel free to follow to same basic structure. Some parents will appreciate seeing that you’re a fully rounded human, with professional experience outside of your nanny background.
While we don’t recommend including every part-time hostess job you’ve ever worked, it could be to your benefit to include certain outside experiences. For instance, summer camp positions with kids can show a sense of your ability to be active, and manage a group. Even retail and hospitality positions can give evidence to your personable disposition and people-skills.
And this goes without saying, but these likely be verified by an employer as well, so be truthful, as always.

STEP FOUR: Discretion!

Especially when applying to a position through Craigslist or some other mass sourcing location, you do not know to whom you are actually giving your name, phone number or full address. Leave that off - you can simply put your city and state.
For references, hold your past employers' privacy in high-regard: write, "References available upon request." Do not put their full name, full address, phone number, or email anywhere on your résumé if they have not given you permission to distribute that.

STEP FIVE: Save an Editable Resume

The biggest mistake we see is when a candidate has a resume, but needs to add, remove, or edit experience on the document, but has no way to do it, and has to start all over. Beware of companies promising to build you a resume if it is not yours to edit forever. What's the point in spending all this time making an awesome resume if it's going to be invalid in a year?

There are two places from where we recommend building resumes:

1. CANVA, for some fancy, visually stunning goodness
2. Good ol' Google Docs using their template builders (see our example we built below)
You need to have an account with each of these services, but first, it's free, and second, you can save it forever and edit it whenever you want over the years! Once you finish your degree, you can change "in progress" to "graduated". If your boss moves away and you just finished your position, change "currently employed" to the month and year it ended. The bottom line is, keep your resume editable and accessible.

Here is a sample resume we have built. Note how have a visually clear and detailed resume works wonders - the viewer actually wants to review it.

We hope this helps you in your quest to presenting yourself as a professional, polished, and competent caregiver. Happy job hunting!

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My Child is Going to Pre-K, but I Don't Want to Lose My Nanny! What Now?

9/19/2017

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At some point, whether we like it or not, that wonderful little child you're raising and caring for is going to need to go school, and the role of a nanny will likely change in some way, as care for the child won't be needed as often. These transitions can be very challenging on nannies and children alike!
In order to keep the nanny employed at full-time hours per week, some families who hire a nanny in New York will add additional tasks not directly related to typical nanny duties, such as some housekeeping, personal assistant tasks, dog walking, and errands.
Other families will need to move their full-time nanny to part-time hours to accommodate the rising costs of preschool while still employing a nanny in NYC, as we all know how costly these things are here!

So what can done in these two scenarios? How can both parties stay happy with the arrangement, while simultaneously meeting their personal needs? We have some suggestions and pointers for both the employers (families) and employees (nannies).

For families who are able to keep offering full-time hours, but whose duties will change

For as many nannies in New York as there are, so are there numerous opinions and stances on being asked to do household tasks. Therefore, for both parties, it is extremely important to have a sit down chat about the duties, expectations, and any raises that come with the new responsibilities, if applicable. Voice any desires and concerns you may have in this meeting -- now is the time! In doing so, there is no bitterness when things have changed, and the employment won't end prematurely. Above all, stress an open door policy to discuss things as they come up.

Nannies: Remember that your boss is willing and able to keep you at full-time hours, even though they don't need a full-time nanny in New York. This speaks highly of you, and is a testament to the bond and trust they have in you! Feel honored by this, and know that they appreciate the closeness you share with their growing child. First and foremost, make sure you have the conversation about the duties and defined roles, and don't be shy about your likes and dislikes. This will only help you! Remember though, if you walk into a meeting with a full list of dos and don'ts, it may not end very well and you may only be offered part-time hours after all, so be as flexible as you can. This isn't to say you should be cleaning toilets, and certainly not for the salary of just one position, but it is to say that your role is shifting into more of a helper. Only you can decide if this is ok with you. The bottom line is if you agree to it, stick with it, or tell the family you would like to try it out for a month, if you are unsure. If this blended role isn't working for you, tell them as well. No one can punish you for your honesty and integrity. And if you do need to quit, be as open as you can be about timelines and the amount of notice you are able to give.

Families: Remember that your nanny is willing to take on duties that aren't typical of nannies -- be appreciative of that and be reasonable in the types of requests you make, as well as the salary. Very few people, let alone nannies in New York, will take on an entire new position without some added perks or a raise, so sweeten the deal for your employee. If he or she is not trained as a housekeeper, dog walker, or chef, don't ask them to take on these roles without asking them what their level of comfort is, and if you have the time or patience to monitor and train them during the transition. Insist that they be honest with you -- many nannies are afraid to be upfront, as perhaps employers in the past may not have taken too kindly to it. See if you can work something out to keep around the same hours available to them each week with duties that are within their skill set: cooking, cleaning, organizing, and errands are common tasks, but these typically come with a raise. If you normally pay a dog walker or housekeeper $125 weekly, give your nanny part of that extra money if they can do the tasks fully.

For families who must reduce hours to part-time

This transition is wonderful because it may keep the care as consistent as possible for the child. As long as all of the duties and expectations are laid out, as well as benefits like vacation and holiday pay are defined, it can work very well for each party! But approach the conversation with some awareness.

Nannies: While this may be a hard time for you to consider not being with your favorite buddy all day, it is happening, and you must also consider yourself. How will you make ends meet on a part-time salary? What other ways can you make up the hours and find additional work? Does your boss want a weekly date-night that you could fill in for, or do they have any friends? Pull your connections. Ask around for part-time jobs, but also count the costs (figurative and literally) of having two positions -- you will need to know the schedules, preferences, personalities, developmental goals and challenges, and navigational aspects of both positions. Only you can decide if the potential stress is something you can handle while still caring for yourself, too.

Families: Transitioning from full to part time hours is not a personal or financial decision that every nanny can make, so be as graceful and understanding as possible. Try not to take it personally if your nanny can't find another part-time position and has to quit, or if your nanny doesn't really want to juggle two part-time jobs. After all, unless there is a raise at both positions, they will possibly be losing money with the multiple commutes, especially if they have to go to both jobs on the same day. Picking up babysitting gigs isn't always reliable income, as some families will often cancel at the last minute, usually with good reason, leaving your nanny without that extra $100+ they were counting on. Occasional sitting is not the same as having guaranteed full-time hours each week, and this is something your nanny must consider. Know that if your nanny has to quit, it's unlikely that it has anything to do with you, but rather due to the financial instability that being a nanny in New York can often bring.

Whatever you are able to offer and choose, remember that there are many factors in the decision to carry on or terminate a professional relationship. One thing is for sure: the impact on a child's life is an honor, is forever, and is irreplaceable!

If you are needing to hire a nanny, fill out our family in-take form. If you are a nanny seeking a new position, please browse our job board here or feel free to send us an email with your resume.

Comments

How to Write a Nanny Resume Like a Champ

​Here are our tips to help you create the best professional nanny resume to help you stand out!

STEP ONE: Begin with a Clear Layout.

STEP TWO: Who are You?

STEP THREE: Position Details - Clear and Complete.

STEP FOUR: Discretion!

STEP FIVE: Save an Editable Resume

There are two places from where we recommend building resumes:

We hope this helps you in your quest to presenting yourself as a professional, polished, and competent caregiver. Happy job hunting!

My Child is Going to Pre-K, but I Don't Want to Lose My Nanny! What Now?

For families who are able to keep offering full-time hours, but whose duties will change

For families who must reduce hours to part-time

Whatever you are able to offer and choose, remember that there are many factors in the decision to carry on or terminate a professional relationship. One thing is for sure: the impact on a child's life is an honor, is forever, and is irreplaceable!

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Here are our tips to help you create the best professional nanny resume to help you stand out!