As a nanny, (especially looking for a position through a reputable nanny agency) your resume is a key opportunity to market yourself as the ideal caregiver for a family’s children. It needs to go beyond simply listing previous employers and responsibilities. By providing rich details, you can highlight your abilities to nurture development and create an engaging environment tailored to each child’s age and stage.
Here are some tips for crafting a stellar nanny resume that allows your childcare talents to shine:
Lead With a Powerful Summary
An opening summary statement should emphasize your childcare philosophy, strengths, and passion for working with children. For example: “Nurturing nanny dedicated to fostering children’s academic and social-emotional growth through play-based learning. Skilled at implementing age-appropriate curriculums and age-positive discipline techniques.”
Organize Past Roles By Family
Rather than grouping all experiences under one general “Nanny” heading, separate out each position by family employers’ names (keeping things anonymous with initials like “Family S.”). This approach allows you to customize the responsibilities for each childcare scenario.
Highlight Accomplishments Over Duties
For every family, go beyond simply stating duties like “prepared meals, handled light housekeeping.” Instead, describe how you applied your skills to nurture development and engage the children:
Family A. (Children ages 6 months, 3 years)
- Planned developmentally-appropriate activities like sensory play, crafts, and babywearing to foster mobility and language skills
- Created a calming routine with story times to promote secure attachments
Family B. (Children ages 5 and 8)
- Organized educational projects like a family cooking class and backyard science camp to spark curiosity
- Encouraged confidence and resilience through coaching on personal responsibilities and social skills
Quantify Whenever Possible
Concrete numbers and metrics help employers better envision the scope of your childcare experience. For example:
- Cared for 4 children ranging from 6 months to 12 years old
- Prepared 3 nutritious meals and 2 snacks per day
- Planned 8+ hours of stimulating, age-appropriate activities daily
Include Relevant Skills
In addition to hard skills like CPR/First Aid, foreign languages, and cleaning/cooking abilities, be sure to highlight “soft” talents that allow you to truly connect with children. These might include patience, problem-solving, creativity, strong communication skills, and a nurturing, playful attitude.
With a well-crafted nanny resume packed with specific examples, you can clearly convey your skills for providing exceptional care and engaging children in their development. This allows families to better evaluate your fit for understanding and meeting their children’s unique needs.