The 5Rs of Becoming a Nanny

Almost all of us babysat at least once or twice growing up.

  Baby sitting jobs are always easy to find, as parents are gladly willing to pay for a night off.

You would think that nanny jobs should be just as easy to find, yet for a parent to entrust the well-fare of their children regularly into the care of a stranger takes as much if not more effort as any professional job search.

If you love kids, here are five tips to help with your nanny job search.

Research
Trends in childcare — yes, there are trends! — are ever changing, so the traits that people are looking for in a nanny today may not be the same ones as five years ago.  Get familiar with what parents are looking for in a caretaker, and in turn you will know exactly how to market yourself.

Resume
A great resume is invaluable. If you’ve never been a nanny, highlight your other jobs to demonstrate the skills people want to see in the caretaker of their children.  But even if you don’t have directly relevant job experience, you no doubt have transferable skills. Whether it’s dependability, time management, a positive attitude, patience, or communication skills, focus on demonstrating these traits in your past experience.

Register
You wrote your beautiful resume, time to release it to the world!  The best way to do this is to register with various nanny placement agencies in classified ads or internet searches.  Smaller agencies might more effectively match your skills, while larger agencies give you a larger network.

References
Before they can trust, parents need to hear good reviews.  Secure reliable references that will sing your praises, whether it’s a previous employer or old professor.  Talk to the references beforehand so you know you are on the same page as to what skills to emphasize.

Relate
You can have a shining resume and references that will declare your praises across the world, but in the end getting a job all depends on the interview.  You have to be able to relate to the parents that you are dependable and that their children will be well taken care of.  Check out the family before the interview, and get to know what they are looking for and what age group you would be working with.  Speak clearly, respectfully, and confidently, and you will do great!