Nannies, what do you put in your ads or profiles when advertising your services?
5 comments:
Corn Chowder
said...
I put:
- a brief introduction -- where I live so they will know the commute I would have each morning, a concise summary of my experience as a nanny, what in their ad attracted me, why I love being a nanny (be enthusiastic!), and my contact info
- a link to various on-line documents (google docs is perfect for sharing stuff like this!) that flesh me out much more -- the "day in the life of a nanny" that I wrote for this blog, a document I wrote which reviews/critiques local child-friendly destinations (what I like about them and why children would like them), a sample monthly activity plan I would use when working as a nanny, etc...
Parents typically LOVE to read these documents and it makes them much more well-prepared when it comes time to interview because they are more familiar with me than if I had not provided them with this info.
It took quite a bit of time up front to prepare these documents but once they were done, it's quick and easy to copy/paste the introduction and links to send to each ad that interests me.
I put my location/zip code so that they can decide if I live a reasonable distance from them. I state that I have a clean driving record so if they need me to drive on the job, they will know I can be trusted to do this.
I also state my education level as well as the fact that I am a mother to grown children so they know I have real-life childcare experience.
I stress that I do have references, however I only provide them after a personal meeting since I do not want to exhaust them.
I list my qualifications, i.e., CPR certified, clean background checks, etc. I also let people know I do not smoke and that I have no pet allergies. I own two kitties and let people know this since some folks have allergies to cats.
Overall, I also include a recent picture which will give them an idea of who I really am.
I worked as a nanny recruiter for a large nanny agency for several years. The most important advice I can give you is based on a mistake I see qualified nannies make over and over again on internet profiles- do NOT start out your post with things like "I have been babysitting since I was twelve" or "I helped raise my younger siblings/cousins". This is not to knock that experience, but I can tell you families are looking for paid, professional experience as a legal adult. If you start out your profile like that, you may be passed right on by to another nanny with an intro that begins with their professional experience. Parents and recruiters are skimming through these profiles as there are so many profiles to view- so make your opening line to the point and professional. In the part where it asks you how many years experience you have, stating that you have 15 years experience when you are 25 years old makes you look like a joke. Hope this helps!
I agree with you Heresmyadvice....you don't know how many ads I see online where a Nanny will state that she has 12 yrs experience and she is only 21!! I don't know many professional Nannies who are 9 yrs old.
If I were a parent in search of a GOOD Nanny, I would just gloss over these ads. They are a joke to me.
5 comments:
I put:
- a brief introduction -- where I live so they will know the commute I would have each morning, a concise summary of my experience as a nanny, what in their ad attracted me, why I love being a nanny (be enthusiastic!), and my contact info
- a link to various on-line documents (google docs is perfect for sharing stuff like this!) that flesh me out much more -- the "day in the life of a nanny" that I wrote for this blog, a document I wrote which reviews/critiques local child-friendly destinations (what I like about them and why children would like them), a sample monthly activity plan I would use when working as a nanny, etc...
Parents typically LOVE to read these documents and it makes them much more well-prepared when it comes time to interview because they are more familiar with me than if I had not provided them with this info.
It took quite a bit of time up front to prepare these documents but once they were done, it's quick and easy to copy/paste the introduction and links to send to each ad that interests me.
I put my location/zip code so that they can decide if I live a reasonable distance from them. I state that I have a clean driving record so if they need me to drive on the job, they will know I can be trusted to do this.
I also state my education level as well as the fact that I am a mother to grown children so they know I have real-life childcare experience.
I stress that I do have references, however I only provide them after a personal meeting since I do not want to exhaust them.
I list my qualifications, i.e., CPR certified, clean background checks, etc.
I also let people know I do not smoke and that I have no pet allergies.
I own two kitties and let people know this since some folks have allergies to cats.
Overall, I also include a recent picture which will give them an idea of who I really am.
Hope this helps. ☺
I worked as a nanny recruiter for a large nanny agency for several years. The most important advice I can give you is based on a mistake I see qualified nannies make over and over again on internet profiles- do NOT start out your post with things like "I have been babysitting since I was twelve" or "I helped raise my younger siblings/cousins". This is not to knock that experience, but I can tell you families are looking for paid, professional experience as a legal adult. If you start out your profile like that, you may be passed right on by to another nanny with an intro that begins with their professional experience. Parents and recruiters are skimming through these profiles as there are so many profiles to view- so make your opening line to the point and professional. In the part where it asks you how many years experience you have, stating that you have 15 years experience when you are 25 years old makes you look like a joke. Hope this helps!
I agree with you Heresmyadvice....you don't know how many ads I see online where a Nanny will state that she has 12 yrs experience and she is only 21!! I don't know many professional Nannies who are 9 yrs old.
If I were a parent in search of a GOOD Nanny, I would just gloss over these ads. They are a joke to me.
just my two cents
are you seriously the mother of 2 grown children?
You look amazing. i wouldn't have thunk it
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