Nanny Resume Sample and Tips from HR Pros

If you are interested in applying for a new job as a nanny, you will need to have a few things ready. For most applications, this means a strong resume and a well-written cover letter. The purpose of the resume is to inform your employer of your professional background. The purpose of a cover letter is to highlight why you are the best candidate for the job and make the hiring manager interested in the rest of your application.

Today, we will look into how to write a strong nanny resume that will help you get the job you want.

Here’s what we will look into:

• What a resume is, what to include in it and what to avoid
• Tips for writing a nanny resume that works
• A nanny resume template that you can use to write your own resume — and more.

But first, let’s look into what the job of a nanny involves and what career prospects you may be looking at.

Nanny job description

The job of a nanny is to take care of a child — typically in the parent’s home. What a nanny does on a daily basis depends to a large extent on the agreement that is in place between the nanny and the parents.

In most cases, the work of a nanny involves the following responsibilities:

• Taking care of the children when the parents are away
• Preparing food and feeding the children
• Arranging playdates and outings
• Organizing educational activities
• Supervising indoor and outdoor play
• Creating a safe and stimulating environment for the children
• Driving the children to school and other activities
• Assistance with homework and other activities and more.

Sometimes the job of a nanny may involve additional responsibilities like doing light housekeeping or traveling with the child — and more.

The average monthly salary for a nanny in the United States is $34,593 – according to Glassdoor. However, the salary range for this job is quite wide.

Salaries in the field range from $13,173 - $322,760. How much you make depends on a variety of factors: from the scale of your responsibilities to the families you work for. To get a high-paying job as a nanny you will need an extensive skillset. You will also need to have your resume ready: a resume that does a great job of marketing you as a candidate.

This is what we are looking into today.

What is a resume?

As we’ve mentioned above, a resume is mainly a marketing document. It’s a summary of all your professional credentials and achievements and its job is to get your potential employer interested in you as a job candidate.

Ideally, after reading your resume, the hiring manager should pick up the phone and invite you for a job interview.

So, what should you include in your resume as a nanny?

What to include in a resume?

The first thing to remember about your resume is that it should be tailored to the job you are applying for. This means that there is no one-fits-all solution here and you will need to see what works best in your specific situation and what the family you want to work for needs.

When structuring your resume, there are three standard formats to consider: reverse-chronological format, skill-based format and combination format.

The reverse-chronological format focuses on your professional experience. This is the resume format we will be discussing today. However, it may not be the best fit for all situations. For example, if you are new to the job and don’t yet have work experience, you will have better results with the skill-based format. To learn more about resume formats, check out our article on Top Resume Formats: Tips and Examples of 3 Common Formats.

If you are writing your resume in the reverse-chronological format, here are the sections to include.

Name and contact details

At the top of the page, write down your contact information. This will let the hiring manager know whose resume they are reading. They will also be able to instantly get in touch with you if they need more information or would like to buy two for an interview.

Here’s the information to include in your resume contact details:

1. Full name and educational and/or professional credentials.
2. An efficient way to contact you: your phone number and email. Make sure you use a professional email address such as name.surname@email.com instead of something more informal. If needed, create a separate email box for sending out job applications. You can also include your city of residence. However, it’s not customary to include your full address here.
3. You can also add links to your website, online portfolio or professional social media like LinkedIn. This is a great way to give the hiring manager access to some additional information about you that didn’t make it into your resume.

(If you do choose to include a link to your professional social media, make sure your social media profile is up-to-date and has the information you want your potential employer to see).

Professional summary

After your contact details, include a short professional summary. Here, mention what you do best and list your most valuable skills that are specifically relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Professional experience

In this section, you should elaborate on your professional experience. However, instead of simply listing the jobs you’ve had and the tasks you were in charge of, focus on what you’ve been able to achieve in each position. Make sure to include some details about the family you worked for or the agency that employed you. Emphasize the result of your work and professional achievements. You may also talk about the relationship you’ve managed to build with the family and children.

Education

In this part of your resume, you should mention all the courses and other qualifications that you have received. Start with the highest degree and qualifications. For instance, if you have a degree in Child Psychology, this is something you should mention first. If you have other relevant certifications, like CPR and first aid, these should also be included here.

Additional information

This part of your resume is a great way to add any additional information that might help make your case as the best candidate for the job. This can include:

• Licenses, certifications and courses
• Foreign languages you speak
• Internships and more

The above are some of the sections we recommend having in your resume. With that, avoid adding unnecessary information to your application. Most HR managers agree that your resume should be one page long. So, you should really filter out the information you include in your resume.

It’s important to remember that your resume is not your autobiography. It is not a list of all the things you can do or once did. In fact, this is one of the most common mistakes job applicants make. They turn their resume into a list of what they were supposed to do in previous positions instead of emphasizing what they have achieved.

Your resume also shouldn’t be about what you plan to do in the future. Putting it simply, employers won’t be impressed with your professional aspirations. Rather, they are interested with what you have achieved up to this point and what value you can bring to their team.

Recommendations for writing a nanny resume

There are several best practices for writing a resume that are generally good to follow. Here are a few of them:

• Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Sure, you can keep the main part of your resume (like your professional experience) as a base. However, it’s also a good idea to tweak your resume based on the job description you are applying for. For example, you can pick out a few keywords and key phrases from the job description and use them in your resume. This will make the hiring manager see that you possess the necessary skills and expertise specifically for the position you want to fill.
• Keep your resumes short and simple. Most HR managers agree that your resume shouldn’t be longer than a page. This means that it’s best to avoid generic phrases or vague language and abstract information. You will get further ahead if you use specific facts, references, examples from previous employment, numbers, etc.
• You can highlight the most important information in your resume using bold font or bullet points. Doing so will make your resume much easier to read and will let the hiring manager find out the most important information with just a quick glance at your resume.
• Send out your resumes in a PDF format. However, make sure to check if there are any specific instructions in the job description for how you should send in your resume and cover letter.
• Before sending out your resume, make sure it’s free of spelling errors or typos. The easiest way to do so is to run your resume through a spellchecker.

Nanny resume example

How to write a nanny resume: key takeaways

• To apply for a well-paying position in your field, you will need a powerful resume and a convincing cover letter.
• Your resume should include the following sections: contact details, professional introduction, experience, education and additional information (optional).
• Keep your resume short and to the point. A family looking for a nanny will probably have to look through dozens of resumes per day. Yours shouldn’t take too much of their time.
• Tailor your resume to the job description you are applying for. Re-read the job description and make sure that your resume reflects what the family is looking for. You may even use the same keywords and phrases as used in the job description to highlight your expertise.

Learn about how to write a resume.