How to Write a Professional Nanny Resume that Stands Out
Let’s face it, first impressions are a BIG DEAL.
With a career like nannying, where you are invited into a family’s home and life and routine, beginning the interview process on a solid, professional, positive note is non-negotiable. And you know what helps with putting your best foot forward from the outset of this process?
A well-crafted, comprehensive professional nanny resume that showcases your caregiving skills, your relevant childcare experience, important certifications, and any qualifications that set you apart.
But your nanny resume is not just a document that lists your experience and qualifications; it's your chance to make a lasting first impression on your potential employers. It should highlight your unique strengths, showcase your commitment to your career, and demonstrate your ability to provide exceptional, quality care. To put it simply, your resume can make a huge difference when it comes to landing your dream job.
SO, what should you include in your professional nanny resume?
Let’s break it down:
A brief overview or professional bio
At the top of your resume, take a moment to introduce yourself! It’s beneficial to provide a brief summary or introduction that encapsulates your professional life and emphasizes your passion for working with children. This short bio should serve as a helpful snapshot of who you are and what you bring to the table, especially in a childcare position. Take some time to highlight your years of experience (and be specific and use numbers whenever possible!), speak to your values and how they show up in this profession, and offer some character traits and achievements that set you apart. Try to make this unique to you and your personality, but be sure to maintain professionalism as well. If your nanny resume is telling the story of YOU, then think of this bio as both the hook and the plot summary!
All professional childcare experience
Highlight any and all relevant experience. For nannying positions, it is helpful to include all of your in-home professional childcare experience, in order of most recent to least recent. Be sure to include if the position was full-time or part-time, how long you stayed with the family (giving start and end dates), ages of the kids, your specific responsibilities (for example, did this role include house manager tasks as well?), and what you accomplished in this position (Did you help the little one meet developmental milestones? Did you assist with introducing baby to solids? How did you incorporate outdoor play or creative activities into the day?). Once again, don’t be afraid to get specific! For a professional nanny resume, you can often remove work experiences that are unrelated to childcare. But if you have experience as, say, a teacher, a daycare assistant, or a summer camp counselor, that’s wonderful to include and can demonstrate versatility in the role! If you ever have any questions about what “counts” as professional childcare experience, we love this piece by nanny extraordinaire & Childcare Coach Shannon Parola: Professional Childcare Experience as a Nanny.
Educational background
If you have earned any degrees, include those details! Include where you went to school, the year you graduated, and what you studied. While certainly not a requirement for most positions, families will like to see if you studied early childhood education, child and family development, teaching, etc.
Special skills, training, & certifications
This is where you can really demonstrate your commitment to professional development as a caregiver. Have you taken any childcare-specific courses? Do you have a background in Montessori? Have you received an infant feeding certification or become certified as a Newborn Care Specialist? Are you a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician? Are you up to date on your CPR/First Aid/AED certification? Did you attend a training like International Nanny Training Day? This will all stand out on your resume! Additionally, it’s beneficial to include other relevant qualifications like the languages you speak or your pristine driving record. This will matter to families and will make it clear that you value this work, as well as your growth in this profession.
Other interests/hobbies
This will not always be applicable and will depend on the nature of the job, but it can be a fun and more personal component to include! This can be another means to demonstrate your versatility and allow your personality to shine through. Perhaps you have a background in musical theatre or you have tons of travel experience or you’re a skilled chef who loves to cook nutrient-dense meals for the families you work with—these are all brilliant hobbies to mention that will translate well into many nanny roles.
On top of these components, we recommend meticulously reviewing your resume for any grammatical errors, typos, and inconsistencies. Presenting a polished and professional document will leave a lasting impression.
Moreover, it’s important to remember that your nanny resume should be a living document that you take time to revisit and update on a regular basis to account for any changes and updates.
All in all, we hope that this gives you the tools to build a stellar resume that you feel proud of and excited to share, and in doing so, that you are one step closer to landing your dream role! If you are interested in working with us at Nanny Harmony, take a moment to to look through our baseline requirements on our nannies page, and if you’d like to take a look at our current job openings, head to our job board to learn more.
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Nanny Harmony is a well-established, premier nanny placement agency, based in Chicago and offering services nationwide. We take immense pride in our extensive community network and in our proven ability to find extraordinary matches between families and passionate, experienced nannies, household managers, and Newborn Care Specialists. We would be thrilled to support you in finding the very best fit for your family. If you’d like to begin your nanny search, fill out our family application here or head to our Families Page for more info.
