Whether you are a first-time nanny looking to spice up a resume that may be lacking something or a seasoned pro who needs to do a lot of updating, if you are in the job market, you need to have an outstanding resume. Times are tough and competition is keen, so your resume needs to stand out in the crowd. What we have here are some tips and advice that can help you build a more impressive resume, one that could land you that elusive job interview.

For a prospective nanny, a simple online resume may not be enough. You will need to have ready access to all manner of certifications, many of which will only be accepted in hard-copy. These materials should be protected from hazards such as fires and floods, since replacement can be an added nightmare in the event of a disaster.

If you feel a need to buff up your resume, make use of these seven tips.

1. Reassess – Refresh yourself with a review of your resume, and you will help yourself revisit why you got into the nanny profession in the first place. This will help counter any complacency that can build up over time. Also, if you are asked about your resume during an interview, you will have the answers fresh in your mind.
2. Slash the trash – Don’t be redundant. If you have current certifications in your package, remove out-of-date material. Prospective employers want you to display a sense of organization, so limit yourself to pertinent information.
3. Point out Pluses – If you have won any awards or received commendations, especially during any recent employment, it is apropos to include that in your made-over resume package.
4. Hire a Professional  -  There are plenty of professional resume writing services available. Often times, these professionals have experience in the human relations field and know exactly how to layout a resume in a way that will capture the attention of potential employers.
5. Photo – If photographs are part of the resume package, make sure they are current and professional. Don’t use the pictures from your night out with the Chippendale dancers, and don’t overdo the make-up. Most parents prefer the wholesome look for someone they are hiring to care for their offspring.
6. Letters of Recommendation –  Ask for letters of recommendation from your past employers to include with your resume. These personal testimonials carry a lot of weight with new employers.
7. More Eyes – Sometimes it just takes a fresh pair of eyes to help improve a resume. Have a friend or colleague read through your packet to see how it might appear to a prospective employer. Often, we write things in a manner that is clear to ourselves, but doesn’t get the message through to the potential interviewer.

Remember, don’t have a stagnant or dull resume. That package is often the first impression somebody receives if they are thinking about hiring you. They may see dozens of resumes; make sure yours is the best it can be.

Comments Off

Working parents usually have regularly scheduled childcare for their kids, but there are situations that may require a temporary nanny or caregiver. They may be inbetween permanent day care, the child is sick and can’t attend school or the parents are taking a short vacation on their own. Whatever the reason, there are temporary childcare services available. However, before taking that step, be sure to know the risks involved.

Children are the most comfortable if they can depend on a regular daily routine. Too much disruption to this can lead kids into a sense of insecurity. Some children are able to deal with new situations and other caregivers better than others, so use caution when introducing your child to temporary childcare. It wouldn’t be advisable to leave your child with an unfamiliar adult while you go off on a weekend getaway.

Kids who are constantly being shuffled from one caregiver to another can develop trouble forming attachments. Beginning in infancy with their parents, children need to develop secure attachments to the adults that care for them. Consistent, dependable relationships give kids a sense of security and control, so constantly changing temporary caregivers can be detrimental to a child’s well being. Bonding with adult caregivers can take time and consistency so constant disruptions to this process can result in your child being detached and have trouble establishing future relationships.

It’s unreasonable to expect that your child should never be left with a temporary caregiver, so parents shouldn’t worry too much when the situation arises. When something unexpected comes up and you need to get someone to watch the kids, don’t be concerned that they’ll have irreparable damage from the experience. Only when this scenario is repeated over and over do you run the risk of behavior problems developing in your child. Kids who don’t develop stable relationships with their caregivers can become irritable and act out from frustration.

When circumstances do require you to find a temporary caregiver, be sure to get someone you can trust. A good temporary childcare service will perform thorough background checks on all their staff. By checking references and getting recommendations from other parents, you should be able to locate a reputable service or responsible person that you can feel comfortable leaving your child with. Never run the risk of trusting the care of your child with someone you don’t know well personally or haven’t thoroughly checked out ahead of time.

Another option for temporary childcare is to get someone your child is already familiar with. Perhaps you have a friend or family member that your children know from past social gatherings that they would feel comfortable with. By having an already established relationship, kids will be less traumatized by being left alone with someone different for a short period of time.

Knowing the risks associated with temporary childcare and how to avoid them is an important aspect in childrearing. By letting your children establish ongoing relationships with their caregivers and providing them with consistency in their formative years, your kids are more likely to grow up happy, healthy and well adjusted.

Comments Off

Finding the right nanny can be a really difficult and frustrating experience and it’s true that some parents go into it with pre-conceived notions of what a nanny should or should not be like (young and fun or older and experienced, etc.).  We aren’t really sure why that is the case but over the years I have had some parents tell me that they would prefer to not have a nanny that has her own children.  I think that’s really too bad because there are many reasons to consider Moms.  Just being a Mother doesn’t mean that they are good or bad, better or worse, but it should NOT be a reason to exclude them from a search.  In fact, you should see their experience as a parent in many ways consistent with “on-the-job” training that should help them in their career as a nanny.  We are going to give you a few reasons to consider hiring a nanny who is a mother, but we want to stress that these types of life skills can and often do exist in people that have chosen a career as a nanny.

1. Experience – Colic, croup, teething, “terrible two’s” and a cast of thousands of first-hand experiences will be helpful for your nanny.
2. Empathy – Being a mother takes things from the hypothetical/theoretical to a practical level, and those with the “experience” are more apt to have a “feel” for their charges.
3. Behavior Recognition – Mothers see the progressions, regressions, aggressions and digressions in your kids  because they have been through it with their own children.
4. Skills – Mom’s can have learned some skills that are hard to teach effectively from dealing with kid’s that know how to push their buttons to holding a sick child’s hand while they lie in bed with a fever.  Some of those life skills can really come in handy in ways that are just hard to describe.
5. Discipline – Nannies with parenting experience have learned to balance the use of the carrot and the stick.  Again, all nannies should have this well under control but getting your kids to accept discipline for some reason can be even more challenging than doing the same with other children.
6. Nutrition – If a nanny has been successful at getting her own children hooked on healthy foods then there is a chance she has a few tricks up her sleeve for getting kids in her charge to eat their veggies and more.
7. Knows the Routine – Doctors, dentists, pictures with Santa, after-school activities and a slew of other appointments and activities are nothing new to the nanny who is also a mom.
8. Education – Typically, a nanny who has school-age kids of her own will be better prepared to help in the educational process if that is something that you are looking for from your nanny (tutoring and/or interactions with the school as needed).
9. Instinct – Humans don’t like to be compared to other earthly fauna, but many say the motherly “instinct” is alive and well.  Once again, this can be strong in nannies without their own children as well and is much more intrinsic to the person on a case-by-case basis.
10. Intangibles – Almost a compendium of the previous items is the overall presence of a nanny who already has childrearing experience. The total package can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Motherhood is certainly NOT a requirement for a great nanny by any means as there are many fantastic caregivers that have never had children of their own (in fact through their nanny experiences they will likely pick up nearly the same life skills).  With that said, it’s common when you are looking for an experienced nanny to find out whether or not candidates have been a mother and to delve into questions surrounding their own experiences.  It can go either way, but one thing we are sure of is that you should not ignore candidates who have been a Mother, in fact we hope we gave you some good reasons to include them on your interview list.

Comments Off