Nanny Resume Example & Writing Guide

Looking for a job as a nanny can be a lot like trying to find a needle in a haystack. With so many qualified candidates out there, how do you make sure your nanny resume stands out?

As a nanny, you’re responsible for the well-being and development of someone else’s child. That’s a serious endeavor that shouldn’t be taken lightly, which can be said about the resume-building process as well.

You need to find a way to highlight your unique strengths and experiences, which requires some knowledge, a bit of patience, and a touch of personality. We’re going to explore all those aspects in this article.

So let’s get started—those kids aren’t going to watch themselves!

What is the Right Format to Use for a Nanny Resume?

It’s not uncommon for potential employers to go through countless resumes in a short period of time. As a result, they skim through most of them and only pay proper attention to a select few that manage to woo them instantly.

That’s why your resume needs to be organized in such a way that it conveys information about you clearly and concisely.

One resume format stands above the rest as the most commonly used with the most success, and that’s the chronological resume format. It neatly lines up your previous experiences in reverse-chronological order. Your latest job is usually the most important, and this format puts it at the top.

Resume Layout

A format and layout go hand-in-hand to transform your nanny resume into an engaging experience. A strong resume layout makes different sections visually distinct and readable and ensures that everything looks appealing. Here’s how to nail your layout:

• Your resume should be one page long in most cases.

• You need a legible and resume-friendly font, such as Calibri.

• Consider setting the font size to 10–12 pt with section headings at 14–16 pt.

• Have at least 1-inch margins on all sides and a comparable amount of white space between sections for visual clarity.

What Sections Should a Nanny Resume Contain?

By following these lists closely, you’ll be able to craft an impeccable nanny resume from the ground up. But there’s an even better way that could help you save a ton of time, and that’s with our resume builder.

You can use it to effortlessly adjust the layout and customize its different elements. It also has pre-made templates with blanks that you can fill in with your own information. This means you don't have to make any guesses when writing your resume. Instead, you can leave all the hard work to our powerful software!

Nanny Resume Contact Information

The contact information section is one of the simplest yet most important parts of your nanny resume. What’s the point of capturing the potential employer’s attention if they can’t get in touch with you?

That’s why you should put your contact details at the top of your resume and include the following bits:

• Your name

• Job title

• Phone number

• Email address

• (Optional) Relevant social media profile

Now let’s see that in a specific example:

Here are a few final tips to help you get this section right:

• You should keep this part of your resume precise and accurate, which means that you should include a professional job title and email address.

• Adding a location is an outdated practice and should only be used if the job ad asks for it.

• Having a personal social media profile (e.g., on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter) can be beneficial, but only if it’s job-related.

Nanny Resume Objective or Summary

Remember how we talked about employers skimming through most resumes? One of the easiest ways to grab their attention is with an impactful introduction paragraph that puts your strongest features on display. This section is called a resume objective or summary, and it usually goes right next to your contact information in your resume header.

If you’re new to the nanny business, your most prominent qualities are likely your skills and motivation, which you’ll want to highlight in your nanny resume objective.

However, nannies with professional histories should showcase their most impressive work-related accomplishments, which means they’ll write a resume summary.

Nanny Resume Objective

Having no work history shouldn’t stop you from portraying yourself as a capable candidate. You can put your best foot forward by emphasizing your education, certifications, abilities, and even volunteer experience via a resume objective.

Here’s a good example:

Compared to this resume objective packed with valuable details, the following one is completely uninspiring:

Nanny Resume Summary

A nanny resume summary should represent a synopsis of the entire document that emphasizes attention-grabbing accomplishments.

Let’s see that in an example:

However, if you don’t demonstrate your competence but merely state it, you leave your potential employers guessing and questioning whether you’re telling the truth. Here’s an example of how not to write a nanny resume summary:

Nanny Resume Work Experience

If you want to convince a potential employer that you’ll do a good job, show them your past work successes. So let’s see how you can get the most out of your work experience section.

Nanny With No Experience

Writing a compelling nanny resume with no experience might look impossible, but it’s actually fairly straightforward. There are always some activities that you can showcase instead. Anything from your work as a volunteer to past jobs that highlight qualities relevant to nannies will do the trick.

Here’s how a candidate can leverage their experience working as a cashier to portray themselves as an organized person with teaching and interpersonal skills:

Experienced Nanny

Experienced nannies should tailor their resumes to specific job ads. Since you likely have a lot of experience, results, and accomplishments to show, you want to focus on those that your employers will want to see the most.

In the following example, a candidate applying to be a nanny for a private family highlighted their previous job of the same nature:

Nanny Resume Education Section

While you don’t need a high degree to work as a nanny, having one and not listing it is a huge waste. Not only that, but if you’re an entry-level applicant, you can make up for any lack of work experience by making your education section strong.

Here are the details to include when creating this section:

• Your degree

• The institution issuing it

• Enrollment and graduation years

• (Optional) Relevant courses, extracurricular activities, notable results, international education, etc.

It’s worth noting that you should include your diploma even if you’re still studying. You can do that by having “current” instead of a graduation year or by placing “expected” next to it.

Nanny Resume Skills

Nannies come with one of the most diverse skill sets out there. For example, you might need to be an impeccable driver and an engaging teacher at the same time. Due to such diversity, it’s essential that you list the nanny resume skills that your potential employers are looking for.

Are you going to apply for a position as a summer nanny? Maybe you’re an infant nanny or a special-needs nanny. Each of those roles requires a different collection of abilities, which is why it’s important to examine the job ad and figure out which skills to add to the list in your resume.

However, adding skills to a resume is not just about creating a list. You also want to make sure that you prove them to your employers.

Mention some of your most prominent abilities in the bullet points of your work experience sections and in your resume objective or summary. Link them to relevant achievements, and you’ll show employers the direct, palpable results of your skills, making them concrete in the process.

Nanny Resume Optional Sections

We said at the beginning that you should infuse your nanny resume with a bit of personality. Optional sections are one of the best ways to do that.

Certifications & Licenses

Certifications and licenses will immediately place you ahead of the competition that doesn’t include them in their resumes. They add immense credibility to your skills and portray you as a diligent, hard-working individual.

Volunteer Experience

There are many benefits to adding volunteer experience to your nanny resume. On the one hand, it can be a perfect substitute for work history for entry-level candidates who are just starting out.

On the other hand, even if you’re a seasoned veteran, highlighting your volunteer efforts shows that you’re a compassionate and charitable person, which are highly sought-after nanny traits.

Hobbies & Interests

Hobbies and interests are perhaps one of the most straightforward ways to give prominence to your personality. This is a brief section where you get to be the real you and talk about something that you’re truly passionate about.

You might get bonus points if your interests line up with the role that you’re applying for (for example, if you like cooking), though that’s far from a must for this part.

Should You Submit a Cover Letter With Your Nanny Resume?

What better way to highlight your diligence and motivation than to go above and beyond and submit a cover letter with your nanny resume? This is often an optional document, but you should definitely submit it if you want to maximize your chances of success.

Moreover, you can use the extra real estate that you get by writing a cover letter to go in-depth about some of those skills and achievements that you haven’t talked about in your nanny resume.

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, crafting a nanny resume is all about showcasing your skills, experience, and personality in a professional and engaging way.

Remember to highlight your compassion and attentiveness, as well as your superhero-like powers of patience.

And if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the job search process, just remember: It’s nothing compared to that time you managed to wrangle a toddler who was determined to eat dirt for breakfast. You got this; best of luck!