Written by Brooke Strickland for Nannies Plus
The beginning of a new year is a great time to turn over a new leaf and begin searching for the perfect nanny or family assistant position that matches your skills and experience–but sometimes, finding the right placement can feel overwhelming.
Here are some ideas to make the hunt less daunting as you set out to find your dream job.
Tip #1: Register with a domestic placement agency.
If you’re in the East Bay, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, or Solano counties, the skilled team of domestic placement specialists at Nannies Plus can help ensure that you’re interviewing for the positions that are most likely to be your perfect fit. With decades of experience both as professional nannies and agency specialists, we know how to create thriving family teams. Our mission is to honor and balance the needs of families and candidates alike, and we are there for you before, during, and after your placement.
Tip #2: Develop a resume and cover letter that stands out.
A resume is often the first impression families and agencies get from a professional nanny candidate. This insight into your experience and background is incredibly valuable and helps the person reviewing your resume determine if a formal interview is an effective use of everyone’s time. Your resume should include details about your experience, education, and any relevant trainings, certifications, or special skills you’d like to highlight. Resumes should list work history chronologically, starting with your most recent position. You may wish to include a cover letter, as well, which should not only summarize your professional background but also offer a glimpse into who you are as a person–your personality and passions–as well as the reason you are interested in the position or in registering with a particular agency.
Before sharing your resume and cover letter, be sure to review both documents closely for spelling, grammar, and readable formatting, and keep in mind that during your interview, the family or agency will likely want to discuss the contents of these documents, so you should be familiar with and willing to discuss everything you’ve included.
Tip #3: Curate your references.
Whether you are working with an agency or finding jobs on your own, every family is going to look to references for evidence that you can fulfill the duties of the position. Nannies Plus stresses to every candidate the importance of stellar references. If we have a job that we think may be a great fit and you are interested in exploring the opportunity, the first thing we do is get your permission to call your references, and we speak with them before proceeding further. The feedback we receive from your references is shared with the family when we tell them about you, so they can use that information to determine if they’d like to meet. Remember when it comes to references, more information is better, but the information should come from a small handful of exceptional sources. In most cases, 3-5 references are plenty! You don’t want to overwhelm with too many references–but you also don’t want to underwhelm, so it’s important to choose carefully. The strongest professional references come directly from employers (parents or supervisors/directors) who you worked with long-term and it’s always important to include your most recent employer.
Tip #4: Ask questions.
Asking good questions at an interview shows interest, dedication, and responsibility–so it’s a great idea to go into every interview with a list of questions on hand. This is an opportunity for you to learn about the family as well as share examples about how your experience aligns with the position and duties required.
Being a part of a family team as a professional nanny or family assistant is incredibly rewarding!
If you are looking for a professional nanny or family assistant position in 2023, call us today to start the search. We will get to know your specific experience and career goals and will work hard to find you a wonderful match!
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