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You’re the master of kissing boo boos, a magician when it comes to getting kids to eat their vegetables and the best slime maker in town. As a nanny, you know all the tricks for keeping kids happy, healthy and on schedule, but in this competitive field, finding a sought after nanny role isn’t child’s play.
To land the job you want, you’ll need a nanny resume that outlines your skills, training and experience — all the things that make you the best choice to care for a family’s youngest members. We make it easy!
With the help of some easy-to-follow instructions on how to write a resume for your career in child care, tips on using keywords from the job description of a nanny for your resume and some excellent resume examples for reference, the task can be much simpler than you think. Here, you’ll learn exactly what you need to know to write an impressive nanny resume.
Keep reading to learn more about:
- Examples of nanny resumes for applicants with and without experience.
- What makes a nanny resume great.
- Tips and tricks for writing nanny resumes, including how to study a job description of nanny for resume keywords.
- What to include in every section of your nanny resume.
- How to choose the right resume template and format for the role.
Ready to write your nanny resume now? Use our professional AI Resume Builder for step-by-step help writing every section.
Nanny Resume Examples
What makes this a great nanny resume sample?
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Eye-catching resume template.
This resume features a colorful, fun resume template, which is perfect for an applicant for a nanny position. The pop of orange shows off her personality and her fun side.
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Packs in multiple skills sections.
While this applicant doesn’t have a tremendous amount of work experience, she has many enviable transferable skills. Listing them in multiple sections shows a hiring manager clearly what she’ll bring to the table if she is hired.
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Utilizes the right resume format.
Since this applicant is applying for only her second nanny job, she has chosen a functional resume format to highlight her education and impressive skill set, a wise choice for someone with limited direct experience.
What makes this a great nanny resume sample?
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Utilizes a chronological resume format.
With substantial experience as a nanny, this applicant utilizes a resume template that offers details on his past employment.
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Uses data and metrics.
To showcase the impact his work has had, this applicant uses data and metrics that show the tangible results of his work with children.
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Use of special sections.
With three highly relevant and impressive certifications, this applicant has made them pop by listing them under their own header. This will help potential employers see that this applicant has gone above and beyond to become highly qualified for the role.
Related resume examples
Not finding the nanny resume examples that you need? Check out the related resume examples below or take a look at our library of resume examples to browse hundreds of job titles to find what you’re looking for.
Browse other popular samples
Choose the right resume format for your nanny resume
To land the nanny job you want, you need to get the right information in front of who’s hiring. How do you accomplish that? By selecting the right resume format.
Here’s how to decide which one is right for you:
- If you’re an applicant with no related experience, consider using a functional resume format, which puts transferable skills front and center.
- If you’re a midlevel applicant with a few years of experience as a nanny, consider using a combination resume format, which is ideal for showing employers both your skills and work experience.
- If you’re an experienced applicant with five or more years of relevant experience as a nanny, use a chronological resume format to highlight your work experience and a strong career progression.
Visit our guide to learn more about how to format a resume for more information on how to best showcase your nanny skills, training and experience.
Select an appropriate nanny resume template
While every resume template will have the same basic sections — a professional summary or resume objective, skills, work history and education — you can customize the look and feel of your resume by selecting the right template.
Every family is different, so choose your resume template to match their vibe. If the role is at a swanky residence in a high-end neighborhood, you may want to use a very classic resume design. Or, for a more casual arrangement, consider a colorful resume template. For versatile resume templates that will work in a variety of settings, view our selection of modern and simple templates to find one that fits your personal style.
How to write a nanny resume in 5 simple steps
While there are some basic rules for writing a great resume, top candidates for competitive nanny jobs know that the key to getting noticed is to write a resume that is specific to the industry and the role they seek. Follow our simple steps to write a resume that leaves employers wanting to meet you.
Step 1
Study the nanny job description
A well-written nanny resume is customized to include keywords that show employers that you have what it takes to perform the role. Why is this important?
Many employers run resumes through applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen out unqualified candidates based on preset keywords. If your resume doesn’t contain the right keywords, you’ll be eliminated before a human ever sees your resume. To make your resume ATS-friendly, you’ll need to customize it to the nanny job description to improve your chances of landing a job interview.
But how do you know which words to use? Study the nanny job description for your resume.
While every role is different, a good nanny job description should tell you everything you need to know about which keywords to add. The key to success is to study the skills and requirements and make a list of critical keywords.
For example, if the job description for the role you seek asks for experience with activity planning, conflict resolution, cooking and positive discipline, you’ll want to be sure to use those exact words in your nanny resume. Look for opportunities to add these words in your professional summary, skills section and work experience section to add the keywords you’ve identified. Then, go through your resume and make sure what you wrote matches the wording in the job description so that the ATS recognizes it.
It may sound like a lot, but once you get used to the process, it should only take you a few minutes to do and will get your nanny resume better results than if you don’t tailor it.
Step 2
Write a professional summary or resume objective
Depending on your level of experience, your nanny resume should include either a professional summary or a resume objective to start. Think of this section as your resume profile, where you provide potential employers with a summary of your most relevant skills and experience and some professional highlights.
Candidates with less experience should choose a resume objective, which states your transferable skills and your career goals. Applicants with more direct experience in a nanny role should use a professional summary, which outlines your skills and experience and highlights some of your most notable professional accomplishments.
Here are some strong examples for your nanny resume:
Nanny professional summary example:
Career nanny with 17 years of exceptional child care expertise capable of providing personalized and nurturing care to multiple children. Proven track record of creating a safe, stimulating and enriching environment for children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development. Adept at building strong relationships with families based on trust, open communication and a deep understanding of their unique needs. Recognized for maintaining the utmost discretion and professionalism while upholding the highest standards of child care. Offering unwavering commitment, boundless energy and a passion for fostering children’s growth and well-being.
Nanny objective example:
Recent graduate with a degree in early childhood education seeks a nanny role. Energetic and dedicated individual with five years of proven babysitting experience, eager to contribute comprehensive child care skills to a nurturing family environment. Adept at creating engaging play experiences that promote children’s cognitive and social development. Skilled in preparing nutritious meals and maintaining a tidy living space, ensuring a well-rounded and organized caregiving approach. Committed to fostering a safe and joyful atmosphere while consistently prioritizing the children’s well-being. Seeking a rewarding opportunity to provide attentive and reliable child care support to a loving family.
Step 3
Highlight your most relevant nanny skills
Regardless of your experience level, employers will be looking closely at the nanny resume skills you list. Skills for a nanny resume should be added to your resume skills section and peppered into your professional summary (or resume objective) and your work experience section.
It’s critical that you provide employers with a solid mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the measurable skills needed to perform a job, like CPR and meal planning. These skills are easily taught in a classroom. Soft skills, like empathy and patience, are behaviors and personality traits, which make them difficult to measure. Below, we provide a side-by-side list of hard and soft skills to help you see the difference between the two.
Hard and soft skills for a nanny resume
- Scheduling
- Activity planning
- Positive discipline
- Healthy meal planning
- Light cleaning
- CPR training
- Communication
- Time management
- Empathy
- Attention to detail
- Creativity
- Playful
Here is an example of a strong nanny skills section:
- Experience scheduling doctor’s appointments and after-school activities
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Playful personality with a willingness to facilitate games and activities
- Experience preparing healthy child-friendly meals
When writing your skills section, adding computer skills and other technical abilities are great. However, soft skills count, too. Try to find a mix of hard and soft skills to show that you are a well balanced applicant.
Step 4
Write a strong nanny work experience section
While the required background and experience will be different for each role, the key to getting noticed is writing a work experience section that demonstrates what you will bring to the table.
Unless you have chosen a functional resume format, which focuses on skills, the most effective way to highlight your previous achievements is by detailing your work experience on your resume using bullet points. List your roles in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent, with bullet points that highlight your responsibilities and achievements using compelling language and metrics wherever possible to show the impact of your work.
Here is an example of a great nanny work experience entry:
Nanny, Smith Family
New York, NY
January 2020 – Present
- Deliver child-centric care through an unwavering commitment to the well-being of the children, ages 3 and 5.
- Create engaging activities that stimulate growth and creativity.
- Provide live-in care, ensuring a seamless and flexible support system for the family’s diverse needs, including early mornings, late evenings and weekends.
- Utilized my Montessori training to design and implement age-appropriate activities that encourage independent thinking, problem-solving and a love for learning.
- Prepared well-balanced and nutritious meals that catered to the children’s dietary needs and preferences, contributing to their overall health and development. Incorporated fresh, organic ingredients and introduced them to a variety of flavors.
- Organized regular trips to local museums, parks and interactive learning centers, enhancing the children’s cognitive development and broadening their horizons in a hands-on manner.
Make your nanny credentials pop by using action words, data and metrics to capture the attention of a hiring manager. Words like “delivered” and “organized” are more eye-catching than “responsible for” and similar language.
Step 5
Showcase your education and training on your nanny resume
To be hired as a nanny, you’ll need to show employers that you have the required education and training. Top candidates for this role often list a bachelor’s degree in child development or early childhood education and relevant certifications or special training, like CPR. There is no need to list your year of graduation unless you are a very recent grad.
How to list your nanny education:
Education:
Bachelor of Arts
Early Childhood Education
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Certifications:
- Child Development Associate (CDA) certification
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) - First aid and CPR certification
American Red Cross
If you have professional certifications or special training, add them to your resume. You can include them in your education section or add a special section to your nanny resume.
Optional sections for your nanny resume
Languages
Being multilingual expands your communication abilities, giving you access to a wider variety of families and can open the door to international opportunities.
Additionally, many families are interested in nannies who can teach their children a second language, which means that all else being equal, if a job opening comes down to two candidates and one of them lists multiple languages on their resume, the multilingual candidate might be more attractive to the employer.
How to list languages on your nanny resume:
- Fluent in French and English
- Proficient in Spanish
Interests and hobbies
Adding hobbies to your resume is appropriate as long as they’re relevant to the job. They offer an opportunity to show your personality and meaningfully connect with a potential employer. Plus, they emphasize your transferable skills, like creativity or leadership — qualities you take from job to job.
Finally, hobbies and interests can demonstrate whether you’re the right culture fit for a company. They enrich your overall profile, showing the employer how you’re a unique and fully defined person.
How to list interests and hobbies on your nanny resume:
- Passion for horseback riding
- Avid photographer
- Enthusiasm for Harry Potter books
Add a cover letter
Adding a nanny cover letter to your application can help you stand out. Why? Because it gives you extra space to convince the employer that you’re the right person for the job.
Learning how to write a cover letter for a nanny job starts with studying our cover letter examples to learn how to express your unique candidacy in a compelling way and how to format your cover letter for success.
Or, if you want a job-specific cover letter in a matter of minutes, use our professional Cover Letter Builder, which offers professionally written text suggestions for every section. Use the wording as-is or customize it to suit your needs.
Key takeaways for your nanny resume
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Follow our steps for a standout resume:
Take care to write all five sections of your nanny resume in a way that is specific to the job you seek. Your professional summary, skills, work experience and education section should all contain information that is targeted to the job ad.
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Select the appropriate resume format:
Decide what you’d like to emphasize the most on your nanny resume — such as strong skills, an impressive work history or both — and then select the format that will help you put your best foot forward.
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Be specific to the role:
Use specific information from the nanny job description rather than using generic resume filler when crafting your document. Again, a well-written job description will tell you the critical keywords and credentials you must emphasize on your resume.
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Include both hard and soft skills:
Being a nanny requires a mix of technical and personal skills to do the job well. Study our list of hard and soft skills to be sure that you include a balance of both types in your resume.
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Make your work experience section shine:
Accomplish this by using action verbs, data and metrics to show the impact of your work.
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Choose an appropriate resume template:
Child care is a varied field that exists in creative environments and conservative workplaces alike. If you’re applying for a job at a conservative organization, you’ll want to choose a conservative resume design. For independent families with babies and toddlers, your nanny resume can be more colorful and creative.
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Go the extra mile:
Including a well-written nanny cover letter can increase your chances of landing a job interview, so include one with your resume to give your application its best chance.
Commonly asked question about resume writing
Last Updated: November 01, 2023
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Heather is the Content Strategy Manager for Resume Now and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than ten years of experience writing about job search and career topics. She is based in San Francisco.
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