The Art of the Nanny Resume -
Part 2: Skills That Matter
by Donna Shannon

In any resume, the skills section plays an important role.  In the corporate world, this is a great section to land key words to get past the HR departments’ screeners, while letting hiring managers see a list of your potential.  In private service, we don’t have to cater to the screeners as much, but the employers still like to see a simple, direct listing of skills to assess if you are right for their family.

However, many nannies have a difficult time putting together a comprehensive list of their skills.  Part of the problem is recognizing an innate ability as a marketable skill.

For example, it may be second nature to you to create a consistent schedule for young children, or to pack plenty of activities for a long trip. Yet for many employers, this is the type of specific help that they need. Whether they have thought of the skill set or not, seeing yours listed helps them realize everything you can do to benefit their children and make their lives easier.

Skills to Include

Since it can be difficult to think of skills, consider these questions:

• How old were the children you cared for? Are there any ages that you specialize in, such as newborns or school-age children?
• What safety precautions did you create for the household?
• Are you First Aid/ Emergency Response certified?
• Did you help with any of the household cleaning or laundry?
• Did you make the children’s meals? What style of cooking was your specialty? Are you willing to make meals for the entire family?
• Did you drive the children to appointments?
• Were you in charge of the children’s or family’s calendars?
• Did you travel with the family?
• What are some of your favorite activities for children?
• How do you help the children learn and develop?

Tips for Skills

When creating your skills set for your resume, remember that this is meant to be read as a list.  As such, keep the descriptions brief, usually 3-4 words per bullet point.  Keep the writing interesting. Most importantly, if you did do something in the past but do NOT want to include it in your future duties – such as cooking or cleaning – do NOT list them in your skills!  This would lead to a faulty assumption on the future employers’ part.

NEXT – Experience Put Into Perspective

The next article in this series will not run for 2 weeks.  At that time we will run 4 articles in succession. In the meantime, if you are in the process of a job search you can utilize this time to work on your background, your personal style and your passion statement. You can also think about your skills and how you apply them to your job.

We will be giving away a copy of Donna Shannon’s book “Get a Job Without Going Crazy” the first week in February. We will be drawing a name from those who make comments on the blog. Details to come. So be sure and leave your comments on the blog.

About the Author

Donna Shannon, a former recruiter and president of Coyote Visions, helps job seekers land their dream jobs with practical advice and guidance. She is one of the few resume writers in the United States that offers comprehensive private service resumes. Her book, “Get a Job Without Going Crazy,” is available on Amazon.com