Working as a nanny provides a diverse set of professional skills that are valuable across many industries. This experience demonstrates responsibility, adaptability, and strong interpersonal abilities. Framing your nanny experience as the serious profession it is can help you secure your next role, whether it is in childcare or another field entirely.
How to Format Nanny Experience
When listing your work history, it is best to present the information in a clear, professional format. Start with your job title, using a descriptor like “Nanny,” “Childcare Provider,” or “Private Childcare Professional.” Following the title, list the name of the family and the location. For privacy, it is acceptable to use a general description such as “Private Family Residence” or “The Miller Family” instead of a full name and address.
Include the start and end dates for each position, using a month and year format. This information helps employers understand the duration and consistency of your employment. You can also specify whether the position was full-time, part-time, or on an as-needed basis.
Describing Your Duties and Accomplishments
The description of your responsibilities should begin with strong action verbs to create an impactful and professional tone. Words like “managed,” “coördinated,” “developed,” “fostered,” and “taught” immediately convey a sense of leadership and proactivity.
Each bullet point under your job title should detail your contributions clearly. You might describe how you “developed engaging and educational activities” or “managed daily schedules for meals, school, and recreational events.” Other examples include “transported children to and from school and extracurricular activities” or “fostered a safe and healthy environment.”
Structure these points to highlight the breadth of your responsibilities. You could “prepare nutritious meals and snacks” while also “assisting with homework and school projects.” Mentioning how you “maintained open communication with parents regarding children’s progress” demonstrates your collaborative skills.
Showcasing Nanny Skills
A dedicated “Skills” section on your resume allows you to highlight specific qualifications that might not fit within the bullet points of your work experience. It is useful to separate these skills into two distinct categories: hard skills and soft skills.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are tangible, often learned through training or certification. Including these demonstrates a commitment to professional development and safety.
- CPR/First Aid Certification
- Water Safety Certification
- Valid Driver’s License and Clean Driving Record
- Early Childhood Education Coursework or Credits
- Second Language Fluency
- Knowledge of Nutrition and Meal Planning
Soft Skills
Soft skills reflect your interpersonal attributes and are demonstrated through your interactions with others. These qualities are highly sought after in any role that involves working with people.
- Communication
- Patience and Empathy
- Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution
- Time Management and Organization
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Creativity
Quantifying Your Contributions
Using numbers and data to describe your accomplishments makes your experience more concrete and impactful for employers. Quantifying your contributions provides clear, measurable evidence of your capabilities and successes.
For example, instead of stating you “managed activities for children,” you could write, “Developed and managed daily educational activities for 3 children (ages 2, 4, and 7).” This revised statement is more powerful because it specifies the number and ages of the children, giving a clearer picture of your role. Similarly, “tutored kids in math” can be enhanced to “tutored a 4th-grade student in math, resulting in a 35% improvement in test scores.”
Other opportunities for quantification include mentioning the number of meals prepared weekly, the size of a household budget you managed, or the number of extracurricular activities you coordinated. Adding these details helps your resume stand out by providing tangible proof of your effectiveness.
Translating Nanny Experience for Other Jobs
When applying for positions outside of the childcare industry, it is beneficial to reframe your nanny experience using corporate or professional language. This helps hiring managers from different fields recognize the relevance and value of your skills. The key is to translate your hands-on duties into broader professional competencies that align with the job description.
For instance, “managing schedules for appointments and playdates” can be described as “coordination and logistics planning.” This phrasing highlights your organizational and planning abilities in a way that resonates in a business context. Similarly, your experience “mediating sibling disagreements” can be translated to “conflict resolution and interpersonal mediation,” showcasing valuable people-management skills.
Other examples include reframing “managing a household budget for groceries and supplies” as “budget management and financial oversight.” Your role in “teaching age-appropriate concepts” can be presented as “developing and implementing educational programs.” This method helps bridge the gap between your childcare background and the requirements of a different professional environment.