As a Professional Nanny you will want to have Letters of Recommendation from the families that have employed you for your nanny services. These letters are an invaluable tool in your search for your next nanny job as well as for your nanny agency to have in your file.
You may wonder how to go about asking for these from the families that have employed you. Simply make a phone call, send an email, or if text is your normal form of communication with former families that is fine too! Explain to them that these letters are very important to build up your portfolio and are especially helpful during your interview process in securing a new position. They show your work history while also giving potential families the ability to contact former employers and get personal references on you. These references work to your benefit in your search for a new nanny position in several ways. Outstanding letters make your portfolio pop and really stand out from the rest! Parents truly like to read these as it lets them know more about you and your professional experience. Reading about and then speaking to past families personally lets potential families learn about your skills, hard work, and how much you have been valued and appreciated by past employers. These letters are actually one of your most important tools in assisting you with future job hunting. In addition to asking past families whom you do not already have letters from it is ok to ask current families as well. The appropriate time to ask this is at your annual reviews. You can simply let your current employers know that you are very happy working for them, are not currently seeking a new position, but that it helps you and your Nanny Placement Agency to regularly keep your information up to date. This ensures that you will avoid last minute scrambling for letters when the time does come for you to begin interviewing for a new position.
Parents who are writing these letters for you may ask what they should include as far as specifics in their letter. Be sure to let them know what should be included so that the letter writing process is simple and smooth for them. You will want them to include how long you were employed by them (include dates of employment), what type of hours you worked for them whether part or full time, what responsibilities you had while working for them, ages of the children at the start and end dates, and why the job came to an end. In addition to this ask them to write a little bit about you! What did they like about you? What did you do for them as a family? They can list special skills and achievements and even share a story! Be sure to have them include their name, email, phone number, and location. They can close the letter by letting potential families know to feel free to contact them as a reference for you. The parent should sign and date the letter. These letters should be kept to one page.
Thank your past and present families for taking the time to write these for you!
By: Anne-Marie Ferraro