Agencies and parents read the top half of the first page and often decide from that alone. Put your experience, qualifications, Ofsted status and availability there, describe what you actually did rather than which ages you cared for, and keep the whole thing to one or two pages.
If you have been sending your CV out for role after role and hearing nothing back, the problem is usually not your experience. It is that the CV is not selling it. Writing a good nanny CV is not difficult; it takes the basics done properly and a little thought about who is reading it.
Table of contents
Front-load the first half page
Agencies focus on the top half of the first page, so anything essential needs to be there rather than further down.
Your personal profile should introduce you and give an overview of your experience, how long you have worked, your qualifications, whether you are Ofsted registered, and when you are available. Keep it to five lines. It is a summary, not an essay.
Then list your work experience from most recent backwards.
Formatting that gets read
- Use a clear, plain font. Nothing smaller than 10 point or larger than 12 for the body. Larger sizes are only for your name and section headings.
- Keep it to one or two pages. Two is acceptable with extensive nannying experience. Do not write a book. Parents and agencies want an overview and will ask for detail at interview.
- Be consistent. If one heading is bold, all headings are bold. The same goes for underlining, font sizes and spacing. Inconsistent formatting reads as careless, which is the last impression you want in this job.
Describing your experience
This is where most CVs lose. "Caring for children aged 0 to 2" tells a parent nothing that distinguishes you from every other applicant.
Say what you actually did and what you can demonstrate: supporting weaning, potty training, establishing routines, settling and sleep, managing a nursery, working alongside a parent recovering from birth. Specifics are what a parent remembers.
Use the right language. Write "children", not "kids". Small thing, read by people who notice small things.
If you are moving into newborn work, ages matter enormously. Agencies place practitioners based on demonstrable newborn experience, so make the ages of the babies you have cared for explicit rather than leaving them to be inferred. See how to become a maternity nurse for what agencies check.
References
At the bottom, write "References available on request" rather than listing contact details on the CV itself.
When asked, you will need references from families who have employed you as a nanny or in a similar childcare role. Aim for at least three professional references, not friends or family. Most agencies check references verbally rather than accepting written ones, so the quality of those working relationships matters as much as the CV.
Before you send it
- Check grammar and spelling, then have someone else check it too.
- Read it as a parent would. If you had sixty seconds, what would you want to know?
- Make sure your availability is current. An out-of-date CV signals you are not really looking.
Strengthening your CV with training?
Accredited newborn and maternity training is one of the clearest things a CV can show. The free checklist covers what else agencies look for.