Dragonfly6191

AlexiaANDRobert

Hey, I saw that you replied about being a nanny.

I know a lot of people don't check their PMs, but if you don't mind, or have a spare few minutes, can you give me some Craigslist pointers?

I replied to a few ads, and only got one email back saying the position had been filled.

The others never replied.  I'm just wondering if there are key words or specific things I should include in that first email to help me out.

Thank you in advance!

Dragonfly6191

Absolutely! I've become a pro at this

My absolute BEST advice, is to let them come to you. Instead of going through posts and replying to them (because that is what 100 other people are doing as well), start out by creating your own. The biggest thing there is something that will catch their attention....there are tons of other "Babysitter avaliable", etc etc, so you want yours to stand out. Alot of that will depend on your background and experience. If I remember correctly, you went to Rosen right? If you are a college graduate, put it in the title. Much more appealing to people than a 18 year old highschool student . For me, I was a former preschool teacher, and that was always got peoples attention. If you have prior nanny experience, says something like "Experienced, College Educated Nanny Avaliable" or whatever.

Inside your post, do a really short "bio", then follow it up with your experience. Personally, I always listed it along with the dates as a bullet-point list, it's easier for people to read that way!

Beyond that, make sure you list any special skills (CPR, First Aid, if you play a sport, instrument, etc etc), and what times you are avaliable. My personal advice? Offer more "time avaliable" than you are really looking for....the perfect job might escape you because you say you only want to work till 5, and they need someone till 6. If they really like you, maybe one of you can compromise!

The biggest problem you may have, because I did, is that if they know you are really doing this because you are out of work, and not because you really want to be a "career" nanny, they will be worried about hiring you because you might leave at the drop of a hat. I had a hard time convincing people I wasn't just going to use this as a time-filler until I got a real job. For me, telling people that I was planning to return to graduate school (evenings) and THEN start my career, seemed to make people more comfortable!

Hopefully that will get you started! I think you might have pretty good luck as school is nearly out and people are going to be looking for care for their kids during the summer. Also, If you are interested in working with kids, are you interested in a school enviroment as well? There are typically openings for daycare teachers all over the place. You will have to complete 45 hours worth of training, but it is online and very simple..and you just have to start it within 90 days of hire, and finish within 1 year.

Whew, that was long! Feel free to ask me anything though...but you are right, I never check PMs...nor do I even know where to find them . I do check facebook messages though, I can't remember if we are friends on FB or not