LinkedIn And Why It Is For Nannies
It’s surprising how your social channels can help with not only getting your profile out there but also finding new roles. But there’s one platform that really stands out when it comes to business. And that’s LinkedIn..
Here’s why we think LinkedIn should be part of your online nanny presence and how best to approach the platform.
The nanny search landscape is changing
How families and agencies find nannies has dramatically changed over the last couple of years, From job boards on Facebook to agencies that solely exist online.
An array of digital services has complemented the traditional agency. And parents have embraced these new ways not just to find their perfect nanny, but also to research a potential Nanny.
This makes it important to consider what you are putting out there and where you are putting it.
The what before the where
Before we get onto where to post, let’s just take a second to think about what you post.
I bet we’ve all done it at some point (haven’t we?); popped our name into Google, and had a look at what comes up. And if you’re a nanny that’s looking for a new job, I absolutely recommend you do this. It’s what a lot of parents will do so make sure you are happy with what’s out there!
- Search your name on Google, click on the first few relevant links that come up, and check out what images surface. If you don’t like what you find, find the source and remove it. In many instances, this will fix any issues.
- If there’s something that you don’t like and you can’t fix it, speak to the platform that it’s on and work with them on taking it down. Recently, all the social platforms have become much better at helping people address issues like this.
- Then, check the security on ALL your social channels. We all have private lives and it’s not always best that Friday night meets Monday morning!
When that’s all sorted, check out any nanny profiles you have and ensure they are all in order, up to date and sharing all the right information.
We will explore more fully what goes into online profiles on platforms like LinkedIn a little later on.
And now for the where
There are hundreds of different social media platforms, but if we take the top three most relevant ones and boil them down to what they do best:
Facebook: Community interaction through pages and groups
Instagram: Capturing moments in pics
Twitter: News and updates (Can be a little toxic!)
None of these is great for putting your professional profile out there.
And that’s where LinkedIn comes in!
LinkedIn allows you to create a page that’s all about the professional side of you.
It’s easy to list out skills, experiences, and accreditations and also list out (where you are happy to) your previous roles. Not only that, but you can also encourage previous employers to leave short references to give your profile even more credibility.
Think of this as an online CV that readily tells prospective employers what you are all about.
After all, nannies are professionals so why not use the tools other professionals engage with?
It’s bigger than you think!
LinkedIn has over 756,000,000 registered members worldwide (May ’21) and over 31,200,000 (May ’21) in the UK alone (source: LinkedIn About Us)
With these numbers, it’s highly likely that a family that has business professionals in it will have a LinkedIn profile. So make it easy for families to find you!
What’s the reward with LinkedIn?
All of this does take effort so there has to be a payoff!
Here are the main rewards we identify:
Go where they are: If we agree that most professional households looking to employ a nanny have a LinkedIn account, it makes sense to be there too!
Being on the platforms they are most comfortable with may help you stand out.
Sets the right tone: LinkedIn is for professionals, and being on it shows that you consider your role to be that of a professional – which it most certainly is.
Helps build confidence: An important part of the search process is checking references and experience. And here, you can clearly set out yours. Not only that, but it’s also your chance to check the family out. Remember, reference checking works both ways!
Easy to maintain and share: it does take a little time to get your profile set up, but once it’s done, it’s done! And it’s straightforward to go back into it and update as your career and experience develop.
And once you have a profile, you can easily share it by a link. So after that first interview, when you are both eager to find out more about the role and each other, you can proactively invite your potential employer to have a look at your profile – this sends a really strong message that you are a serious contender and could be that extra thing that lands you the role.
The landscape is changing: If we look over to the US, the nanny industry is much more developed when it comes to LinkedIn. So if this trend follows the shape of other tech trends, the UK will see a much greater LinkedIn presence over the coming years. So why not get ahead? And if it doesn’t take off, you’ll still have a digital version of your CV hosted on a highly respected business platform – what’s to lose?
Networks that work together
Having made the case for LinkedIn, we hope you agree that it can have really strong uses for nannies. But, it can’t work on its own!
LinkedIn will likely complement the other sites you are using to search for roles and engage with community groups. So if you like what you read, add it to the list of networks that you engage with and take a bit of time to finesse your profile so you make the best impression!
