What not to post on social media (if you want a nanny job)
Be mindful about what you post on social media for a better shot at the nanny job of your dreams.
Why what you post matters
Social media is part of our everyday lives, and it’s often hard to see a distinction between how we live our lives online, versus in real life. Potential employers - and their children - now have direct access to loads of information about you via social media. For that reason, what you post on social media can make a huge difference when it comes to landing a great nanny job. There are a few things in particular to look over in your feeds.
What not to post on social media
Content about children
Being a nanny means spending hours and hours each week with fun, funny, and adorable children and taking part in their hilarious antics. It’s tempting to want to share those antics with your friends, followers, or the world at large.
Keep these things in mind before you put anything on social media - as images or text:
Never post pictures of your charges without their parents’ permission. If you and your charge have fun making dancing videos and the family is fine with posting them, then go right ahead. Just make sure you have the all clear , or refer back to your nanny contract before you do.
Never post anything disparaging about your charges. Even if you think your comments are funny or that the sarcasm will translate because the love you have for the kids is implied, an outside follower - and potential employer - may read it as disrespect, or that you don’t actually like the family you work for.
Derogatory commentary about parents
Social media is a tempting arena in which to voice your frustrations or let off steam, but this is a big no-no if you are hoping to score a new nanny job with a great family. Knowing how you’ve talked about previous families (or employers in jobs outside of childcare) will give hiring parents an idea of how you may talk about them in the future. It’s not hard to see how that can be a complete turnoff for any potential employer.
Excessive party pictures
We get it - you like to have fun and tell the world about it! And you may be perfectly capable of separating your social life from your work professionalism. That said, parents seeing a cavalcade of escapades may be unable to separate that view of you from the person into whom they are placing the care of their most precious children. On the other hand, not all parents have an issue with this, and you may value your freedom of expression higher than a potential job, so these kinds of posts are at your discretion.
The solution? Stay private – or be aware they might see it
The easiest way to make sure you are not putting content into the ether is of course not to post at all. That said, you are also a person with a life outside work, and it may be important to you to share content from your life.
To make sure you are not preventing yourself from getting a nanny job, set your profiles to private, or create specific lists where some content is public and anything sensitive is only available to select people. Another option is to go private only during the time when you are looking for work and then resume your online activity as usual.
Things to consider before you post
Remember that potential employers can find anything you put online
Keep in mind that what you post may or may not get in the way of a job opportunity, and act as you feel is best with that information
Do not to publicly post content that you wouldn’t want found by the children you watch, knowing that kids now have access to social media at a very young age
We’ll help you get your next amazing nanny job
If you are ever unsure if what you have posted on social media might be keeping you from getting a nanny job, reach out to us. As a nanny agency that’s been around since social media was basically a stumbling toddler, we have heard countless stories from parents concerned about what they’re finding through a quick Google search of their candidates. This, in turn, has allowed us to help many nannies navigate the tricky world of what not to post.
Are you a stellar nanny with a family-friendly social media presence, looking for a new job as a nanny? We’d love to hear from you!
For more helpful insights, sign up for our newsletter - then head over to our own social media channels on Facebook and Instagram to join the conversation.