As an au pair, articulating your diverse skill set to fit non-childcare roles may pose a significant challenge on your resume. Our guide provides strategic insights and tailored examples to help you translate your unique experiences into relevant qualifications that resonate with a broad range of employers.
- Incorporate au pair job advert keywords into key sections of your resume, such as the summary, header, and experience sections;
- Quantify your experience using achievements, certificates, and more in various au pair resume sections;
- Apply practical insights from real-life au pair resume examples to enhance your own profile;
- Choose the most effective au pair resume format to succeed in any evaluation process.
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Designing your au pair resume format to catch recruiters' eyes
Your au pair resume will be assessed on a couple of criteria, one of which is the actual presentation.
Is your resume legible and organized? Does it follow a smooth flow?
Or have you presented recruiters with a chaotic document that includes everything you've ever done in your career?
Unless specified otherwise, there are four best practices to help maintain your resume format consistency.
- The top one third of your au pair resume should definitely include a header, so that recruiters can easily contact you and scan your professional portfolio (or LinkedIn profile).
- Within the experience section, list your most recent (and relevant) role first, followed up with the rest of your career history in a reverse-chronological resume format .
- Always submit your resume as a PDF file to sustain its layout. There are some rare exceptions where companies may ask you to forward your resume in Word or another format.
- If you are applying for a more senior role and have over a decade of applicable work experience (that will impress recruiters), then your au pair resume can be two pages long. Otherwise, your resume shouldn't be longer than a single page.
Be mindful of regional differences in resume formats – a Canadian layout, for instance, might vary.
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List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
Don't forget to include these six sections on your au pair resume:
- Header and summary for your contact details and to highlight your alignment with the au pair job you're applying for
- Experience section to get into specific technologies you're apt at using and personal skills to deliver successful results
- Skills section to further highlight how your profile matches the job requirements
- Education section to provide your academic background
- Achievements to mention any career highlights that may be impressive, or that you might have missed so far in other resume sections
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Experience in childcare or previous au pair positions, including specifics like age groups cared for and responsibilities held.
- Language skills, particularly fluency in the host family’s language and any additional languages that could benefit the children's learning.
- Cultural exchange interest and adaptability, showing enthusiasm for learning and participating in the host family's culture.
- First aid and child safety certifications indicating the candidate's preparedness for emergency situations.
- References or testimonials from previous families or childcare-related employment.
The au pair resume experience section: a roadmap to your expertise
The resume experience section provides you with an opportunity to tell your professional narrative.
Recruiters, reading between the lines of your resume, use the experience section to better understand your unique skill set, accomplishments, and what unique value you bring about.
Discover five quick steps on how to write your experience section:
- Curate only relevant experience items to the role and include the company, description, and dates; all followed by up to six bullets per experience item;
- Each experience item should feature tangible results of your actions - if you can include a number or percent, this will further highlight your aptitude;
- If you've received any managerial or customer feedback, use short excerpts of it as further social proof of your technical or people skills;
- Make sure you're using the appropriate verb tense when listing your responsibilities;
- Within the description for each role, you could summarize your most noteworthy and relevant achievements.
Now, take note of how a real-world au pair professional received opportunities at industry leaders with these resume experience sections:
- Facilitated the intellectual and emotional development of three children, aged 2 to 7, by designing and implementing a successful educational playtime routine, contributing to a 50% improvement in their academic assessments.
- Managed the coordination of all extracurricular activities, resulting in punctual attendance and a 30% increase in children's active engagement with their interests.
- Developed a multicultural learning environment by integrating language lessons, which included French and Spanish, enhancing children's linguistic skills and cultural awareness.
- Increased family time efficiency by 25% through the implementation of an organized schedule for meal preparation, homework assistance, and bedtime routines for two school-aged children.
- Initiated a digital system for tracking children's daily activities, health records, and developmental progress, streamlining parent communication and boosting transparency.
- Championed a summer educational program that incorporated fun learning activities, outdoor play, and field trips, enriching the children's vacation period with diverse knowledge and experiences.
- Led a personal project to teach a 4-year-old child with language delays to improve communication skills, achieving a 60% increase in vocabulary within one year.
- Orchestrated a seamless daily routine for twins, streamlining naptime, playtime, and learning activities, significantly reducing instances of behavioral issues.
- Cultivated a passion for the arts in children by integrating weekly music and crafts sessions, leading to the development of a strong sense of creativity and self-expression.
- Managed the safe transportation of children to and from school and various activities, maintaining a perfect record of punctuality and safety over three years.
- Implemented a structured homework assistance program that helped improve children's grades by an average of one letter grade in core subjects.
- Fostered an environment of inclusivity and respect, guiding children to understand and celebrate cultural differences, which enhanced their social development.
- Masterminded a dietary plan for a child with specific food allergies, ensuring safe and nutritious meal options that complied with dietary restrictions.
- Leveraged advanced behavioral techniques to support a child with ADHD, resulting in a more focused approach to tasks and a decrease in disruptive episodes.
- Cultivated a technology-assisted learning environment by incorporating educational apps into the children’s routine, which broadened their digital literacy and learning capacity.
- Directed the daily schedule of four children in a high-profile household, ensuring each child received personalized attention to their developmental needs.
- Devised a summer fitness challenge for the children, incorporating various sports and activities that improved their physical health and team-building skills.
- Collaborated with parents to establish and enforce effective discipline techniques, fostering an environment of mutual respect and positive reinforcement.
- Navigated a complex family calendar with multiple children engaged in competitive sports leagues, ensuring consistent attendance and preparation for practices and games.
- Achieved a comprehensive understanding of developmental psychology to tailor my approach to each child, resulting in enhanced behavioral outcomes and emotional intelligence.
- Instituted a 'Family Olympics' event that became an annual tradition, fostering family bonding and encouraging a healthy, competitive spirit among the children.
- Crafted an environmentally-focused educational program, teaching children the importance of sustainability practices while incorporating eco-friendly activities into their daily routine.
- Instituted a family-wide recycling initiative that reduced household waste by 40% within the first six months, educating children on environmental stewardship.
- Assisted in improving children's performances at school by providing supplemental educational materials and exercises, gaining recognition from teachers for their notable progress.
- Pioneered a language exchange program within the family unit, allowing the children under my care to become conversational in Mandarin and fostering an appreciation for global cultures.
- Instrumental in negotiating and organizing international travel plans for the family, ensuring smooth and stress-free vacations while handling the children's needs.
- Curated a personal development plan for each child that balanced academic work, leisure, and personal interests, helping them to achieve a well-rounded lifestyle.
- Empowered children with special dietary requirements through personalized meal planning and cooking, seeing a remarkable improvement in their overall health and energy levels.
- Succeeded in teaching non-native English-speaking children fluency in English, dramatically improving their communication skills and confidence.
- Launched a local community engagement project with the children, involving them in charity work and social contribution, which instilled a lifelong sense of social responsibility.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Highlight the number of children you have cared for simultaneously to demonstrate your multitasking and child management skills.
- Specify the age range of the children you looked after to show your adaptability to various developmental stages.
- Mention the total months or years of experience you have as an au pair to emphasize your commitment and expertise in childcare.
- Quantify any language improvement in the children, for instance, by stating the number of children you taught a second language to illustrate your educational impact.
- Include the number of countries you've worked in as an au pair to highlight your cultural adaptability and international experience.
- Detail the percentage of time spent engaging children in educational activities to show your dedication to their intellectual development.
- List the number of hours spent per week on household responsibilities to provide a clear scope of your organizational and time-management capabilities.
- Describe any measurable improvements in child behavior or academic performance under your supervision to convey the positive influence you've had on their development.
Action verbs for your au pair resume
Remember these four tips when writing your au pair resume with no experience
You've done the work - auditing the job requirements for keywords and have a pretty good idea of the skill set the ideal candidate must possess.
Yet, your professional experience amounts to a summer internship .
Even if you have limited or no professional expertise that matches the role you're applying for, you can use the resume experience section to:
- List extracurricular activities that are relevant to the job requirements. Let's say you were editor-in-chief of your college newspaper or part of the engineering society. Both activities have taught you invaluable, transferrable skills (e.g. communication or leadership) that can be crucial for the job;
- Substitute jobs with volunteer experience. Participating in charity projects has probably helped you develop an array of soft skills (e.g. meeting deadlines and interpersonal communications). On the other hand, volunteering shows potential employers more about you: who you are and what are the causes you care about;
- Align job applications with your projects. Even your final-year thesis work could be seen as relevant experience, if it's in the same industry as the job you're applying for. Ensure you've listed the key skills your project has taught you, alongside tangible outcomes or your project success;
- Shift the focus to your transferrable skills. We've said it before, but recruiters will assess your profile upon both job requirements and the skills you possess. Consider what your current experience - both academic and life - has taught you and how you've been able to develop your talents.
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Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
Bringing your au pair hard skills and soft skills to the forefront of recruiters' attention
Hard skills are used to define the technological (and software) capacities you have in the industry. Technical skills are easily defined via your certification and expertise.
Soft skills have more to do with your at-work personality and how you prosper within new environments. People skills can be obtained thanks to your whole life experience and are thus a bit more difficult to define.
Why do recruiters care about both types of skills?
Hard skills have more to do with job alignment and the time your new potential employers would have to invest in training you.
Soft skills hint at how well you'd adapt to your new environment, company culture, and task organization.
Fine-tune your resume to reflect on your skills capacities and talents:
- Avoid listing basic requirements (e.g. "Excel"), instead substitute with the specifics of the technology (e.g. "Excel Macros").
- Feature your workplace values and ethics as soft skills to hint at what matters most to you in a new environment.
- Build a separate skills section for your language capabilities, only if it makes sense to the role you're applying for.
- The best way to balance au pair hard and soft skills is by building a strengths or achievements section, where you define your outcomes via both types of skills.
There are plenty of skills that could make the cut on your resume.
That's why we've compiled for you some of the most wanted skills by recruiters, so make sure to include the technologies and soft skills that make the most sense to you (and the company you're applying for):
Top skills for your au pair resume:
Childcare Techniques
First Aid and CPR Certification
Meal Preparation
Household Management
Time Management Tools
Educational Games and Activities
Basic Cooking Skills
Transportation Safety
Language Instruction
Basic Cleaning Supplies Knowledge
Communication
Patience
Adaptability
Empathy
Problem-Solving
Cultural Awareness
Organization
Interpersonal Skills
Creativity
Conflict Resolution
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List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
Listing your education and certifications on your au pair resume
Don't underestimate the importance of your resume education section . As it may hint at various skills (and experience) that are relevant to the job. When writing your education section:
- Include only higher education degrees with information about the institution and start/end dates
- If you're in the process of obtaining your degree, include your expected graduation date
- Consider leaving off degrees that aren't relevant to the job or industry
- Write a description of your education if it presents you with an opportunity to further showcase your achievements in a more research-focused environment
When describing your certifications on your resume, always consider their relevancy to the role. Use the same format to describe them as you would for your education. If you're wondering what the best certificates out there are for au pair roles, check out the list below.
The top 5 certifications for your au pair resume:
- Au pair Training Certificate (No formal abbreviation) - International au pair Association (IAPA)
- First Aid and CPR Certification (CPR) - American Red Cross or American Heart Association
- Child Care Provider Certificate (CCPC) - Council for Professional Recognition
- Early Childhood Education Certificate (ECE) - Various accredited institutions
- Water Safety Instructor Certification (WSI) - American Red Cross
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
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Professional summary or objective for your au pair resume
au pair candidates sometimes get confused between the difference of a resume summary and a resume objective.
Which one should you be using?
Remember that the:
- Resume objective has more to do with your dreams and goals for your career. Within it, you have the opportunity to showcase to recruiters why your application is an important one and, at the same time, help them imagine what your impact on the role, team, and company would be.
- Resume summary should recount key achievements, tailored for the role, through your career. Allowing recruiters to quickly scan and understand the breadth of your au pair expertise.
The resume objectives are always an excellent choice for candidates starting off their career, while the resume summary is more fitting for experienced candidates.
No matter if you chose a summary or objective, get some extra inspiration from real-world professional au pair resumes:
Resume summaries for a au pair job
- With over 6 years of nurturing and developing young minds in the educational sector, I am eager to leverage my extensive experience in child development, behavioral management techniques, and educational activity planning in a loving family setting. My track record includes boosting language skills among preschoolers by 20% within a single school year.
- Seasoned caregiver with 8 years of experience in pediatric healthcare, I bring a wealth of knowledge in child psychology, first aid, and dietary oversight. I am adept at creating safe and stimulating environments for children to explore and grow. Successfully managed care for children with special needs, improving their daily living skills by 30%.
- As a professional with 5 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I am excited to transition to child care, bringing top-tier organizational skills, language fluency in French and English, and an aptitude for cultural exchange. My contribution to a major hotel chain included a guest satisfaction increase of 15% through personalized service.
- An enthusiastic educator with a background in environmental science, I am making a move to become an au pair where I can infuse sustainability awareness into daily activities. Having led successful conservation projects, my approach combines academic knowledge with practical life skills aimed at instilling a love for the environment in the next generation.
- Seeking to embark on a fulfilling journey as an au pair, I am armed with an unwavering commitment to child welfare, extensive volunteer experience with children’s charities, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. My goal is to foster a nurturing and educational environment that promotes a child's social, emotional, and intellectual growth.
- Eager to delve into the caring profession as an au pair, I bring boundless energy, a recent degree in Childhood Education, and hands-on experience from student teaching roles. I aim to create a dynamic and supportive atmosphere for children, helping them to unlock their potential and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Other relevant sections for your au pair resume
Apart from the standard au pair resume sections listed in this guide, you have the opportunity to get creative with building your profile. Select additional resume sections that you deem align with the role, department, or company culture. Good choices for your au pair resume include:
- Language skills - always ensure that you have qualified each language you speak according to relevant frameworks;
- Hobbies - you could share more about your favorite books, how you spend your time, etc. ;
- Volunteering - to highlight the causes you care about;
- Awards - for your most prominent au pair professional accolades and achievements.
Make sure that these sections don't take too much away from your experience, but instead build up your au pair professional profile.
Key takeaways
- The logic of your resume presentation should follow your career highlights and alignment with the role;
- Curate information within different sections (e.g. summary, experience, etc.) that helps highlight your strengths;
- Exclude from your resume irrelevant experience items - that way you'd ensure it stays no longer than two pages and is easy to read;
- Dedicate space within the summary, experience, and/or achievements to highlight precisely why you're the best candidate for the role via your previous success;
- Both your technical and people capabilities should also play a crucial role in building up your au pair application. Prove your skill set in various resume sections.
