Nanny on resume?

[Anonymous]

Hi all! I'm helping my sister apply for jobs and spruce up her resume.
She graduated top of her class from college last year (STEM major) and then took a nanny job for a year to take a break. Her current job is 40 hours a week as a nanny, but her employer pays her under the table.

She wants to leave it off of resumes (or put it down as "babysitting") but I think she should put it in. She's also helping her employer do scientific research on the side. Is it bad to put a job that you're paid under the table on your resume? She really has no other experience or jobs. She went to school year round, even in summers, and graduated 3 years early instead of getting internships.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't put it if it isn't relevant to the jobs she's applying for. I would put educational "experiences" and that would include whatever she's been doing, whether paid or not, that would be relevant to the jobs for which she's applying.

She graduated 3 years early with a Bachelor degree? Or Master degree? If Master degree, she could also list any major thesis work or projects she did as part of that program. I listed those from my MBA ZZZ program, although I dropped them as soon as I had "real" experience to list.

[Anonymous]

I would include it and explain in the cover letter how she learned whatever relevant skills as a nanny. It's a job, after all. I would also include any other irrelevant-seeming part-time job she held in college, just to show she does have experience showing up on time and working for money.

[Anonymous]

I would not put it on a resume, period. Taking a year off at a young age does not need to be explained, especially if she includes the year she graduated. Also, the whole paying under the table thing does not sit well with folks. You are telling someone that you are avoiding being a tax paying citizen.

[Anonymous]

I am the executive director of a small nonprofit, where I do all of the hiring. For recent grads, I absolutely like to see work experience of any kind over gaps in a resume. At the entry level stage, what is important to me is that you are responsible, reliable, know what it means to show up for work on time, etc. I would be impressed with a young person who had been a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would include it and explain in the cover letter how she learned whatever relevant skills as a nanny. It's a job, after all. I would also include any other irrelevant-seeming part-time job she held in college, just to show she does have experience showing up on time and working for money.

I agree. Once she's had a job in her field, I would leave it off. But, for a recent college graduate, having any type of work experience is helpful. FWIW, when I was in law school and applying for jobs as a summer associate, I included lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons on my resume and used my prior employer as one of my references. Several firms did call the pool where I had worked and asked about my work ethic, reliability, etc.