Would you hire...

[Anonymous]

...a nanny that could barely type or spell? I'm currently in the process of finding a nanny and I'm so put off by people who are responding to ads or trying to set up interviews. I'm not talking about typos or minor misspellings. They are using chatspeak with words like "lol" and "u r" instead of "you are". I used to be a nanny myself and I always spoke and wrote cover letters and resumes like I would with any other job. Why do some nannies think this is an acceptable first impression?

[Anonymous]

No. It's a bad sign of inappropriate behavior.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't rule someone out because of "chatspeak" (which is a great term!) because I could see that being a generational thing perhaps.

But I do want basic fluency and ability to communicate. If I am in communication w/ our nanny during the day it is usually by text or email, so I need someone who can communicate reasonably well in writing. But I definitely don't hold the nanny to same standards of written communication skill that I for someone in my office based workplace.

It's a huge plus, of course, but there are lots of wonderful caregivers out there who didn't have the benefit of as much education as others, so bad grammar or spelling aren't as important to me as good judgment, kindness, common sense, honesty, reliability, etc...

[Anonymous]

Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't. And my father has dylexia and writes horribly so I know that it's not always an issue with not being intelligent or able to communicate, but I just wouldn't be able to look past it if there were other qualified candidates.

[Anonymous]

You are most likely dealing with younger nannies who were raised with this type of language.

I agree that writing "u r" is really tacky when discussing a potential job offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

Umm. I think she is. You highlighted a line of her post. Did you read the rest of it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

Umm. I think she is. You highlighted a line of her post. Did you read the rest of it?

I meant that I don't always remember to proofread or put it through a grammar/spelling checker. I may have 1-3 errors in an application, but I assume that's the maximum that most parents are willing to tolerate from a professional. And yes, I do expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals, but I do know that many parents choose to hire someone else when they realize that professionals expect to be treated as professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

Umm. I think she is. You highlighted a line of her post. Did you read the rest of it?

I meant that I don't always remember to proofread or put it through a grammar/spelling checker. I may have 1-3 errors in an application, but I assume that's the maximum that most parents are willing to tolerate from a professional. And yes, I do expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals, but I do know that many parents choose to hire someone else when they realize that professionals expect to be treated as professionals.

So I am fairly lenient on this stuff when it comes to hiring nannies, but if you are informed/professional enough to consider a grammar/spell checker there is no excuse for you "not remembering" to do that.

I'm lenient with people for whom english may be a second language, but if it's just laziness that's contributing to your errors that is another matter entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

Umm. I think she is. You highlighted a line of her post. Did you read the rest of it?

I meant that I don't always remember to proofread or put it through a grammar/spelling checker. I may have 1-3 errors in an application, but I assume that's the maximum that most parents are willing to tolerate from a professional. And yes, I do expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals, but I do know that many parents choose to hire someone else when they realize that professionals expect to be treated as professionals.

So I am fairly lenient on this stuff when it comes to hiring nannies, but if you are informed/professional enough to consider a grammar/spell checker there is no excuse for you "not remembering" to do that.

I'm lenient with people for whom english may be a second language, but if it's just laziness that's contributing to your errors that is another matter entirely.

I frequently apply at 2 am... The families comment on the time and chalk it up to the late hour, which is fine with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I read profiles thoroughly, ask pertinent questions related to what I read, and while my grammar may not be perfect, I expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals when I submit an application. In no way would I consider submitting something with chatspeak, text abbreviations or slang. It's not appropriate, nor professional.

Then you need to present as a professional, and not have imperfect grammar. Other applicants- professionals- won't.

Umm. I think she is. You highlighted a line of her post. Did you read the rest of it?

I meant that I don't always remember to proofread or put it through a grammar/spelling checker. I may have 1-3 errors in an application, but I assume that's the maximum that most parents are willing to tolerate from a professional. And yes, I do expect to be evaluated alongside other professionals, but I do know that many parents choose to hire someone else when they realize that professionals expect to be treated as professionals.

So I am fairly lenient on this stuff when it comes to hiring nannies, but if you are informed/professional enough to consider a grammar/spell checker there is no excuse for you "not remembering" to do that.

I'm lenient with people for whom english may be a second language, but if it's just laziness that's contributing to your errors that is another matter entirely.

I frequently apply at 2 am... The families comment on the time and chalk it up to the late hour, which is fine with me.

Sure they do.

An application sent to me at 2 am, with typos, is not going to impress me - it only raises more questions about your professionalism, judgment, and sloppiness.

[Anonymous]

I'm Asian and I'm not fluent in English (writing and speaking) so far I had no prob finding babysitting/nanny job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Asian and I'm not fluent in English (writing and speaking) so far I had no prob finding babysitting/nanny job.

At what pay range?