I tend to go with a CV instead of a traditional resume, the form of it seems to fit better for this type of work.

I haven't personally done any written reference letters yet, but I will be leaving a family soon (a PT position) and she has offered to write me one so I might go ahead and take her up on that offer (since her 2 kids are special needs).

Reference letters never fill in in lieu of actually speaking with the reference. Too easy to fake. The letters do set you apart in the screening phase. You don't need a formal resume but a clearly written job history and list of skills along with letters of reference sets you apart from the "I'm 22 and have been a nanny for 6 years" crowd.

MB here. My nanny got her job in large part because we were impressed that she emailed a professional resume, cover letter, photo, and several reference letters shortly after we initiated email contact. All the letters were raves and gave us a real sense of her strengths and personality. Even aside from the content of the reference letters, her initiative in providing them before we'd even met showed a level of professionalism, organization, and attention to detail that other candidates were lacking. Of course we followed up with phone calls to the letter writers and a couple of other references before making an offer, but the letters definitely moved her to the top of our "wanted" list from the get-go.

Nannies need to remember that most people who hire nannies work in some sort of office environment. We're used to reviewing information, including employee backgrounds and credentials, on paper. We like seeing a person's history on paper because this makes it easier and quicker for us to glean relevant information. Providing reference letters is one way for a nanny to play to her prospective employers' comfort zone in this regard.

I've heard some nannies on this board talk about requesting reference letters throughout the term of employment, as often as every three months. As an MB, I would not look favorably upon such a request and would probably decline to comply. It seems overly paranoid to me, an indication that the nanny might be planning an unprofessional exit without proper notice, and an unwarranted drain on my time.

That said, I'd be happy to provide a nanny with a written performance review and have done so in the past. Of course, a performance review tends to be part of a prospective planning process, so it usually identifies goals for professional development or enhanced job performance (usually derived from changes in my children's developmental needs) as well as areas in which I'm thrilled with the nanny's performance.

I have an original copy of each letter that I bring with me to interviews for potential employers to read. If we decide to go forward with the process they will get a list of contact info for my references, who can verify that the letters were in fact for real. I don't use them in place of references, just something (along with positive evaluations) to help paint a picture of the kind of employee I am before we even get to the reference stage. They are also helpful to have for eager beaver first time parents who want references before even speaking to me.

*phone call references, sorry

I've only done phone call letters as well. I know many nannies are fond of the practice but it just seems outdated to me (and way to easy to fake). I'd love to hear from some people who use them as well...what are the benefits over email or phone call references?

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question but I see a lot of nannies get reference letters from previous families. I've only done traditional phone call references from previous families. How does the reference letter work exactly? How does your potential new employer know it's legit? Do you ask for many copies from the reference letter writer? Just curious as it seems like something I would be interested in doing. Thanks!