I just hired a part time nanny through care.com. In a day I had 30+ responses so I just closed the listing. Reasons I did not respond to certain applications:

The note they sent me had not been tailored at all to the specific things I said I was looking for
Bad grammar
Unprofessional selfies
They lived too far away

As someone said upthread, there were a few people who took too long to respond to my messages, and by the time they did, I had already hired someone.

Getting access to the background check wasn't a plus for me personally.

Also, so many people responded even though they obviously couldn't work the hours I needed. It was annoying and a big waste of everyone's time.

Anonymous wrote:A question for MB's: Does having a posted photograph of the nanny matter to you? Does the applicant giving immediate access (with their first correspondence) matter to you? And finally, does the nanny's level of membership on care.com matter?

A picture helps immensely. Then it feels like I'm responding to a person, not a bunch of words. Have someone take a nice well-lit pic of you with a warm smile on your face.

I posted for a part-time position, just a few hours a week, and I got 60+ responses. It's overwhelming. A nice pic helps you stand out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Yes, a photo is a plus. Should be a good quality, not obvious selfie, well lit, job appropriate attire. You want the employer to "connect" with your profile, and having a photo makes it feel like there is much more "real" of a person on the other end of the conversation.

I don't even know how I could tell what level
Membership you have. And I'm not sure I know what you mean by immediate access.

Thank you. By immediate access I mean that I paid for my own background check on care.com and, when responding to a job posting, I have the ability to give the potential employer access to it before they even respond to me.

Personally, I don't care, as I'm going to get an expanded check before we would hire, but I can't see a downside to having it.

Anonymous wrote:PP again.

For nannies, id suggest signing on as an employer for a free trial. Look at the first 30 profiles that pop up when you search your area for. That's literally what most employers will see, at least, their first day. See what jumps out to you and would make you contact someone.

Okay... that is a BRILLIANT idea!!! Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Yes, a photo is a plus. Should be a good quality, not obvious selfie, well lit, job appropriate attire. You want the employer to "connect" with your profile, and having a photo makes it feel like there is much more "real" of a person on the other end of the conversation.

I don't even know how I could tell what level
Membership you have. And I'm not sure I know what you mean by immediate access.

Thank you. By immediate access I mean that I paid for my own background check on care.com and, when responding to a job posting, I have the ability to give the potential employer access to it before they even respond to me.

PP again.

For nannies, id suggest signing on as an employer for a free trial. Look at the first 30 profiles that pop up when you search your area for. That's literally what most employers will see, at least, their first day. See what jumps out to you and would make you contact someone.

PP here. Yes, a photo is a plus. Should be a good quality, not obvious selfie, well lit, job appropriate attire. You want the employer to "connect" with your profile, and having a photo makes it feel like there is much more "real" of a person on the other end of the conversation.

I don't even know how I could tell what level
Membership you have. And I'm not sure I know what you mean by immediate access.

A question for MB's: Does having a posted photograph of the nanny matter to you? Does the applicant giving immediate access (with their first correspondence) matter to you? And finally, does the nanny's level of membership on care.com matter?

Anonymous wrote:Not to be a jerk, but your grammar is not very professional.
I can understand why a family would decline your application.
I would start there.

This isn't poetry.
Stop hitting return.
I can understand why an employer would decline your application.

Everyone have given good advice.

Just one thing to add- sometimes families are on Care with a free trial. If that's the case then they cannot read/respond to messages until they upgrade and many choose to not upgrade.

Anonymous wrote:Not to be a jerk, but your grammar is not very professional.
I can understand why a family would decline your application.
I would start there.

I agree.

Do not get offended. Take this as constructive criticism and use it to benefit yourself as a nanny!

Also, there are a lot of nannies online these days. Competition is fierce.

Sometimes I submit 30 applications and get zero responses.

I say it's par for the course.

Never give up, hold your head high.

Your dream job is just around that corner....You'll see!!!!!!!!

When my mb hired me she told me she got over 1,000 responses. She read all of them but did contact me right away. It might just take time.

From a MB perspective, when you post a job on care.com, you get flooded with responses. Even if only 10% are worth following up on, it's a lot of people to have quality conversations with. Here are my suggestions: (note, all of these May not seem totally fair, but they are how I would play the game)

1) respond initially with a two to three paragraph substantive letter. Try to include something that indicates you read the ad, ideally something that makes you a particularly good fit

2) try to respond very quickly to any replies, ideally same day. If the mb has three or four conversations going on, it's really easy to fall to the bottom of her mental list

3) unlike this post, always respond in full, properly capitalized and punctuated English

4) except for general schedule questions, focus your questions on the children and childcare issues. Do not bring up pay or other benefits until it seems you are headed towards an in person interview. Hopefully, the parent will provide these details without your asking.

5) be very positive. Do not complain about your current job or pose questions in terms of negatives.
Do not volunteer reference info before you are asked. The parent is seeing you as a potential employee and how professionaly you treat your former employers is a clue how you will treat them
Hope this helps

Not to be a jerk, but your grammar is not very professional.
I can understand why a family would decline your application.
I would start there.

I submitted about 20plus application, and got only 3 response ;((

I wonder if I needed to pay to get more response.

I know I am a qualified nanny for this job, but still didn't attract much.
15 years of nanny experience, US citizen, excellent work references, have my own car with clean driving record.

Anyone, have the same xperience with care.com?