My biggest complaint about Care.com is all the parents who post jobs months in advance.
You do not need to post a job for a nanny 6 months in advance.
If you do decide to post an ad this early you should label it accurately don't give the start date as April when you won't need someone before October.
It does not take that long to find a good nanny.
I'm looking for a job that starts in the immediate future . I hate wasting time applying for jobs that aren't accurately labeled.
Also, do not look for a nanny if you are not sure you want one. Being wishwashy and wasting time is not cute.

I am a nanny used to have my profile on their site. I think it is useless site. I found better job through neighborhood listserv or dcurbanmom. I don't recommend care.com.

Anonymous wrote:The thing most parents do not realize is that anyone who is anyone can post a profile on Care.com and call themselves anything they want to. I.e., nanny, petsitter, maid, etc.

As long as they have access to a computer w/internet, they can create a free profile and even use fake info.

Then unsuspecting parents pay a fee to meet these people who may misrepresent themselves as professional nannies or whatever when all they all are just regular folks who suddenly decided to label themselves Mary Poppins.

The woman who created Care.com is a scam artist, yet makes millions by conning parents into thinking that Care.com is sort of like an agency, only less money.

Not true.

I don't think anyone believes care.com is anything more than it actually is. It is basically craigslist for babysitting and everyone knows and understands that. It does what it promises and people in populated areas can easily find a nanny/babysitter on the site.

The thing most parents do not realize is that anyone who is anyone can post a profile on Care.com and call themselves anything they want to. I.e., nanny, petsitter, maid, etc.

As long as they have access to a computer w/internet, they can create a free profile and even use fake info.

Then unsuspecting parents pay a fee to meet these people who may misrepresent themselves as professional nannies or whatever when all they all are just regular folks who suddenly decided to label themselves Mary Poppins.

The woman who created Care.com is a scam artist, yet makes millions by conning parents into thinking that Care.com is sort of like an agency, only less money.

Not true.

Anonymous wrote:We found the world's greatest nanny on Care.com. I hope this new feature doesn't screw things up for parents looking to hire.

What makes her great?

We found the world's greatest nanny on Care.com. I hope this new feature doesn't screw things up for parents looking to hire.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I skip over the parents that include questions in their ads. No time for that!

I also skip over the parents that can't take the time to accurately describe their situation if you have 1 newborn and need care Mondays and Wednesdays do not check the box for full time care for 3 children and that you love sports! No time for that!

I have found by eliminating these types of ads I have found greater success in finding the types of families I want to work for.

Agree with this. I'm willing to answer specific questions, but I will completely ignore the lazy wizard ads that sound ridiculous and don't tell me anything. "Must love kids!" I should hope so.

Honestly, I skip over the parents that include questions in their ads. No time for that!

I also skip over the parents that can't take the time to accurately describe their situation if you have 1 newborn and need care Mondays and Wednesdays do not check the box for full time care for 3 children and that you love sports! No time for that!

I have found by eliminating these types of ads I have found greater success in finding the types of families I want to work for.

As a nanny, I love when parents actually write their own ads, and let some of their personality shine through. The rote ads are BS. If I see one more ad for newborn care asking that the nanny "loves to do arts and crafts, because we do too!" I may scream.

So, if parents have the time and inclination to write good ads, those ads will get noticed. The issue is that everyone in the universe will apply to whatever job is posted, whether they have the skill set you need or not.

I advise parents to screen by requesting applicants include answers to 3 simple questions in their response. Anyone who can't read/follow directions is then eliminated first. Then you screen for experience with your age group(s) of kid(s) and ability to write a decent response without text speak or smilies. THEN, you screen for location, especially if you are in a difficult city for traffic.

At that point, you should have a manageable number of candidates, so you might want to put a hold on your ad as you move through the next steps.

Then, respond to your (much smaller than it was originally) candidate pool with 3 more specific questions about the job you are offering. Repeat the screening process above, and then take the few remaining applicants and start phone screening. Move on to in-person meetings outside your home, **** then if anyone seems like a good bet, have them meet your kid(s) at your home.

****(If at this point no one is giving you a good feeling, you can re-boot your ad and start the process over.)

At this point, you have hopefully narrowed the field to 2 - 3 people, and have gotten started on background checks. Next, you can have them do trial days so that you can call references, make your final decision and make an offer.

It's a whole lot of work, but if you want to save agency fees, it can be possible to find a good nanny on care or other sites.

We've hired one excellent nanny, and two wonderful housekeepers off care.com. Honestly, I think it's a great service if your expectations are in line. It's a step up from Craigslist, not a step down from an agency. Which, given it costs about 1% of what an agency does, is reasonable.

It's just a way to get your ad in front of lots of caregivers, in an organized, semi anonymous fashion. The screening is totally up to you.

I'm an MB who is about to hire a nanny and was noodling around on care to see how it worked, whether I'll use it, what the pool of caregivers looks like, etc... The darn thing posted a tidbit of info, w/ some silly title I didn't write, and put it up as though it were a fully finished ad. I got an application before I had done anything more than a couple of questions, let alone deciding to post it!

Now I feel badly about the person who applied, I can't respond because i haven't yet paid, and I'm completely annoyed by my limited experience w/ the service.

What the heck?!

Has care.com worked for others, on either side?!

Anonymous wrote:Haven't seen it and I was on last night applying for jobs.

First time seeing it was this morning.

How can a bad corporation do anything good? Can't stand their disregard for children, parents, and nannies. But at least they have a mighty bank account.

Haven't seen it and I was on last night applying for jobs.

That allows parents to ask questions as part of the application.

Helpful?