Finding a great caregiving job — whether you’re a nanny, sitter, senior care aide, housekeeper, pet sitter, etc. — can be tough. Many people take the same old approach. They apply to a job, wait to hear back, go on an interview and wait for a call. It’s a tried-and-true strategy, yes, but it’s not very exciting.
Wouldn’t it be more interesting (and a lot more fun!) if you did something a little out of the ordinary?
To break you out of the job hunt rut, here are unique ways to locate, apply and land your next caregiver job.
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Infuse Your Personality Into Your Application
“Tell me who you are and what you like to do — not the tasks you can do,” says Kelly Sheets, owner of TheSpunkyCaregiver.com and consultant for senior care organizations. When you fill out your Care.com profile and write out a message to apply to a new job, a list of abilities is good to include, but it doesn’t tell the potential client anything about you. “I can train you to do the tasks; I can’t make you an interesting person,” Sheets says. Your application should also offer insights into who you are and what makes you tick. These personal details will make you relatable and will allow the client to better visualize how you’d be an asset.
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Create a Pinterest Board
You may use Pinterest on your off hours to collect activities, recipes and craft projects, but did you ever think of using it to get a job? Make a Pinterest board that features the type of caregiver you are. If you’re a nanny, pin fun activities you’ll do with kids. If you’re a housekeeper, pin helpful cleaning and organizing tips you would use. Once the board is populated with plenty of ideas, share the link in your job application messages to potential clients. It’s a quick and easy way to stand out. Check out Care.com’s Pinterest boards for inspiration.
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Start Early
Need a job in September? Sign up on Care.com and begin applying to jobs in June and July (if not before). Many families and employers sart looking to hire a caregiver about a month before the job is scheduled to start.
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Update Your Information on the Weekend
71 percent more child care jobs are posted on Care.com on Monday than Saturday. Want to get a job? This weekend, scrub your profile, write a fresh application message, upload a new profile picture, etc. You’ll be ready for all the new jobs posted bright and early on Monday. Block out time on Monday to go on a job-applying binge.
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Send an After-Interview Video
Think beyond the old “thank you” email. Instead, you can make a real impression after an interview with a family by immediately recording a short video on your smartphone, thanking them for the opportunity and reiterating why you want to work for them. Then email it to them. Keep it quick and professional and it will help you stick out in potential employers’ minds.Get more ideas on How to Follow up About Jobs.
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Learn a New Hobby
Join a yoga class, book club or softball league in a town you’d like to work. Meeting new people will help you make connections in that area and could lead to new friends and word-of-mouth jobs.
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Be Honest
“Boy, is that refreshing!” Sheets says. When someone tells her what they really want out of a job, what their availability is and what they can do, it makes the applicant stand out. “That is what professionals do — so distinguish yourself from the pack by showing you are a professional.”
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Go the Extra Mile
It isn’t always feasible, but when you have the time, you can really make a positive impression by going out of your way for a potential client. “Offer me an hour of your time to run a free activity for seniors,” says Sheets. “This way you can show that you are willing to invest.” Taking this extra step also gives the client a chance to evaluate how you would be “on the job.”It can be a quick off-the-clock half hour at the park or an on-the-books week-long trial run. This offer helps show the family you’re serious about the work and that you have a real passion for it. Those aren’t qualities every caregiver has, so make sure you stand out as one that does.
Share this article on arranging a trial run with the families you’re interviewing with.
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Offer Creative Solutions
While there’s something to be said for being adaptable and ready to learn, you stand to make a much better impression by bringing some creative solutions of your own to the table. Sheets offers an example of a caregiver she hired, “Sally”, who made an immediate and lasting impression:“[Sally] was ready from the moment she walked in the door for an application. She shared that she had chickens and that she would happily bring them to work to engage the seniors who used to have them. She would bake bread at work once a week and read poems to the seniors. Sold. She came with creative solutions to boredom. She was so different and completely herself. I didn’t want another caregiver just to do the tasks. She made such a difference in the seniors’ lives and is still there after 10 years.”
Being your authentic, original self is more impressive than trying to fit someone else’s mold of what you think they want. So the next time you apply for a caregiving position, walk out the door with your head held high and with a few of these ideas into your back pocket.
Brenda Barron is a writer from southern California. When she’s not typing at a frantic pace, she’s spending time with her family, knitting or watching Doctor Who — often all at once. Find out more about her here.
