1. What Nannies Want:
How to retain your top talent in a competitive market
Donna Shannon
720-341-8229
Donna@PersonalTouchCareerServices.com

2. About the Survey
• Conducted from July- Nannies
Aug 2011
• National sample of
nannies 10+ years
experience
• Allowed to choose more 1-2 years
than 1 answer experience
3- 5 years
experience
Further information comes from my years as a career coach in
the private service industry

3. Major Problems:
Perception
Communication
Respect

4. The saddest statistic…
• 42% believe that their agency “only wants to
place me for the money”
• … and 75% of responders are only registered
with 2-4 agencies

5. Nobody wants to be treated like cattle…

6. Agenda
• Applications and the intake process
• Communication issues
• How to build loyalty

7. Efficient or Frustrating?
APPLICATIONS

8. Are you user-friendly?
• 100% of nannies want an easy-to-use
application

9. Results from APNA Attendees
12 unclear application
• Couldn’t find it in 20-30 seconds
• Creative names not clear
• Every click leads to higher abandonment rate
24 agencies use online application
• Longest: 9 page PDF form
Only 1 could upload the resume
• At the end of a long application

10. Why this is a problem…
• Nannies don’t like complicated forms
• Time-consuming
• No resume parsing
• Abandonment rates

11. Results from APNA Attendees
5 requested emailed resumes
5 used simple inquiry form
• Allows the nanny to show interest without time
commitment

12. After the application
• No follow up communication?
• Applicant feels like process was a waste of
time
– Automated better than nothing

13. Care.com Comparison
• 58% consider it easy to use
• Step-by-step process with tips
• Works like social media
• Interactive and multi-media
• Automatic email confirmations
• Master of their own fate –not cattle

14. Tips from the Corporate World
• Make it easy to express interest
• Automatic acknowledgements

15. The best way to convey respect…
COMMUNICATION

16. How is your follow-up?
• 80% feel that agency should respond in 24-48
hours
• Regular calls as well as application acknowledgement

17. Reaching Out
• 40% believe their agency never calls them
• Another 40% only get contacted about jobs
• Even worse – 75% of responders only
registered with 2-4 agencies

18. Communication
• The best way to build loyalty & trust

19. Are your job current?
• 100% want current jobs on the agency site
– Main factor on whether they register or not

20. What they love
• 67% believe the agency makes a good match for
them
– Must communicate to have this level of understanding

21. Care.com
Communication
•Instant text alerts
•Jobs are dated
•All language is
personal

22. Tips from the Corporate World
• Build tools to contact your talent base while
using personal language
– Automatic ticklers to identify quiet candidates
– Constant contact or other email merge
• Set up a time every week to call your top
talent

23. Cheap Tricks
• Keep job postings current
– Leaving old jobs to attract talent backfires
• Announce your jobs through social media
– Twitter and Facebook - the nannies are
watching!

24. Keep your talent close
LOYALTY PROGRAMS

25. Increase their Worth
• 67% strongly agree that agency should let
them know how to improve chances for
getting a job
• Knowledge is king –
– NOT babysitting your talent

26. Live Workshops
• 84% want workshops to improve either their
technical skills or job search skills

27. Making Workshops Work
• Nannies pay for their own education
• Acting as sponsor increases awareness
• Target one-day or weekend programs to
increase attendance

28. Online Workshops and Webinars
• 50% are interested
• Care.com is killing this:
– Videos
– Webinars
– Guest bloggers
– Expert opinions

29. Making Webinars Work
• Timing is everything
– Record it for their convenience
– Repost on your website
• Team with another expert
• Brand the entire presentation to your agency

30. Reviews and Assessments
• Do you test your nannies on their technical
skills?
– and share the results with them?
• Resumes
– do you let them know what is working and what
isn't?

31. Branded Resumes
• Give the nanny a copy!

32. Social Activities
• While not the most requested, it does matter
and shows that you care

33. E-Newsletter
• Least requested program, at 16%
• Better to repost short articles or blogs on
social media
– It’s Easy!

34. Getting Goofy
• Get nannies to engage with you –
– ask for videos on FB or YouTube on something about
their job
• Start fun conversations
– What is the silliest thing your charges said this
week?
• Sharing craft ideas
• Seasonal spins
• Always emphasize positive spins
– Do not breed negativity

35. FINAL NOTE

36. Final Words
Would you be more loyal to your agency?
Yes
No
No, but I would pay more
attention to their jobs

37. QUESTIONS?

38. The Personal Touch Career Services
www.PersonalTouchCareerServices.com
 donna@personaltouchcareerservices.com
 Social Media:
www.LinkedIn.com/in/donnashannon
www.facebook.com/DLShannon7
Twitter: @DLShannon
(c) Donna Shannon, 2010