Do I Need References to Be Hired as a Babysitter?

Your babysitting profile on Care.com is complete and you are waiting for the calls to start coming in. Take this time to gather some references-people who can speak highly of your babysitting capabilities, personality, reliability, and other details that may give you an edge.   

There is no shortage of people who can say fabulous things about you-we know, you rock!-but you want to make sure you choose the right references. Select three references-consider a former employer who can talk about job performance or a teacher or coach who can talk about your strengths, attentiveness, interests, and more. If you have worked as a babysitter before, consider listing that family as a reference since they can speak very specifically about your babysitting abilities. Before you give your list of references to any family, be sure to contact each reference to ask if they'd be willing to speak on your behalf.

List the following information for each reference: their full name, their job, telephone number or email address, and their relationship to you. Adding a sentence or two about how the person knows you will help families ask the right questions to get to know you better.

It's best to include references at the bottom of your resume or as a second page to your resume. (See our sample babysitting resume template to view proper format.) You could also include the references in your online application (at Care.com there's a specific field to upload references) or email the list to each family.

>>Have more babysitting questions? Return to the main Babysitting FAQs.