If you are looking for a new Housekeeper, it can be a stressful task. Especially if you need to find a new housekeeper quickly. Perhaps your old Housekeeper has suddenly had to leave? Then the skill is not only to find a Housekeeper quickly but also efficiently. You don’t want to miss any of the vital steps!
So find out here how you can find a new Housekeeper quickly, and efficiently.
Get a clear Job Spec
One of the best ways to find a new Housekeeper quickly is to make sure you have a clear idea of what the job actually is. So take some time to write a very clear and comprehensive job spec. This should include at least the following:
- Summary/description of the job and your household (kids, family members, size of the house, etc)
- List of tasks
- Requested hours per day worked
- Specific days of the week worked
- Salary
- Employed or self-employed
- Extra package: holiday pay? Bonus structure? Overtime? Use of a car?
- Live in or Live out. (If live in, describe the accommodations)
- Start date
- Any other staff the new Housekeeper might be working with/alongside
- Skills/experience required (also includes things such as driving licence, ability to cook meals, etc)
Having a very clear job spec will save a lot of time! As the potential new housekeepers will know exactly what to expect from the new job. There won’t be any surprises, over salary for example. Or hours worked. So that you will only get applications from people who suit the role!
Make Time For Interviews
If you want to find a housekeeper quickly, you need to focus your time on the important things. Interviews are one of them. It is very important in your recruitment process, that you take the time to interview your potential new Housekeepers. A CV only can tell you so much. A Housekeeper working in your household needs to be a personality match too! So make sure to make time to schedule interviews.
Prepare a checklist of questions before your interview. To make sure you are not forgetting anything! Have their CV and any other documents with you during the interview too, so you can refer back to it.
Make notes. Because if you are interviewing lots of people, chances are you might forget some vital things about some people. Your notes will help you afterwards to make the right decision on who to progress.
Check References
Although you might want to hire a Housekeeper quickly, it really will pay off to do your due diligence and check references. References are an invaluable source of information. And then can provide vital background information so you can understand better if the Housekeeper will be a good fit.
If you fail to do this, you might regret it afterwards. Also check to see if they have the right documents you might require, such as a work permit or visa, and a DBS (if they would be working alongside children).
Don’t Skip The Trials!
If you are in a rush and want to find a new Housekeeper quickly, it might be tempting to skip the trial part of recruitment. But this is a really vital part of the process.
CV’s and interviews are great, but it is trials where you will really find out what will work best for you. Housekeeping is very practical work. So to get the opportunity to see how someone actually works is crucial information to have.
Doing a trial of a couple of days will give you so much more insight. About how they fit in with the family, for example. Whether they are proactive and pick up tasks quickly. And if they seem to settle in with your family routine quickly.
It really is the trials where you get the full idea of what someone could be like. Miss this step, and you might have to start the whole recruitment process all over again.
Use An Agency
If you are in a hurry, and you won’t have time to do all of the above? Then an agency might be your best option! Even if you would have all the time in the world, it can be a great choice. An agency comes with an extensive network of all the best Housekeepers in the industry. And they will be able to take all the hard work away from you.
They will check references, do preselections and pre-interviews, so that only the best, vetted candidate CVs land on your desk. All you’ll have to do is pick the ones you like the most.
If you would like help in finding a great new Housekeeper for your household – why not contact Polo & Tweed now? With the best candidates all over the world, highly experienced recruitment consultants will provide the best service. Making the process easy, smooth and efficient for you and your family!