Are you a housekeeper, looking to further your career? Do you want to take that next step, maybe to have more responsibilities, or to earn more money? Or perhaps you are looking to become a housekeeper. Either way, it is of great importance to know how you can grow in your role and your career. How you can achieve career goals. To feel successful, and be happy in your job!
So how do you become a successful housekeeper?
What is Success?
If you want to become a successful housekeeper it is firstly important to understand for yourself what success means. Success can have a completely different meaning from one person to the other. It really depends on what you want in your career, but also in life in general.
Money
For some people, being successful in their job is definitely related to money. The higher the salary, the better they feel in their job. If (more) money indeed makes you feel successful – great! It doesn’t matter what it is that makes you feel successful, it is about defining it for yourself. So you can then set your goals and make a plan on how to achieve them.
So if money indeed is your main driving force. Then earning more money, or the potential to earn more money will motivate you to do better. Maybe work harder.
So knowing this, in your housekeeping job you should look at ways on how to increase your salary. This can come in the form of a pay rise, or maybe have a bonus structure added in your contract.
So practically, you might want to have a conversation with your employer about a pay rise. But when you do so, make sure to come up with clear arguments why a pay rise might be justified. You might have been working there for several years, without a pay rise yet. Or maybe you have learned new skills that you are adding into your work. Finally, you can check if your salary is conform the average rate in your country – and make sure you are at least being paid minimum wage!
Job Retention
For other people, being successful might mean being in the same job for a very long time. Keeping the same job for a long period of time is becoming rarer these days. And currently, we see that in general people move from one job to another after several years. If you pride yourself on working for the same household for a long period of time, or if this is something you want to achieve. Then you should look at ways to show your employer that you can adapt to modern times and keep adding value to your work.
This can come in different ways. Firstly, employers like consistency. Make sure you do your job well, consistently. Show up on time, and don’t take any sick days if you don’t really have to. If your employer knows they can rely on you, they would probably love to keep you with them for the long term.
Invest in Training
Secondly, invest in training. to become, and stay successful in your role as a housekeeper you need to invest in your skills and abilities. Even if you have been doing the same job for 10 years, there are still things you could learn! The industry, and your household, will be changing, and you should grow with it.
It is vital to do regular training and education courses to keep you up to date with industry standards and learn new skills. You would be surprised how rusty you might have gotten – or how you can improve things that you have been doing the same way for many years. Training is not a sign of you being bad at something. It is a way of you becoming even better, more versatile. And overall a more successful housekeeper.
Training can come in many ways, from a specific housekeeping training course to things like Silver Service, Laundry, or even House Management. Adding extra skills to your skillset with being of interest to any employer, and it will make you a great employee for them to keep long term!
Work/Life Balance
Finally, success might mean having a great work/life balance for you. You might have a family or children you want to spend enough time with, outside of work too. If this is the case, really look at the job at hand and how far this is realistic.
Some housekeeping jobs require you to live in with the family. And even though the package and job might sound really appealing, if it is work/life balance that you are after, that might not be the right thing for you!
Having said that, every household differs. When you are looking for a new housekeeping job, make sure you understand their expectations. And how that fits in with your family life. The last thing you want is to commit to a job that you cannot live up to. It is not fair on yourself, your family, or your employer and will only result in a negative situation. So have a realistic look at what is required in the job from you. And how that can match with your expectations and your family life.
How to Become Successful
So having looked at some of the things that might mean ‘success’ above, with some concrete tips. But what else can you do to become a successful housekeeper?
Be versatile and flexible
Firstly, being a housekeeper can be an extremely versatile job. A great housekeeper is able to multitask and adapt to any situation quickly and thoroughly. So to become a really successful housekeeper, work on being versatile and flexible. You should be comfortable with things changing quickly around you. So should enjoy, and be able to jump from one thing to the other at the drop of a hat.
Be organised and calm
If you are a housekeeper already, you probably know that the job can at times be very high demanding, and stressful. Dealing with pressure and what seems like an enormous amount of tasks, is something you can learn.
The key for any housekeeper is to be extremely organised. You should consider – if you don’t have one already – making a household schedule. This consists of all the housekeeping tasks that need to be done in and around the house every day, week, and month. This means you can work with a checklist, prioritising the right tasks, and making sure nothing gets forgotten.
Your employer will be looking at you to keep the housekeeping running smoothly. Even when in the background everything might feel like it is going wrong, always keep calm. Never panic. Smile, keep a level head and you will find things going more smoothly.
How can Polo & Tweed Help?
Are you looking for a new housekeeping job? We hare great part-time, full-time and temporary roles all over the world, so contact one of our recruitment consultants to find out more.
If you are looking to invest in training, Polo & Tweed are market leaders in providing internationally acknowledged training courses. From housekeeping to management, silver service and butler training. There are group courses, tailor-made private courses and online training too. To find out more about what options would be suited for you and how it could help progress your career, do contact us here now and we look forward to speak to you!