As the owner of a new maid business, hiring employees might be high on your priorities list. Expanding can help you make more money and grow your business. It’s natural that you’re thinking of taking this next step. That being said, before you get started, it’s important to do all of your research and proceed with caution. Hiring someone comes with a lot of responsibility.
Things to Look for When Hiring Employees for Your New Maid Business
If you’re hiring someone for the first time, you may not be familiar with some of the most common “hire-able” traits. You may also be wondering what it is that makes someone a good housekeeper or maid. We’re going to cover those things so that you’re off to a good start. Here is our list of 5 things to look for when hiring an employee.
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Job history.
The first simple thing to look for when hiring someone new is their job history and their references. Someone’s past will tell you a lot about their level of experience. It isn’t enough to take a peek to see whether or not someone has worked in the industry before, either. Checking their references will assure you that they are who they say they are. It is a crucial first step – one that can’t be missed!
When you’re looking at someone’s job history, it’s a good idea to keep an open mind. Some of your best future employees may not have been maids or housekeepers in the past. If they have a solid work history with impeccable attendance, however, you might want to consider them for hire. Many people are fast learners. There may be people who also have experience in certain aspects of housekeeping, but not as housekeepers. For example, they may have worked in a job where they had to clean daily as a part of their duties. This could have given them enough experience to get started in a housekeeping job.
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Attitude.
When you’re interviewing a potential future employee, you’re allowed to be as picky as you want to be. Attitude is something that you’re more than allowed to pay attention to. This is someone that is representing your business. Whoever meets them will form impressions about you. Pick someone whose personality matches your mission.
There are certain things that you can do while interviewing to test someone’s attitude. Ask them how they feel about situations that have made you uncomfortable in the past. I.e. when a client ends up needing extra work done and you had to stay later, or when someone cancelled on you at the last minute. How would your future employee respond to those situations? Ask whatever questions you feel necessary, and don’t feel guilty about it. Don’t hold back.
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Attention to detail.
A detailed person is typically the type you want cleaning for you. We might even go as far as to say: look for someone who calls themselves a “perfectionist.” A lot of jobs require people to be more laid back (like someone who is in customer service/interacting with others all day), but a housekeeper needs to pay attention to the little things. That is how you get a clean house. That is how the job gets done well. That’s also how you build your reputation as a thorough cleaning service.
It’s not enough to ask someone whether or not they’re detail-oriented. Take a look at their application. Did they fill everything in, or did they leave things out? Did they put time and effort into their responses? And did they take the time to ask you any questions about the position and its requirements? These are all things to look out for when you’re looking for that detailed personality. You can also find out if someone is detail-oriented by presenting situations to them and asking how they’d handle those situations (similar to how you’d check on their attitude). Ask them what they think their biggest flaw is, or as them “if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?” Responses to questions like that will tell you a lot about a person’s character.
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Flexibility.
Cleaning houses isn’t a 9-5 job. Oftentimes, as you know, you’ll get to a house and find that it needs more work than you originally thought. You may have to stay an extra hour or two in order to get everything done. Sometimes, you’ll show up to a house and client won’t even be there. Maybe they forgot or maybe they cancelled last minute. Whoever is working for you needs to be okay with either of these situations.
Check for flexibility by checking on your candidate’s lifestyle. How many jobs do they have? Do they have the ability to stay later if needed? Will they keep a calm demeanor if they’re cancelled on? If one of your clients decides they need their garage cleaned instead of their basement, is your employee going to be okay with that?
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Personal appearance.
When we say “personal appearance”, we’re not talking about stereotypes. We’re talking about basic things like cleanliness and attire. If someone shows up to your interview wearing clothes from the night before, it’s a general rule of thumb that they may not be the person you’re looking for!
If your candidate puts work into their personal appearance, it’s usually pretty telling of what kind of employee they’re going to be. Putting work into their outfit usually means they care about the job. Remember that when your clients meet your employees, they will form opinions of you. Everything your employees do reflects on your business. If they’re showing up to work in clean clothes with a good attitude, it’s going to make you look good. They’ll most likely be hired again if they do a good job. (Which means you’ll be hired again!)
It’s a great idea to give everyone a chance, but never be afraid to trust your gut. This is your business that you’ve made successful. Be selective about who you let in, and never feel bad for not hiring someone. It’s okay to have the perfect employee in mind, and it’s okay to say “no” until you find him/her.
Grow Your New Maid Business
If you’d like to learn more about how you can grow your new maid business, reach out to The Maid Coach. Debbie Sardone has years of experience helping business owners just like yourself make their business great.
