With more people moving to the idyllic English countryside than ever before, it’s essential to have a housekeeper who can keep up with the tasks that a busy household demands. At Shire & Wold Staffing, we provide housekeeping jobs to those looking to take their career to the next level, and progress within the private household sector.
But what should you expect from an interview for a housekeeping job? If you’re looking for work in the private staffing industry, this blog will give you the tools you need to be prepared for your interview.
Here are some questions you might be asked in an interview as a housekeeper, and our tips to help you answer them effectively, and impress your potential employer.
Question 1
Can you describe your previous housekeeping experience, particularly in private households?
Employers will likely want to know what experience you have so that they can gain insight into the level of responsibility they can give you, should you be successful. For this question, it’s important to be honest about the work you’ve done in the past, whether as a housekeeper or other experience in the private staffing industry, to showcase your top skills and attributes.
Use this opportunity to show off your skills by explaining the challenges you have overcome in previous jobs, and how you approach tasks. With housekeeping jobs, skills such as exceptional attention to detail, or a strong work ethic may be good attributes to discuss. Make sure you always provide supporting examples to showcase these skills and bring to life your experience. The employer will be looking for these real examples and it will provide them with an understanding of how you work.
Question 2
How do you prioritise your tasks when managing a large home?
Private households need to be managed effectively to keep up with the often busy lifestyles of the residents. Being able to properly manage time as a housekeeper is one of the key attributes employers will look for in a candidate.
As an example, you could start by reaffirming that the requirements of each household are unique, and that you’d tailor your time management towards the tasks that the owner of the house explicitly states. This could include cleaning and maintenance, changing bed linens, running errands, shopping and pet care. Having an understanding of the homeowners requirements will help you to prioritise your workload and provide structure to your working day.
In an interview, this could present a good opportunity to ask the employer about the individual duties of the housekeeping job, and other questions about the nature of the work. This will help you appear more engaged, and eager to understand more about the job requirements.
Question 3
How do you ensure a high standard of cleanliness and attention to detail, especially with delicate items or valuable furnishings?
This question is particularly important when applying for a housekeeping job in a private country estate, as these properties often contain highly valuable items which need to be handled with care. At Shire & Wold Staffing, we recruit private staff for a wide variety of clients, often who are considered as ultra high net worth individuals with a high profile in the community. As a result of this, the interview process needs to be thorough, to ensure they find the right fit for their household.
We recommend answering this question using specific examples of how you’ve shown attention to detail with previous jobs, and where you can demonstrate that you work to a high standard. What interesting high value items have you handled with care? What precautions did you take in your approach when cleaning these items?
By asking this question the employer is seeking reassurance that you are capable and honest; this could also be your chance to be candid about the importance of trust and how you go about building this with a new employer. Showcase your honesty and professionalism by describing how you would overcome a challenging situation as a housekeeper.
Question 4
Are you willing to live on-site, and if so, how would you manage your personal and professional boundaries?
With many housekeeping jobs, there is the opportunity to live at the property and become integrated with the family of the homeowner. This question is therefore incredibly important for both employers and employees, as it is designed to establish boundaries within the workplace and maintain a professional relationship from the beginning.
In an interview, this question can be tricky to answer. However, it’s important to be honest about your personal and professional boundaries as you don’t want any unpleasant surprises later down the line. Some homeowners may require more flexibility than others, so make sure you come to the interview with an understanding of what you can offer in terms of location and flexibility.
As someone who will be potentially living with their employer, it can often be easy for professional relationships to develop into personal ones. How you manage this is crucial for your position as housekeeper, as there must always be an element of professionalism present for the work to be done properly, and to the high standard of the client. Balancing how to say in an interview that you don’t want to be the clients’ best friend, but don’t want to be cold-mannered either can be difficult, but just remember to stay true to yourself. Just because you may not be the right fit for a particular client, doesn’t mean there isn’t a position for you.
That’s where our expert team can help, as we have years of experience matching the right candidate with the right job. Be it a housekeeper, nanny, driver or chef, we understand our clients needs and can see the qualities in our candidates that match this.
Question 5
Do you understand the need for discretion and confidentiality within a private household/working for a private client?
This is the ideal question to answer using the STAR technique. The STAR technique is as follows:
Situation: Describe the situation, as well as where and when it occurred.
Task: Explain the task you were given and the ideal goal.
Action: Provide details about the action you took to achieve this goal.
Result: Conclude with the result of your action.
This style of interview answer will demonstrate to the potential employer that you have realistic expectations of the housekeeping job within a private household, as there are occasions when challenges arise and you need to use your problem solving skills to overcome them.
Employers will be looking for you to reassure them that you are a trustworthy person, and work with discretion. This is especially important for high profile clients where you’d be working in their personal space.
Many employers will require their staff to sign an NDA in order to protect their personal information. This will also mean that you aren’t allowed to discuss your employer outside of work. Use this opportunity to highlight that you’re aware of this and reassure them of your discretion.
Some employers may take the chance to judge how you talk about previous employers and experience. This will provide a good indication of your trustworthiness and discretion, and how well you maintain confidentiality. Make sure to be very careful with what you choose to discuss, and how you communicate about past employers.
Operating in the Cotswolds and wider UK countryside, we recruit housekeepers, private chefs, drivers and more for properties in the English countryside. We work with high profile clients who value discretion and high performance from their staff. If you are looking for a housekeeper role (or nanny, driver or chef position) our expert consultants can match you with the perfect housekeeping job, based on your skills and experience.
Browse our vacancies today to discover your next ideal role with Shire & Wold Staffing.
