In the private service industry your professional reputation is paramount if you are considering domestic employment as a long-term career. (This is so important that we even wrote a separate blog about it).

Agencies and recruiters not only screen for qualifications of each of their candidates, but they pay attention to factors such as responsiveness, personality, attention to detail and overall ATTITUDE. With a limited number of agencies holding access to some of the industry’s top level jobs, you may want to proofread that email before you risk making a bad impression.

Applying for Jobs

During your job search you will likely be submitting your resume to many agencies, recruiters, and hiring departments. This is the most painstaking time-intensive portion of the entire process, but also the most important! You may find yourself wondering “is a real human even going to look at this, or will I be filtered out using an algorithm. Is all of the time spent answering these application questions even worth it?”

If you are applying with a domestic staffing agency like My Household Managed, the answer is, YES! The world of private service is very niche, and private service placement agencies are very thorough in the way in which they screen candidates. You are, after all, applying for a very important and private role working in someone’s home, so it’s understandable that your application and accompanying documents must have all of their i’s dotted and t’s crossed in order to stand out as an eligible candidate.

As in any industry, your resume and cover letter are your first impression to a recruiter at a private household placement agency. A well-crafted resume specific to the industry you are applying for is essential if you would like to break into the private employment sector. Most people begin working in private households as babysitters and do not think to make a resume for this. However, if you are looking to make domestic service your long-term career and be taken seriously by agencies it is essential that you create a resume, separate from the one you used in the corporate world, to highlight your industry-specific skills.

A cover letter is a great chance to show your professionalism and make you stand out as an experienced candidate and show initiative. If you Google “how to create a cover letter” it will give you formatting guidelines and advice on how to word it as well as tell you that your cover letter must be tailored to each specific job you are applying for. While this extra step does take time, the benefits will pay off in the end when you stand out among the other applicants. One thing to consider is that if you include a cover letter when applying for a private household position, the family looking to hire you WILL be reading it, rather than it getting lost on someone’s desk in an HR department. If you are the only candidate out of 5 applicants with a custom tailored cover letter you are already increasing your chances of getting the job by 20%!

✅  Do

• Proofread your resume

• Tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job you are applying for

• Include an “objective” in your resume

• Include industry specific skills (CPR certified, safe driving record, travel-ready)

• Google yourself and make sure you have a professional internet presence

• Set your social media accounts to private or remove anything that could be a potential red flag

❌  Don’t

• Use your corporate resume to apply for a nanny job

• Forget to include a cover letter

• Include the full names or addresses of any of your previous employers on your resume (Instead, say “Smith Family, Chicago”)

Check out our blog post on tips to create a professional nanny resume and download our free resume template.

The Interview and Screening Process

Come to your interview prepared with questions for the recruiter about the role in order to show a genuine interest in the position. Be sure to highlight your strengths relative to the position you are being considered for and offer up any additional information that might help your application stand out. Keep this additional information strictly professional, as sharing too much about your personal life and failing to use discretion is one way to disqualify you for a job.

One place where candidates misstep is that they seem interested in a role when speaking to an agency, but when it comes time for the interview the family feels like the candidate cares more about the pay and benefits than getting to know the family. Remember that finding the right fit is a lot like dating and during your interview you should be willing to keep an open mind and learn more before writing a job off entirely. Sometimes families can be flexible and offer things outside of the job description for the right fit

Ask the agency if the family is flexible with pay, what their ideal hours are, and what a typical day looks like. This way, you can go into an interview with the family confident that they have already met your basic requirements and you are simply looking for a cultural fit. Keep in mind what your “must-haves” for a position are, but do not make the interview a list of demands. 

Further, it goes without saying, but while it is important to maintain a professional tone during a phone call it is also important to present yourself well in a Zoom call. Put on a business casual shirt, make sure you look clean cut, and be in a place with minimal distractions (no people walking in the background, barking dogs, or people speaking loudly). Finally, NEVER take a zoom call while driving. If you must be in the car, simply be sure you are parked.

✅  Do

• Use discretion in the information you share

• Take calls at a time when you are available to speak and not in a noisy environment

• Show genuine interest in the roles you are applying for

• Be mindful of your environment and presentation during Zoom calls

• Come prepared with questions

 ❌  Don’t

• Be afraid to ask questions

• Turn your interview into a list of demands

• Interview for a role that you plan to leave as soon as you find something better

• Overshare about your personal life

Click here for our blog post with tips on how to crush your nanny interview!

Following Up Afterwards

Even after the interview with the recruiter or agency representative is done the relationship isn’t over. You may reconnect to discuss new opportunities that become available, you may have follow up questions about a role, the recruiter may work with you to negotiate you a better employment contract, or the agency might work with you to find your next few positions.

Always remember to maintain your attention to detail and professionalism and beware of your tone in all of the interactions you have with the agency as well as the family. Many times domestic staffing agencies are a very small team, or even run by just one person.

Even at My Household Managed we have experienced lovely, polite candidates that interview with us and have positive experiences, only to unexpectedly find their interactions rude, unprofessional, or unresponsive later on.  If a job seeker feels comfortable interacting this way before they even get the job and are in theory trying to make a good impression, what makes us think that they will conduct themselves professionally one year into a role with a family? 

✅  Do

• Be mindful of your tone

• Be prompt in your responses

• Use greetings and sign-offs in your emails (“I hope you are doing well” “thank you for your time”)

• Remember that the agency is “on your team” 

❌  Don’t

• Forget to follow up on the status of a role you are interested in 

• Make incessant phone calls or emails to a recruiter in order to get noticed (it’s likely they have seen your call and may simply be too busy to respond)

• Forget to proofread emails

In Conclusion: Basic etiquette, follow through, attention to detail, and being your most genuine and professional self are all great tools to make a positive impression. Years of experience on a resume is something that can be gained over time, but the positive impression you make during your interview and all of the interactions beyond are what really makes or breaks your job offer!

You’ve got enough on your plate in your day-to-day life — let us make your life easier by handling your unique household staffing needs.

If you are a family looking for a nanny, house manager or other home service, submit an inquiry with My Household Managed.

If you are a professional domestic employee looking for a job, apply at My Household Managed.

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