23 May A Guide to Selecting the Right Domestic Staff for Your Home or Estate

Hiring domestic staff for your home and family can be stressful. Putting together a team that has the right skills and experience, the right match in terms of personality, in addition to ensuring honesty, and trustworthiness isn’t easy. Thus, if you are starting to consider hiring domestic staff, we reveal what you should know and have in place before hiring household staff.

Note It Down

A good way to start is to make a list of what you need and then match your list with the type of domestic staff that most closely matches it. As an example, if you have a large household in need of management, an estate manager or majordomo could be of assistance. In addition to supervising household employees, this person manages your estate’s finances. A housekeeping staff is a perfect choice if you’d like to keep your home clean and organized. Valets, domestic couples, and butlers are ideal for busy households looking for more leisure time. The above are just a few of the many options available for domestic help.

Choose the basis on which you want your staff to assist you

As soon as you decide to contact domestic staffing agencies, you will be asked whether you would prefer the staff to live in or outside of your home. This is another important consideration, although it will largely depend upon your budget and the space in your home.

If you intend to have live-in employees, you will need enough space to accommodate them. Living-in staff can provide you with peace of mind while you are away and can attend to any small problems before they turn into larger ones. A live-in employee may also be an option for you if you have enough work to employ someone full-time.

You may prefer to hire staff who prefer to live outside your home if you do not have the space to accommodate domestic help or you do not require them to work full-time in your home.

Conduct multiple interviews

Our clients often ask their PA to conduct the first round of interviews. It is important to arrange at least two interviews yourself. This will give you an overall sense of the candidate and you will be able to see them on different occasions.

Run a trial

Before you hire a candidate, we always recommend you run a trial with them first. This can give you an insight into how they work and behave, and doing so allows you to know better if this is a great fit. The last thing you want to do is to get tied down by employing someone who isn’t right for the position.

In addition, make sure that the candidate is supervised during the trial. For example, if it is a Nanny position, allow the candidate to spend some time with the children alone getting to know them, but make sure you do this in a supervised environment. Domestic staff recruitment places your family or property in a vulnerable position – therefore always ensure safety.

Always Check References

Checking references is a crucial part of hiring domestic staff. This alleviates any doubts you may have about hiring a candidate as well as reveal areas in which the candidate excelled or went above and beyond. Make sure you ask open-ended questions when checking references to get an honest and open response.

If possible, it is best to get in touch with the previous employers, verify when they worked for the person, and get a general idea of their responsibilities. You can ask them why they left (if it is appropriate) and if they would recommend them.

Background checks

Background checks start with verification of an individual’s identity based on the information they provide, including date of birth and Social Security number. A background check also checks a person’s criminal record, education, employment history, and other past activities to confirm their validity and make informed decisions. Background checks are highly recommended and are an important part of domestic staff recruitment.

Trust your instincts

During the domestic staff recruitment process, even if you have followed all the steps above, you should always listen to your gut. Don’t ignore anything that feels off. You can exhaust all the above points and still feel something is amiss. Trust your intuition!

Your Complete Household Staffing Solution

Finding the right domestic employee takes time, effort, and specific knowledge. Riveter Consulting Group seeks out and retains exceptional individuals with a proven track record. If you want to hire a domestic staff for your home or estate and don’t know exactly where to get started, get started by filling out our contact page, or, call us at 1 855-444-2515 to tell us more about your needs and get advice about the next steps from one of our friendly staffing experts.