If you are going to have a cleaning lady in your home or place of business, it is important that you have a good idea who you are bringing in. Because of that, it is important to have a proper interview set up before you hire a cleaning lady. Remember, especially if you are letting someone clean when you are not around, you are essentially trusting someone with the keys to your home or business.
Some interview guidelines for the future cleaning lady
When hiring a cleaning lady, there are several important factors to address so that you decide if you want them to perform the maid service or not. However, just because you do not see a suggestion or inquiry here does not mean that you cannot ask someone a particular question. These guidelines can help you along the way:
- Ask for general background information
Get a good feel who the person is that you are thinking about hiring. It is perfectly natural for you to ask how long a cleaning lady has been doing her job, how many houses she cleans every week/month, what residential cleaning services she can provide when cleaning etc. If you ask open-ended questions, you give the cleaning lady a chance to display her communication skills and her personality.
- Ask for references and use them
Remember, in essence, this is a stranger you are bringing into your home. It is not only important to ask for references, it is also important to call those references and see what feedback you get from them. If you want a better idea of her background, you can even ask for character references. While this may seem unusual at first, it is important to know that you can feel comfortable leaving her in your home or place of business.
Check to see if she is bonded and insured – many private cleaning ladies are not bonded and insured. That does not have to be a deal breaker, but you want to make sure that you can trust this person in your home and believe that she is unlikely to cause damage.
- Set the stage
Before demanding long house cleaning answers, I would begin by introducing yourself. Let your the maid who is interviewing for the role know that they can take time to think on an answer, or ask you to repeat yourself if they didn’t hear the question the first time. If you’re taking notes, which you likely should, let them know you might not make eye contact, because you are writing.
- Help your cleaner feel comfortable
People never interview well when they’re stressed out or uncomfortable. Make every effort to be welcoming and positive as your potential cleaning lady walks in. This way, they’re more likely to be honest and open.
- Make sure your cleaning lady understands the role
Depending on the situation, or the specifics of your family, the cleaner or cleaning company you’re interviewing may respond differently. I would open up the interview with a brief overview of the job description for your house cleaning.
Get information on how to contact them
It is important that you are able to contact this person if need be and that they are in fact legally allowed to work in the United States. The last thing you want to do is get a fine because you hired someone who is ineligible to work. Some important information to write down is:
- ID card number, driver’s license number, or social security number
- Full name and street address
- Proof of residency or documentation of legal permission to work
- Names and phone numbers of references
- Emergency contact name and address
- Ask hypothetical questions
Even with all the references in the world, you still want your cleaning lady to be able to talk about her work ethic and her cleaning approach. What sets her apart from the other cleaning ladies in the area? How does she approach cleaning? If you hire someone to take care of the house cleaning services and this person only treats cleaning as “something between jobs,” chances are that you are not going to have the same dedication and quality as with a traditional cleaning lady.
Be upfront about payment
If you believe that you have found the cleaning lady you want to hire, it is important that you tell them exactly how much you are going to pay them and what you expect from them in return. It is important to know what tasks will have an extra cost associated with them and what they would rather avoid doing.
Remember…These suggestions should be able to help you narrow down your different cleaning lady options. If you do agree to work with someone, it is always a good idea to ask for a two or three-week trial period. That way, you can tell whether the relationship you are forming with your cleaning lady is a compatible one.
