Questions to Ask Before Applying for a Role

The household staff industry can be difficult to predict, especially with different clients requesting different skills, working schedules, and more.

As a prospective candidate, constant movement across the job market brings a wealth of opportunity to the table – with new housekeeper jobs in London appearing on a regular basis. But how do you know which roles and opportunities are right for you, and which clients will be best suited to you in terms of working style and personality?

To help you answer these questions, here are some of the top questions to ask before applying for a housekeeper or other household role.

What Does a Typical Workday/Work Week Look Like?

In order to understand what a prospective employer or client needs from you; you should always ask what a typical workday looks like. Pairing this with a follow-up question on a typical work week will let you know whether the role is routine and regimented or requires some degree of flexibility.

This is important to know because it can impact whether you would be comfortable with the working style and environment or not.

Is This a Live In or Live Out Role? Is it Flexible?

You will often find that a job vacancy will be listed with the live in/live out policy attached to the listing. But that’s not to say the role may not be open to discussion.

With live in roles granting access to accommodation on site to facilitate varying work hours and to offer an added incentive to candidates, they are often incredibly popular – however, if you live locally and already have a home that you call your own, it’s worth finding out if the policy is flexible.

Can I Get Involved In XXX?

This is always an interesting question to ask before applying for a role because it can make you a more attractive candidate prior to the interview – especially if you have skills and interests that could benefit a potential employer.

Say that you are applying for a housekeeper role but are also an experienced cook or childcare specialist. Outlining these skills and asking if you can get involved in them as part of your role, can open up more opportunities for you and, for want of a better term, help your employer to “kill two birds with one stone”.

What Are You Looking For in a Good Candidate?

This final question may well be one that you address to the recruitment team as opposed to the employer or client – but it can be an excellent way to finetune your CV and application according to the role.

It can also help you to ascertain if the role is right for you, by discovering more about the employer through their ideal candidate selection criteria.

Whatever your ideal role looks like, specialist household recruitment agencies offer unrivalled access to new roles and support candidates in applying for – and being offered – roles across London and beyond.