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specktacularfam's avatar
specktacularfam
Contributor 3
23 days ago

How are you Hiring Reliable Employees in the Cleaning Industry?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently growing my cleaning business and getting to the point where I need to start bringing on employees. I want to build a solid, dependable team—not just people who show up, but people who actually care about the work and take pride in what they do.

For those of you who have already gone through the hiring process, I’d really appreciate your insight:

  • Where are you finding your best employees? (Indeed, Facebook, referrals, etc.)
  • What qualities do you look for when hiring cleaners?
  • Do you require prior experience, or do you train from scratch?
  • How do you handle background checks and trust/security in clients’ homes?
  • What pay structure or incentives have helped you keep employees long-term?
  • Any red flags you’ve learned to watch out for during interviews?

In my business, we don’t do quick surface cleans—we focus on deep, detailed, time-consuming work. Because of that, I want to make sure I’m hiring people who can handle that level of effort and consistency.

I’m also trying to build a positive, supportive work environment while still maintaining high standards. Any advice on balancing that would be helpful too.

Looking forward to hearing what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for you all!

4 Replies

  • AnthonySalazar's avatar
    AnthonySalazar
    Jobber Ambassador
    21 days ago

    We've had a lot of success running paid listings on indeed ($3-5 a day), requesting the applicant to fill out a DISC assessment before an interview (we look for high S and C for scoopers), then a quick 10-15 minute video interview to see if they can follow basic instructions. If they pass all of that during the slow seasons I used to do a "working interview" for just one hour where they'll scoop with me to see if they actually enjoy the job and I'll pay them $20. But during spring rush I didn't have the time to do the working interview so I just hired the best fits that followed instructions lol.

  • judithvirag's avatar
    judithvirag
    Builder 1
    22 days ago

    julie​ thanks for the tag and specktacularfam​ it is amazing news that you are growing and starting to hire. 
    When I started I had no idea what I was doing so I hired a lot of family and friends - which backfired quickly.
    After a while I was really torn as I had a lot of %^&* going on in my business and I decided to hire a business coach.  He coached me through our core values and we only hire based on or core values and attitude now.  Here are some answers to your questions:

    • Where are you finding your best employees? (Indeed, Facebook, referrals, etc.)
      • We use Indeed and we also participate on job fairs
    • What qualities do you look for when hiring cleaners?
      • Attitude is number one.  We do have a lot of qualifying questions - ie. Do you have your own vehicle and drivers license, can you work Mon to Fri 9-5, are you comfortable with pets, are you comfortable with the driving that is part of the job.  
    • Do you require prior experience, or do you train from scratch?
      • We train so we hire without or with experience
    • How do you handle background checks and trust/security in clients’ homes?
      • We run background checks on everyone that we pay for.  I guess for security not sure good question, our clients trust us.  As for the team members we are quite clear that if the customer comes to us that something in missing we will call the police right away.  
    • What pay structure or incentives have helped you keep employees long-term?
      • Benefits, extra upaid vacation, fair wages
    • Any red flags you’ve learned to watch out for during interviews?
      • If they only want to work in one area, if they are not flexible.

    Hope this helps!