Of Interest to Private Service Professionals

We are fortunate in our private service field that there are jobs and will always be jobs. Why? Because time is money and money buys time. For those people who want more time to pursue their interests and relaxation pursuits and have the money to have others do for them, then hiring the right persons to assist them is a natural course of action. Economic downturns not withstanding, we have always had a world with in persons in all cultures seeking help in their private lives. Our growing and also aging population assures us that private service is a career choice that will continue to grow. The challenge is matching the needs and realistic expectations of both employer and employee to bring about mutually satisfying relationships. Here are some tips for both parties.

Ten ideas to sharpen up your candidacy in the eyes of an employer

1. Be realistic about what your actual private service experience and training have prepared you for at each stage of your career. A great Nanny may not yet be a House Manager, but may have the skills to transition ever more strongly by focusing on appropriate situations while always seeking opportunity to learn from others, from training, from self study.
2. Write a resume with at least 10 key duties and responsibilities note for private service jobs and 2-3 for non private service jobs. In this experience section, avoid mixing in things like “excellent serving skills” rather than stating the actual task performed “served dinners Butler style” for family and guests.
3. Avoid obvious reader questions like gaps in employment dates, overlapping employment dates that are not explained, and missing basic components of a resume, like the category education background and references.
4. A section after Education titled Skills and Attributes is a good place to include “Excellent serving skills”.
5. It is good to get written references whenever possible upon leaving a position and have them available at the appropriate time.
6. Many consultants recommend a photo be included as part of a resume in private service. This is because the positions involved are so personal in nature and a photo really does convey an important impression. Take the time have someone take a good picture of you, with appropriate neat attire, nicely groomed with a positive happy expression.
7. Along the same lines, employers are always wanting to know if the person they are about to bring into their home is married, general age, and other personal things like pets if you are applying for a live-in position. Why not tell them a little about yourself in a personal paragraph.
8. Since a resume is your first contact with an employer or an agency, make sure that the spelling is checked, the document is up to date, the formatting is simple, the font is businesslike and the content relates to the private service position that you are seeking.
9. Hopefully you will be getting phone calls about yourself. If necessary, practice speaking in a friendly, positive and youthful communication style even if you are older. Later when the face to face interview happens, grooming and presentation become crucial. There are plenty of tips on how to conduct yourself during such a meeting, but you must come across as neat, pleasant, and nicely dressed to make a lasting first impression.
10. Practice saying thank you in all types of scenarios. It makes people want to help you.