by Andrew J. Zintl

Created on: August 31, 2008   Last Updated: October 07, 2008

Are you thinking about hiring a maid? It is important to thoroughly screen each candidate before making the decision to hire one of them. After all, a maid is in charge of an important household duty. The cleanliness of your house is a reflection on you as the owner, so she must be a hard worker who does her job well. Another important characteristic of a good maid is trustworthiness. Hiring a maid who has to be constantly watched to ensure no valuables go missing removes many of the benefits of hiring one.

It is essential to check a maid's references before making a decision. Past or present employers will shine a light on any potential flaws in either her work ethic or her capacity to be trusted that the maid herself will not be as forthcoming about. If any doubts are cast on the candidate in either of the areas, that potential maid should quickly be removed from the short list for hiring. Having weeded out any potentially dangerous or lazy maids, the good candidates should be called in for interviews to ensure compatibility in availability, salary requirements and general personality.

A maid having been a good match for other people is no guarantee of compatibility with you. As the employer, it is your responsibility to offer the maid fair wages for the services performed. Before asking about salary requirements, make sure you have established a limit on the amount you are willing to pay. Do not be unreasonable with your salary cap as an honest and hard-working maid is well worth her salt. Inevitably, some candidates will ask for more than you are willing to pay, making the ultimate hiring decision that much easier.

Before starting the interviewing process, you should have also decided on times that are good for the maid to come in and clean. It is essential to pick multiple times during the week as it is unlikely any maid will be able to meet an extremely limited demand on their availability. Since maids generally hold several cleaning jobs simultaneously, some will not be able to meet your schedule in any case, further narrowing the list of potential candidates.

The final requirement that you should consider in hiring a maid is the candidate's personality. Try to ask questions during the interview that illuminate her personality. If you find that the maid is cantankerous and believe that you probably will not get along, it is best to pass over her in the final decision. Once you have made the final decision, set a weekly time for the maid to come in and clean. After informing her of your decision, congratulate yourself on having found a great maid and having cleared yourself of the burden of cleaning.

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