Month: May 2005

Categories
Published Articles

Working With Domestic Placement Agencies

If you have ever looked for a job in the domestic services field, there is a good chance you have dealt with a domestic employment agency. If not, your next job search should include at least one agency to represent you. Whether you have had good or “not so good” luck with an agency before, the following tips and information will be very valuable as you approach your new job hunt.

First and foremost, you can’t find something if you don’t know what you are looking for. Before you approach an agency to represent you, know for certain what position and what job description you are seeking. If you don’t know already, you probably should not use an agency. Here’s why: Domestic agencies get paid by clients to find them skilled employees that have been successful in a home and have the references to prove it. Therefore, an agent tries to present candidates that have years of experience in their field and impeccable histories.

If you are just starting out or are making a “career change” because a domestic job sounds like something you want to try, forget it. You can, however, call on an agency and kindly ask advice for breaking into the field, but don’t expect too much attention. The only exception is if you have skills relative to the work you are looking for, some agencies accept “entry-level” applicants for clients who may not need an experienced person. It is very rare, but apply to agencies that encourage you to do so. If you want to learn how to get started in the domestic services industry, read “Finding Your First Domestic Position.”

Next, when you do contact agencies, be prepared! Don’t even call if you don’t have a resume. See the very important article “Becoming a Better Domestic Employment Candidate” to be ready for any situation. Once you are ready, call the agencies local to where you want to work and also try the agencies that place nationwide. The best advice is to register with every agency in the world if you have the time and patience, because each agency gets different clients, and more clients = more jobs! This will take a lot of your own effort, but if you have prepared as discussed in the other article, you should be up to the challenge. Also, agencies work for you for FREE, so use them all. Never pay an agency to register for employment. They are paid by the employer when you get hired.

The registration process for each agency will be different. Some will ask you to fax or send a resume first, then if you are qualified you will fill out the full application. Others will have you do a complete application right away to be considered for representation. Some may not even take your application. Either way, follow the instructions of the person you are in contact with. After submitting the application or resume, allow the agent to get back to you on their time. They may be busy working with placements or more likely do not have a suitable position to talk to you about at the moment. A good rule is to wait 3-5 business days to follow up after you have spoken to or sent something to an agency. Be persistent, but try not to be annoying. If there is a job on an agent’s desk that you are perfect for, they will call you immediately and treat you like a long lost friend! Be patient.

Did I mention patience? Let’s look at the numbers for a moment: A typical agency has several hundred to several thousand applicant files. Some are computerized, but most are in filing cabinets and are searched manually when a job order needs to be filled. For example, here’s what happens when a client calls the agency for a private chef:

The client will have specific details about the type of person, cuisine, schedule, living arrangements, salary, etc., that they are looking for. Based on the job details, an agent goes through the files of all available chef candidates for a possible match either by computer search, flipping through applications, or by memory. Out of maybe 100 available applicants, an agent selects just a few to send to a client, maybe four or five. The client reviews the files sent by mail or fax and decides whom to interview. And then if a perfect match is found through the interviews only one person gets hired! So if a very busy agency does just two chef placements per month, your chances are about 2 out of 100 or 1 out of 50 that you will land a chef position through the agency. It’s not pretty. Many candidates on file with agencies for a year or two never even get an interview.

Here’s the trick: Try to be in the four or five applicants sent on every job order at every agency. How? Have the best, most complete, most up-to-date application on file and follow up periodically to have a great relationship with the agents representing you. Basically, it all comes back to the preparation and presentation from the “Better Candidate” article. This is assuming, of course, that you are equally qualified with the other applicants. Likewise, the specific requests of an employer might disqualify you right away, but there is nothing you can do about that. Your only mission is to beat out the other candidates on jobs you are a match for. So be the best applicant in the files and have a solid, ongoing relationship with the person representing you.

As a last note, you should remember that even though agencies can help you, you do not have to take any abuse. You are a human being and professional and should be treated that way. If someone is rude to you without cause, simply don’t ever speak to them again. They probably don’t have any positions for you anyway if they treat you poorly. No big deal, there are plenty of agencies out there. In turn, have patience when going through the interview process because clients are sometimes flaky and agencies have no control over the schedule. Hang in there and pursue all the opportunities you can. Your only goal is to find the right position for you.

David Gonzalez
President, DPN

Categories
Published Articles

Becoming A Better Domestic Candidate

There are many approaches to finding employment as a domestic professional. You can respond to classifieds, network through friends and former employers, or use a placement agency, to name just a few. No matter which path you follow to find a new job, there are some standard items that can help you rise above the other applicants in your field. Whether you are a chef, estate manager, chauffeur, nanny, or any other type of employee, being prepared is the name of the game!

Often in the domestic service industry, top candidates are not the ones with the most experience or the most skills, but those who understand basic business protocol in the job search process. For example, a chef may be extremely talented in his or her trade, but offer a very poorly written application package. He or she will stand less of a chance of getting an interview when competing against applicants with an up-to-date, well-constructed portfolio. Likewise, should an agency or employer request background information or documents from a candidate, any delays could result in the hire of another applicant. Lastly, if the information such as references, dates of employment, and contact information are hard to follow or incomplete, the application could seem “fishy” or the candidate could be thought of as incompetent.

For all of the above reasons, one should apply basic business “common sense” to the job hunt process. Spend some time educating yourself about conducting employment searches, interviewing, and writing a resume. Also, if you are planning to go through an agency for representation, read the article “Working with Domestic Employment Agencies.” It offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on the hiring procedure! Any inside knowledge and careful preparation will pay off tremendously as you go through the process of finding your next position.

APPLICATION PACKAGE CHECKLIST

  1. Current Resume
    I cannot stress the importance of the resume enough. In many cases, it is the only item an employer will see when deciding who to interview. Some agencies only send the resume to a client. Some employers only look at resumes. Make sure yours is up to date and has a professional look with no mistakes! You can hire a service if you are not good on the computer. Also, having a copy on disk is great for sending documents through email.
  2. Letters of recommendation
    Any time you leave a job you should get a letter of recommendation. Try to have them written on company letterhead or personal stationery of your employer. The more letters you have, the better. Be prepared to distribute copies that are as legible as possible. Even better, have color copies made of the most recent or most important letters.
  3. Reference List.
    You will have to supply this information on any job application so have it ready on a separate page, laid out as follows: Employer name; who to contact for the reference; the contact’s title; a current telephone number; and any notes about reaching the person. You may also request to be contacted directly for telephone numbers so you can tell your reference in advance who will be calling.
  4. Current Photograph. Have a recent photograph of yourself ready to give out (color photocopies are a good idea) with an application. It should show your overall physical appearance and a nice touch is to be in the uniform of your profession. The extra step you can take here is to have the photo scanned and put on a disk to email to agents or employers.
  5. ID Copies.
    Usually agencies will ask for your identifying documents upfront to verify you are who you say you are. This includes driver’s license, social security card, passport, green card, work visa, etc. Be prepared by having a high quality black and white copy made for faxing and color copies for distribution.
  6. List of Previous Addresses.
    To conduct background checks, employers or agencies will require a list of the county, city, state, and address of where you have lived over the past 10 years. Have this information available and typed out. Make copies.
  7. Background Explanation
    If there is anything derogatory at all that you know will show up on your driving record; credit history; criminal background; or any civil litigation cases, have a detailed explanation ready. When these checks are done on you, the reports come back with codes and sketchy details about the events that are difficult to interpret. Your willing discussion of the incident can make certain situations less incriminating as a candidate for employment.

As with any endeavor worth pursuing, the job search can be tedious and frustrating. Approach the task with a positive attitude and commit yourself to being ready for any obstacles along the way. Also “put your money where your mouth is” when creating your application materials. You may have to spend a few dollars to have a great looking resume package with clean, legible copies of all your documents (both black & white and color), but the payoff is far greater than the costs you will incur.

Also remember, there is no such thing as “luck.” The word “luck” is just a description of what happens when preparation meets opportunity. So by preparing carefully and placing yourself in front of all the opportunities out there, you can be the “lucky” one who lands the perfect job.

David Gonzalez
President, DPN

Categories
Butler training Published Articles

Ask Not What The Butler Did But What He Could Do For You

The Hotel Butler – Recognizing the Value Butlers Bring to the Bottom Line!

We all know the cliche, but what was it the butler did? Sometimes in movies or board games, he was the one the police wanted to question further. In the hotel environment, the butler can be a failed experiment or a service facility that keeps high-rack occupancy rates at 100%.

Where he fails, it is because he is cast in (frankly) degrading-to-the-profession roles such as “bath butler,” “fireplace butler, “technology butler,” “baby butler” (who provides rocking chairs and watches children), “dog butler,” “ski butler,” and “beach butler.” The idea being that anything that offers superior service in some small area is called “a butler” in an effort to siphon some of the prestige of the profession.

At least when the term valet was extended to “dumb valet,” that furniture item upon which one lays out clothing for the following day, there was no pretence that this was the real item. Fortunately for the profession, the public were not fooled or taken in by these “dumb butlers” and the practice has faded relatively rapidly before it could sour the public mind on the concept of butlers. And fortunately so for the butlers working in top hotels around the world, who do justice to the profession, and the hotel managements who have recognized the value butlers bring to the bottom line and the repute of their establishments.

In an industry that is completely premised on the idea of service, and in which service is a key differentiator, it’s a no-brainer to institute butler service. Butlers have always represented the pinnacle in service quality. After the initial required training, the running of a butler service is not much more expensive to provide than regular service, yet it allows rack rates to be raised and creates a loyal following of repeat visitors, as well as enhancing word of mouth and thus new business that make the investment very sound.

Once management has decided to institute butler service, the next question is: how to bring it about.

The first step is to bring on board the most service-minded of your employees to undergo training. The second: Bring in one of the handful of butler trainers who can train hotel butlers (as distinct from butlers in private residence, as the hotel environment is very different and requires fewer and different skills than the traditional butler).

In putting together a training program, it is important to know the four main elements that hotel butler trainees and hotel butler programs need in order to succeed.

First of all, there are the mechanical actions, the skills that butlers need, such as how to clean shoes, how to greet guests, tour them around their suite, how to arrange events for their stay, etc.

Then there is knowing and adopting the psyche or mindset of the butler. It is a truism that in order to do something effectively and with conviction, one has to be able to be the role that one is playing fully. Unless a butler has this as a starting point, he or she will never be able to carry off the role convincingly or handle guests and even fellow staff with the aplomb that makes butlers such quintessential service professionals.

This is why the training has to include the history, rationale, characteristics and communication skills of the traditional butler, and enough drilling-in of these elements so that when the novice butler is faced with a tricky or embarrassing situation, he or she is not left tongue-tied, upsetting guests, or proving that he is not the smooth, low-key character that guests expect in their butlers.

Thirdly, having covered the theory and done copious drills on applying the skills in a classroom environment, the trainer needs to move out with the butlers and expose them gradiently to guests in the actual areas they will be providing butler service. By gradient is meant the trainees using each other and then senior staff as guest guinea pigs, and then servicing known-to-be-easy guests, and then VIPs and known-to-be-difficult guests. The trainer should correct them on an internship or apprenticeship basis until the trainees can confidently do their duties.

Finally, for training to be practical and workable, it needs to tie the general actions of butling into the specific hotel environment in which they are being instituted. This means the trainer has to work with hotel management and butler trainees to adapt existing SOPs (standard operating procedures) and propose new ones that align with existing SOPs. These SOPs would be developed during the training and then drilled and corrected and used during the apprenticeship period and then fine-tuned. The result would be a butler manual that would be referred to regularly, and used to train new staff to be butlers‹as the program will probably expand and there will always be some attrition.

The end result of the whole program as outlined above is generally employees with high morale who competently carry out their duties, wowing guests and resulting, as stated before, in 100% occupancy, a very high rate of return visits, and the opportunity to increase rack rates while enjoying stellar word of mouth.

Perhaps it would be better to ask then, not what the butler did, but what he (or she) could do for you.

The above article was published in the May/June 2005 of Spa Magazine, as well as in Hotel On Line, 4Hoteliers.com, Airline News Resource and in Polish in the publication ehotelarz.com.