How to Type a Resume for Housekeeping Positions
Your resume is an important tool in your job search. Potential employers receive dozens of applications for a single job opening, and they may spend less than three seconds on each resume. Your resume has to grab their attention and demand more than a passing glance. Prepare your resume so that it highlights your strengths and experience, your readiness to work effectively as a housekeeper and your reliability as an employee.
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Instructions
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Place your contact information at the top of your resume. Your name, phone number and email address should be clear and easy to read. Do not include your age, street address or social security number. Do not head the page with the word "resume."
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A video of you making a floor sparkle could set you apart from other applicants. Consider making a brief video of yourself cleaning a house or office. Look presentable and cheerful as you work. Have your camera operator provide close up before and after shots of what you are cleaning. Post the video on a hosting site such as YouTube with a catchy title and place a link to it in your resume just below your contact information where it will be most likely to be noticed.
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List nine to 12 single word adjectives that describe you are as an employee. Sit down with a few friends who know you well and ask them what words they would use for you. Words such as prompt, reliable, dedicated and hard-working will make you an attractive potential employee but be sure that they are accurate. Arrange the words attractively on the resume, three to a line, just below the link to your video.
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Highlight your previous cleaning and housekeeping experience. List your previous experience as a housekeeper. This can be paid employment, but include relevant volunteer work too, such as housekeeping for an elderly neighbor. Put each position in bullet format, with what you accomplished below it. Do not list responsibilities, such as "responsible for cleaning whole house" and "grocery shopping and cooking for family of five." Instead use active verbs to describe what you typically achieved in your work, such as "cleaned four bedrooms, kitchen and two bathrooms," "shopped for weekly groceries" and "prepared and served nutritious meals."
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List all other paid employment and volunteer work.
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Your high school graduation proves that you are not a quitter. List your education. State your academic awards, but also include awards such as citizenship which attest to your personality and sense of responsibility.
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Provide the contact information for two or three references. Ask your references for permission to list them. Be sure to invite people who will give you a positive reference. If you do not have much job experience, you can list a high school teacher, but do not use family members as references.
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Review the whole resume and consider its visual appeal. If your resume gives the impression of order and cleanliness, this will help persuade a potential employer that you can bring order and cleanliness to your housekeeping work. Revise if necessary.
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Ask a teacher or employment counselor to proofread your resume for typos and spelling or grammar errors. Request feedback on the content and visual impression as well.
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Tips & Warnings
Use an easily read font for your resume, such as Goudy or Lucida.
In the Employment and Education sections, list items in reverse chronological order (the most recent first).
When applying for a specific job, revise your resume so that it uses the language of the job posting. For example, if the posting is for a "home cleaner," make sure that term appears whenever appropriate in your resume.
It is optional whether you include an "Objective" section in your resume. The argument against this is that your potential employer already knows, since you are applying for the job opening, that your objective is to be hired as a housekeeper. The argument for it is that it makes your resume seem more focused on housekeeping jobs rather than other possibilities such as retail.
Attach a cover letter when you apply for each job. This should be brief, simply stating what job you are applying for, that you believe you are qualified for it and thanking the potential employer for considering you.
References
Resources
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