As a business owner, you already know that growing your company is essential to success. But what if you don’t have the time or resources to do everything yourself? That’s where hiring workers comes in. In this blog post, we’ll outline the process of how to find and hire new workers for your cleaning business.
What you’ll learn in this guide
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll learn in this guide:
Image credit: Nathan Cowley via Pexels
What roles should you consider for your business?
Once you start expanding your business, you’ll likely have to fill in the following positions:
- Cleaning staff.
- Office manager.
- Office assistant.
- Marketing staff.
- Sales representatives.
- Customer service representatives.
- Accountant.
- Receptionist.
You’ll also have to consider whether you’ll need your employees to come on as full-time employees, part-time employees, or even independent contractors who help with short-term projects.
Getting ready to hire new cleaners
You’ll have to consider a few requirements and make some preparations before starting the hiring process. Here are some of the things you’ll have to do to prepare your company for hiring:
- Get insured: General liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance are the two most important types of insurance you’ll need to protect your business and your workers from any unforeseen circumstances.
- Find a payroll system: Payroll management software can make it easier for you to track employees’ compensation accurately.
- Get a lawyer: If you’re going to be issuing employment contracts, it’s best to hire a lawyer to go over each one.
- Put together an employee handbook: This should include all the rules and regulations you expect employees to follow.
- Draft application forms: These should include sections for applicants’ personal information, contact details, previous employment history, availability, references, and other relevant information.
- Set up a workplace safety training program: This should cover the do’s and don’ts for handling equipment, responding to emergencies, basic first aid training, and risk assessment training.
Image credit: Alex Green via Pexels
Creating your first cleaning job posting
Writing a cleaning may seem simple enough, but it does come with its particular challenges. The biggest challenge: conveying all the necessary information in a concise and attention-grabbing post.
When writing the job title, keep it short and straightforward. Write titles that are familiar to most people, like “commercial cleaning crew member,” “high-rise window cleaner,” or “pressure washer technician.” Make sure to avoid jargon titles as well.
When writing the job description, you’ll want to answer the following questions in one short paragraph:
- What does the work entail?
- Who will the applicant work with?
- What kinds of clients or service areas can the employee expect to encounter?
- What skills, educational background, experience, and certification are necessary to qualify for the position?
- What job requirements must the applicant submit?
- What is the hourly rate?
- What are the work hours like? Is it a full-time or part-time position?
- Where is the office located?
- Is there a dress code, or will a uniform be provided?
Aside from this, you can also benefit from including the following information in your listing:
- Health insurance.
- Disability insurance.
- Vacation leaves and PTO.
- Retirement benefits.
- Parental leave policies.
- Employee perks. (i.e., commuter assistance, employee discounts, child care assistance, performance bonuses, etc.)
- Company culture.
Where to advertise your job postings
Once you’ve finalized your job listing, you can begin looking for places to post your ads. These days, search engines and online job boards like Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor are your best bet. You can also post an ad on your social media pages, from LinkedIn to Facebook and Instagram. Posting to social media means that you can also get reliable referrals from valued customers.
If you want to go for a more traditional route, you can print out flyers and distribute them around your neighborhood. With this approach, you may have better luck finding someone from your community. However, this is a more expensive and labor-intensive approach.
For a guide on effectively advertising your cleaning business, check out our article on cleaning business flyers ideas and examples.
Image credit: Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels
3 tips for screening potential candidates
Narrowing down applicants to a handful of qualified candidates can be challenging. Here are three tips for finding the ideal candidate:
1. Make a list of priorities
What are you looking for in an employee? Some of the most important traits that any cleaning professional should have are good social skills, problem-solving skills, reliability, and a strong work ethic. It’s up to you to decide whether having a fantastic attitude is a must or if not having any previous cleaning experience is a dealbreaker for you.
To make things easier, you can sort your applicants into three categories: yes, no, maybe, or a good fit, trainable, and wrong fit.
2. Master the art of the interview
The interview process can be nerve-wracking for both the candidate and the interviewee, especially if you’ve never done it before! When conducting a job interview, keep the following tips in mind:
- Go over candidates’ resumes and cover letters before the interview. This will help you avoid unnecessary questions and allow you to go deeper into your candidates’ abilities and previous cleaning experience.
- Ask open-ended questions. If you don’t want to get one-word, “yes” or “no” responses, design your questions to allow your candidates to tell you more about themselves.
- Ask what candidates would do in a work situation. Test your candidates’ problem-solving skills and quick thinking by proposing hypothetical situations for them to solve.
- Go out of the box with your interview questions. Don’t be afraid to get creative and ask questions like, “Describe a perfect day for you” or “What do people often get wrong about you?” Not only do these questions get your candidates to loosen up and become more comfortable with you, but they also give you a peek into how they think.
- Avoid personal topics. Stray away from topics around a person’s age, gender, sex, religion, or race.
3. Conduct a thorough background check
Checking references and conducting a criminal background check may seem like overkill, but it can help protect your business from potential risks. You should look into educational credentials, employment history, and criminal records.
Cleaning services FAQs
- When should I hire more cleaning employees?
- Where is the best place to advertise cleaning jobs?
- How much should I pay my cleaning employees?
When should I hire more cleaning employees?
You should hire more employees when you feel that your business is suffering from being understaffed or when you want to grow your business with more hands on deck.
Where is the best place to advertise cleaning jobs?
Some of the best places to advertise cleaning jobs include platforms like Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor, as well as sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
How much should I pay my cleaning employees?
According to ZipRecruiter, cleaning jobs pay about $12 an hour or $25,836 a year. Of course, this number varies depending on your location, skill levels, and years of experience.
Closing thoughts
Hiring new employees can be a daunting task for any business owner. With so many factors to consider and so many options to choose from, it might seem like you’ll never find the perfect person for your team. But with just a little preparation and patience, hiring cleaners is easier than you think and benefits your business in the long term.
Start managing your cleaning business today with Method:Field Services!
Image credit: Sora Shimazaki via Pexels
