Hiring housekeepers is a never-ending challenge for many industries. If you’re interested in becoming a housekeeper, you’ll certainly be an in-demand worker. Between 2020 and 2030, the need for employing housekeepers is projected to increase by 11.3% in the United States. It’s a growing field, and if you think you’d enjoy it, then you have great job prospects.
But to thrive as a housekeeper, what skills do you need? As you’re marketing yourself and writing your resume, what housekeeper skills should you highlight? These are certainly intelligent questions to ask. Knowing the answers will allow you to move forward on your career journey confidently. This blog post is here to help you get started.
What Does a Housekeeper Role Entail?
Housekeepers take on many roles, from laundry to trash removal. Housekeepers make sure the facility or house is clean. These employees take the proper steps—including vacuuming, mopping, wiping surfaces, cleaning windows, and more—to maintain cleanliness. Here are some other tasks you might do:
- Change sheets
- Dust furniture
- Change curtains
- Wash dishes
- Clean pet areas
In addition to day-to-day cleaning duties, housekeepers may also be responsible for deep cleaning projects as well as inventory control. This can include changing linens or towels, restocking supplies, checking safety features like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and even making minor repairs.
Your cleaning process will look different depending on where you’re hired to clean. For example, an employee cleaning hotel rooms will have a very different task versus someone hired to clean a hospital. In general, almost every single industry needs housekeepers and janitors to manage cleanliness. Here are some more examples of where you might work:
- Personal houses
- Business offices
- Fitness centers
Housekeepers are often part-time, but there are full-time positions available. If housekeeping sounds like the right role for you, then you’ll need to hone in on specialized skills and highlight them on your resume.
Top 9 Housekeeper Skills Employers are Looking For
When applying for a housekeeping job, you've got to really shine. Your resume needs to convey your suitability for the job and highlight your skills in a way that makes it easy for the employer to see what you've got to offer.
What skills do you need to have in order to be an excellent housekeeper?
Cleanliness
A natural ability to keep things tidy is at the top of the list. You should have a discerning eye for details, because your employers are paying for a clean environment—and by "clean," they likely mean "spotless." If you’re naturally messy, this role may be very challenging. Professional requirements for cleanliness are much higher than most people hold themselves to personally.
Communication skills
A huge part of being an effective housekeeper is communicating with other people. You'll likely communicate with your employers, guests, and other housekeepers. It's important that you can effectively listen, understand, speak and write. This includes speaking different languages if you're working in a multilingual environment or country.
Collaborative
Working as a housekeeper, you’ll likely be on a team. Plus, you’ll often be communicating with other employees because they will be updating you as they notice spills or accidents in the facility. Being able to be a collaborative employee is essential. If the facility is big, you’ll also likely work alongside other housekeepers to handle challenges together. Being able to work with others and delegate tasks is critical.
Efficient
To be an effective housekeeper, you also need to be organized. You'll be tasked with managing your cleaning schedule and supplies effectively. If you’re a slow worker, this will be a tough field to do well in. Tasks move quickly, and there are always new messes being made. Plus, you’ll have to be able to quickly move from one task to another when cleaning emergencies arise.
Strong and healthy
Have you ever been cleaning, and felt like you were working out? Housekeeping is truly a physical job, and the best housekeepers are strong, fit, and healthy. Oftentimes, you'll need to do a lot of heavy lifting, including moving cleaning supplies and furniture.
Specialized waste management skills
Some housekeeps are also trained in special waste management. For example, in hospitals, janitorial employees have to be specially trained and skilled in cleaning the surgical rooms. There are also strict laws when it comes to getting rid of certain materials, like used needles. Hospital housekeepers are highly skilled in sterilization and sanitation to make patients and doctors safe.
Prioritization skills
There are so many tasks, and so little time. The most important skill you can have as a housekeeper is being able to prioritize cleaning needs and issues. You should be able to prioritize tasks and make decisions on what to clean first. Knowing what's more important than something else can help you decide which tasks should take precedence over others.
Reliability
Cleaning is an essential part of keeping any facility or home running smoothly. It can be easy to get behind on chores if they aren't done regularly. Employers are looking to hire extremely reliable housekeepers to ensure their organization is running properly. Housekeepers are the behind-the-scenes heroes who keep businesses and homes neat and tidy.
Positive attitude
Housekeeping can be a physically demanding job, and it's not uncommon to face some difficult tasks like cleaning up after someone who has been ill or handling unpleasant odors in the bathroom or kitchen. For this reason, it's a good idea to exhibit a positive attitude so that you can roll with any challenges that come your way without letting them bring down your day or mood.
Include These Skills on your Housekeeping Resume
In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to highlight your housekeeping skills in your resume. This will make it easy for the employer to see how you would be a strong fit for their company. However, we know how frustrating and challenging creating a resume is. Rocket Resume can help with a resume specifically tailored for the housekeeping roles you’re seeking.