Our Process

A Search Designed to Reduce Uncertainty

From understanding the household to evaluating the person.

Request a Confidential Consultation

The Search Method

  1. Role Diagnostic

    We start with the home, not the résumé. We clarify responsibilities, standards, routines, autonomy, communication and reporting, privacy and boundaries, interactions, schedule, location, and travel.

    We define the work before we define the title.

  2. Job Brief

    We translate the diagnostic into a clear description of responsibility, boundaries, authority, and the qualities the role requires.

    Do not begin searching until we know what we are searching for.

  3. Targeted Sourcing

    We conduct an active search focused on the defined role rather than building the largest possible résumé stack.

  4. Structured Assessment

    We evaluate five elements: Competence, Judgment, Presence, Discretion, and Boundaries. Different positions require different forms of evaluation.

  5. Employment & Reference Verification

    We verify relevant employment history and references and distinguish verified information from information that remains unverified or requires further evaluation.

  6. Focused Shortlist

    Candidates are organized against the Job Brief, with material questions and unknowns identified.

    The purpose of a shortlist is not to create choice for the sake of choice. It is to make the final decision clearer.

  7. Final Evaluation

    For an Executive Housekeeper, a paid working trial may be useful. For a Household Manager, a scenario-based assessment or structured working session may be more appropriate. A trial does not manufacture certainty.

  8. Placement Is a Beginning

    Before the role begins, expectations, authority, reporting, and boundaries should be clear enough to support a strong start.

What the Process Can—and Cannot—Do

A private household hire cannot be made risk-free.

No interview, reference, assessment, or trial can completely predict future performance. A disciplined process can, however, reduce avoidable uncertainty and make the final decision clearer.

For select searches, in-person household consultation and candidate evaluation can be arranged when the role or circumstances warrant it.

Understand the home. Define the role. Evaluate the person.

You do not need a finished job description to begin. A set of operational challenges is enough for the first conversation.

Request a Confidential Consultation