Our Recruitment Process

EMS Domestics is our luxury domestic staff recruitment division. We recognize that the people who work in your home are an integral part of your life, and they play a crucial role in maintaining the high standards of living that you have become accustomed to. With this in mind, we work tirelessly to find the best domestic staff that will suit your lifestyle, preferences, and needs. Whether you are looking for an Estate or Household Manager, a Butler, a Chef, a Housekeeper, or a Chief of Staff/Director of Residences, EMS masks every effort to ensure that the Professional you are hiring is qualified and their integrity and character are intact.

~ Initial Candidate Screening & Skills Profile Development ~

Job Description Posting

Once our clients have approved their Job Description, we post the position on our job board as well as one or two others we use for our industry.  We also start combing through our database and online connections to see if we have anyone immediately available.  Each candidate submits their resume to us via our portal. Once we receive their resume, review their resume, and should they appear to have the necessary skills, we invite them for an initial conversation.

If we feel the Professional will be a good candidate for the position, we invite them to fill out our Private Service Professional Intake form.  This form is comprised of ~30 questions asking the candidate to identify their Core Skillsets followed by a choice of Soft Skills questions to answer.  This process is outlined in detail below.

Skills Profile Development

Here we ask the basics.  Name, address, email, phone number, and can they pass a background check among several other questions.  Before proceeding to the next section, they are required to agree to our Non-Disclosure Agreement.  This NDA outlines that the candidate may not disclose anything that we discuss with them about our clients.  However, we never disclose a client’s name until after the client or their representative has chosen to speak with them, and only disclose their address after an onsite interview has been requested and has passed an open-source background check.

Core Skills

This section requires candidates to select a minimum of three (3) areas of expertise from the list provided. Candidates are then given an opportunity to elaborate on their proficiency in each skill they have chosen.

• Administrative
• Housekeeping & Laundry
• Silver Service & Event Coordination
• Food & Beverage and Culinary
• Mechanicals & Household Technology
• Landscaping & Property Management
• Pet & Animal Care
• Safety & Security
• Child Care
• Personal & Butler Service
• Aviation
• Yachting & Maritime

Soft Skills

This section requires candidates to select a minimum of three (3) questions from this list to answer. Candidates are then given an opportunity to answer the selected question and provide examples of their successes.

• How do you deal with difficult Principals?
• Tell me about one of the more challenging projects you’ve taken on.
• Tell me a time when you saved your Principals money.
• Tell me your leadership style.
• What is your favorite way to create luxury? A special touch of something
• Have you ever done something you wish you could erase?
• What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
• Which U.S. state would you get rid of and why?
• What would you purchase for $100 to create value for the team?
• What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you answer it?
• Tell me a time you failed in a situation at work.
• Tell me a time when you dealt with a negative employee or an employee conflict.
• What continuing education have you taken in the last year?
• How do you approach a situation in which there is a toxic employee that the Principal does not let you terminate?
• How do you establish and maintain professional boundaries?
• Can you tell me how you deal with stressors in a high-stress situation?

Employment History

In this section, we ask the candidate to expand on their last four positions by letting us know why the position ended, what was their ending salary, what size the home was, and what they liked most and least about the position.

Zoom Video Screening

Once candidates press send, they are asked to schedule their Zoom Video intake.  The video profile review takes anywhere from 1 – 1.5 hours as we go over their answers and learn more about them.  We review each section they answered and add notes of our observations to their statements.   At the bottom of the profile are our additional notes and observations outlining how we see them as a person and professional.

After the interview, we send the profile to the professional to review and ensure they are accurately represented.

~ Candidate Submittal ~

Once the candidate’s Skills Profile is ready, we submit it to you along with their resume.   For Chef candidates we include a culinary profile if one is available.

We work diligently to submit candidates to our clients in a timely manner; this can take up to two weeks after the job description has been approved due to the diligence of our screening process.  We will present three candidates as part of our initial submittal; once workable feedback has been received, we will evaluate the next set of candidates.

~ Suggested Interview Process ~

Every home we represent is different, and the interview process may range widely based on the size and structure of the residence.  This is how we like to recommend proceeding with interviews and how we are involved.

Initial Interviews

EMS coordinates this stage.

• Zoom Video Interview with the Principal or their representative.
• Zoom Video Interview with the Principal.

Advanced Interviews

At this point, EMS will perform an open-source background check and start screening the candidate’s references, verify job history, and screen their social media.  This is also when a Principal or their office can start coordinating directly with the prospective candidate to evaluate communication styles; if a Pricipal chooses this path, we ask that EMS is included in all emails so that we can track progress.

• First In-Person Interview & Office Visit (Principal-focused)
• Second In-Person Interview & Site Visit (Staff & Environment-focused)

~ The Offer Stage ~

Once you have chosen a candidate you would like to hire, we help negotiate the compensation package.  Once an offer is accepted, we proceed with the background screening*.   We do a deep-dive background check which includes the below checks, followed by a Behavior Analysis Interview conducted by someone who is highly trained and experienced in spotting deceptive behavior, providing critical insight into the candidate’s transparency and integrity.

• Social Security Trace
• Multi-State (National) Criminal Database Search
• Sex Offender Registry
• County Criminal Search
• Federal Criminal Search
• OFAC Terrorist Watchlist
• Department of Motor Vehicle Search
• Global Blacklist Search
• Open-Source Research

~ Our Guarantee ~

Our contract outlines that we will replace the employee at no additional cost to you if it does not work out within the first 90 days.  We understand that three months could still be considered the honeymoon period, so if the employee quits without notice or is terminated with cause, we will replace them for 10% of the annual salary** (conditions apply).  If you decide that you would like to reassess the position, we will redraft the job description and relaunch the search for an additional retainer fee and 15% of the new employee’s annual salary.

During these first months, we stand ready to help communicate adjustments to ensure a long-term happy employee. For the Principal, this means that if you have any concerns about the employees’ performance, we can step in and provide mentorship and discreetly provide resources to improve.  We also listen to the professionals’ concerns and will address any concerns that we feel may hinder longevity with you.

We thrive on seeing happy, successful professionals.  Professionals will always reach beyond what’s expected when they feel valued and appreciated.  If they’re happy, you’re happy.  If you are happy, my job is done.

**Conditions for 3 – 6 month replacement:

• The candidate quits without notice.
• The candidate is terminated for breaking or violating the terms of their employment agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement.
• The Principal or their representative keeps EMS in the loop and allows EMS to attempt to resolve any issues first.