This is something that needs to be said. Most of us do this and stay on top of it, but for a few, this can save your job and your credibility.
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It is important that you have the housing situation understood before the contract is signed. Who is paying for the electric, internet, etc. These are items that need to be discussed with the client or the agency. It can be the Estate Manager, Butler, Household Manager, Domestic Couple, and or the Senior Companion. Take the time to view the housing while on the interview or through a video walk through.
Does everyone need Louis Vuitton Luggage?
To all of my house managers, personal assistants, and companions you can easily recall a time a client called upon your expertise and advice when they go to make a decision. Whether it be fashion, event, or otherwise; you add value to them by being knowledgeable across many avenues of luxury and quality aspects of life. As we continue our “Learning Luxury” series, I want to discuss the topic of what a good quality piece of luggage means to you and your boss, and also how to care for as you would any other of the belongings within the estate.
Having worked in many estates, mansions, and luxurious residences; without a doubt you have seen beautiful luggage and baggage. If your current or future employer is going to ask your opinion on luggage or ask you to go buy them additional pieces (trusting your judgement), what would you do? I think most readers that may not work at an estate or work with high net worth families as their staff would be surprised at some of the options and choices we will explore in this post.
If you are fantasizing the life of the “rich and famous” you are probably thinking about a reality TV show when the cast took a trip somewhere and the camera always pans to the beautiful, high-end luxury luggage. Probably the most noteworthy luggage we often see on TV associated with luxury is Louis Vuitton, you would be surprised that while they have excellent products and materials, many of the high net worth families we work with for domestic staffing utilize other noteworthy names more often than not.
Many of the name brands we see within the closets of families we provide domestic staffing to include brands such as: Tumi, Rimowa, and even Samsonite, Globe Trotter, and Briggs & Riley.
When discussing this topic with a house manager that I placed with a family in Colorado, I was intrigued as he spoke about his time working in very high-end hospitality and how he took note of what luggage the high net worth guests would arrive with. More often than not, he noted on their choice of function and quality over name brands and flash. The two he saw the most included Tumi and Rimowa. If you research these brands, they offer extremely high-quality luggage, with both a reputation of functionality and also a dash of flare and fashion. The nice part of brands like Tumi and Rimowa is they offer high quality pieces at a price that can be considered an investment but isn’t based on a pop-culture fed value. Rimowa is known for their very high end and durable aluminum luggage that is very popular with high net worth households looking to ever so slightly flaunt what they got. Tumi is also known for their ability and desire to personalize their luggage with initials that will save your boss and potentially you time at the luggage carousel after a long international flight.
If you know your boss and understand they want the high-end flare of something like a Louis Vuitton, a well-trained salesperson should be able to guide you, but you should know the length of their trip, how many outfits/shoes/accessories, etc. so you can pick the appropriate size. You should also know if they want the traditional monogram or something more subtle.
As always in our “Learning Luxury” series we like to discuss how you yourself as a house manager, personal assistant, companion, etc. can experience the same impressive levels of luxury and high quality that your bosses experience on a day to day basis. My curiosity on what my successful house managers and estate managers buy for themselves led me to having this exact conversation with them. Many noted have some smaller pieces of very high-end leather goods such as Louis Vuitton, but as they fly commercial in their free time, they often opted for brands such as Tumi, Samsonite, and Away for their checked luggage. A house manager on a Florida estate was very impressed with Away luggage as they offer a lifetime warranty and has a stylish approach to their esthetic. He also noted it has been seen on many reality TV shows. If you have a boss that is perhaps a bit more fiscally conservative when it comes to purchases, this arena of brands may be a great option for them as they were designed to be thrown around when traveling commercially (this is good if the jet doesn’t do long trips internationally).
Caring for your bosses’ luggage should also be covered and taken seriously, especially given the amount of money they do ultimately spend on it and given your job as a house manager or estate manager is to care for their belongings and make them and their estate look good, especially when others are around. If the luggage comes with a dust bag, USE IT! They were designed to prolong the life and ware of the piece. If the luggage comes home from a trip with a scuff or a scratch, research with the company on how to best remedy the situation. If you are fortunate enough, your boss loves a good show and their closet features glass cases or cupboards to showcase their beautiful pieces, but chances are you don’t work for a Kardashian or a Real Housewife so keep that thing out of light and clean. If the piece is leather, you should also be cognizant of the moisture and temperature within your bosses’ closets.
In conclusion, luggage can say a lot about a person, just like any other material item. Get to know your bosses and you can help them in their purchases when asked, suggest gift ideas if needed, and help someone as they navigate sometimes newly chartered waters of wealth and quality products. As a house manager, estate manager, personal assistant, companion, or any other type of domestic professional working with The Robert Hanselman Domestic Agency, we value your expertise and aim to be a resource for you as a domestic staffing candidate. Our nationwide searches for domestic staffing have connected our team with an invaluable reach of advice, ideas, and expertise into the world of high net worth homes and estates.
For the team at The Robert Hanselman Domestic Staffing Agency, this has proven to be one of the most unusual times we have ever experienced, much like the rest of our society. As we prepare for a comeback, it is important to remember your greatest asset is you. As an advisor to domestic candidates and clients alike, we are consistently advising to make smart decisions and remember your long-term goals. How domestic employees and employers react during this time could have long term impacts for them in the near and far future. If you find yourself becoming uncertain of your employment security, or if you have been affected by the recent economic impact, the best place to focus your energy is your resume.
Very soon, we will be back to a form of normalcy and commerce will begin again, hopefully even greater so than when this mess all started. For you, as a domestic staff member, if that means you are starting your career search again, this is the time to spend your energy at home focusing on how to best market yourself for the type of job that you want with the type of employer you want.
When discussing previous employment with candidates, we strive to go beyond just knowing facts, but it is important to understand how you performed, enjoyed, and excelled in previous roles. Your resume should reflect what you enjoyed and did well, this is to serve as a conversation piece with your next prospective domestic recruiter or private employer.
For example, if you are a great elite nanny, private chef, household manager, or estate manager and you are out of work, remember the industry of elite domestic jobs also has its seasons. Target the East Coast, nobody will be ready for a vacation like those who have a home in the Hamptons, with that will come household jobs. Do research on different summer hotspots that boom with visitors and vacation homeowners during the summer months. If you live in Florida, you may find that a Florida based family spends their summers in the Hamptons and is looking for a new elite nanny for their children once quarantine is over to travel with them. The options are endless and require a unique individual such as you, ready to be flexible and professional.
We are confident that this summer and fall may be one of the greatest we have seen as people are yearning so greatly for human interaction. Plenty of families have second home all over the country that they will be eager to visit this summer to reconnect with loved ones. Are you ready to join them and perhaps meet one of your greatest employers of all time? Let’s get that resume in order!
1) Think about what you are targeting. If you are a flexible domestic professional with transferrable skills that will apply to different job titles, you should have a tailored resume for each job title that speaks to your domestic skills. Search job postings and take note of what they are asking for. Find the common keywords used most in these postings and work them into your resume. With technology of today, view your resume as a google search. If a domestic recruiter or private employer were to search for your resume in a database using relevant keywords, would you be on the top of the stack for results?
Example: If you are seeking to be a nanny to the elite, consider what your next employer may be searching for and telling their recruiter they are looking for. Normal qualifications may include “CPR certified” “bilingual” “au pair” “teacher” “nursing” “therapy” “fitness” “active” “first aid” “clear driver’s license”
2) Put those keywords to use in your resume. If I am an elite nanny, I will have sentences under past jobs such as:
- “Cared for two children under the age of 8 focusing on education and helping them learn French, which I am fluent in.
- “Certified in CPR for both adults and infants, maintain recertification on a yearly basis.”
- “Drove three children between the ages of 8 and 13 to school on a daily basis, clear driver’s license.
3) Next, let’s quantify your entire resume as much as possible. This answers black and white questions a prospective employer may have and opens the door for more meaningful conversation during an interview.
- “Worked on a three-nanny team in shifts to provide round the clock childcare to four children under the age of ten.”
- “Balanced daily care for three children ages six, nine, and thirteen.”
- “Effectively communicated with two chauffeurs, the household manager, and private chef to ensure scheduling, care, meal, and transportation needs for the two children were met consistently.”
4) When working on your resume remember the following questions:
- How many (how many staff, kids, principles, guests, rooms, square feet, acres, homes)
- How often (child events, corporate events, dinner parties, vacations)
- Emphasize the time period (two 10-person corporate dinners per week, one trip per month to vacation home in Hamptons, planned six birthday parties per year for 30-60 guests).
- Answering these two questions for each bullet point of your resume will make you standout, save you time, and showcase your abilities and experience.
While you tweak your resume, look at it in detail and notice if there is anything on there that you actually do not enjoy doing (and hope you never have to do it again). Take it off. If you hated polishing silver, or the pressure of cleaning priceless artwork is too much to handle; do not showcase it on your resume. Showcase what you are good at and what brings you joy. This is a new season of realizing what makes us happy and perform at our highest level possible for our employers.
Finally, keep your files organized and your documents properly labeled for each version of your resume. They should read “John Smith Household Manger Resume” or “John Smith Estate Manager Resume” or “John Smith Butler Resume.” Now you will be more prepared than ever to take on your job search and stand out from the rest. As always Robert Hanselman Domestic Agency is here for you and thanks you for your continued support and trust yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
