Something To Brag About - Here are some skills you have and can put on your resume!

Copyright December 2006 Housewife Mafia

If you have been out of the traditional work force for a bit, or maybe not
entered it at all, you might wonder how you will fit in if you go out seeking
paid employment.   Fear not. The skills one must develop in order to run
a household are actually quite impressive!

Let's look at the requirements for paid household manager and you will
see how easily those skills can be used on your resume:

Read all the way to the end to see the average salaries for professional
Household Managers.

The type of people suited to the role of House Manager
are self-starters with excellent organizational and
problem-solving skills. They emit a professional demeanor and are
able to stay ahead of a fast-paced environment; in other words, they are
focused and able to foresee many future possibilities at one
time and plan ahead. They have a good idea of their employer's habits
and idiosyncracies and are, therefore, ready at all times to offer
solutions to problems and changes in plans. They are
hands-on team players and delegators. They must be able to
multi-task and be computer literate. They know how to use and
trouble-shoot high-tech operations in a home such as alarm and camera
systems.

SOME SPECIFIC DUTIES OF A HOUSE MANAGER:

Overseeing and managing household staff
Authorizing and maintaining household schedules and calendars
Managing household budgets
Running household errands
Oversee & schedule independent contractors, repairs & maintenance
Overseeing all home renovations
Insure comfort of guests
Make travel arrangements and itineraries
Interviewing and hiring household staff,
Assisting with planning social and holiday events in the home
Cooking, serving, shopping
Overseeing care and maintenance of furniture, art, china, silver, linens,
rugs and interior designs

Time management is a big factor for a House Manager who supervises a
household. If he or she doesn't organize appointments and schedules
there will be constant interruptions at tasks: ringing gates, ringing phones,
a staff member who has a question. The smart House Manger will make
all in-house appointments with repairmen and the like for one "busy" day
of the week. If there is a crew of gardeners that come to the home, their
work will also be designated for a particular day. In this way, the House
Manager insures the privacy and quietude of their employer.

The best way to run a household is to insure the daily work runs smoothly.
Hiring the right people for the job is the key to success in any endeavor,
otherwise there will be problems down the line. A Stitch in Time Saves
Nine. The best House Managers are not only versatile in their abilities,
they have hands-on experience so they know precisely what the job will
entail.   A House Manager should understand the importance of
pre-screening candidates on the phone, checking references, the
in-person interview, and background checking.

A House Manager may organize the daily duties of other staff members
and train a new staff member, or delegate that training to the outgoing
staff member who knows the particular job best. Staff may come and go.
The House Manager is responsible for maintaining the routine. Managing
people means knowing how to give both positive and negative feedback
properly. If a House Manager is not likeable there will be problems. Being
a team player is as important as all the other skills necessary for this role.

AT THE COMPUTER

About a quarter of a House Manager's work is office oriented because
the job staff, communicating with vendors and keeping track of inventory
and invoices. Anyone considering a position as a House Manager ought
to have some proficiency in MS office, Outlook Express, calendar
functions, Palm Pilot tools, and knowledge of SmartHome technology.
The House Manager creates a House Directory in which important
household information is listed: Utility Bill information (PG&E, Comcast,
etc.), Home Service Information, an employer contact page, Contact
Information Sheet with job titles, names, addresses including email
addresses , a map that shows or tells where certain items can be found in
the home (Gas Meter, water meter, etc.), Inventory lists for food and
beverages, cleaning supplies, and household items such as furnishings,
art work, silver, china, etc.

A House Manager can also create various manuals for staff which outline
their daily work schedules and duties thus eliminating time consuming
problems at the start.

The HM keeps proper records of payments and vendor's invoices, how to
manage ingoing and outgoing phone calls, how to work on a computer
and use email, how to use a simple accounting program such as Quicken
which keeps all inventories and lists in one place.

A House Manger can utilize accounting programs such as the Household
Manager's Reference Book on CD and The Home Manager.

ENTERTAINMENT AND GUESTS

A House Manger may be involved in event planning, most often these
events will be dinner parties, brunches, and lunches. Therefore, it is good
for a House Manager to understand various aspects of etiquette used
with food, wine, and table settings. A House Manager also ought to know
the best ways in which to approach hiring a caterer.

Guests will come and go from the household. It will be up to the House
Manger to know when they are arriving and when they are leaving.
Ultimately, it is the House Manger who insures the guests are comfortable
and they are attended to properly.

PAYROLL AND TAXES

Generally, staff payroll and taxes are left to an Estate Manager or an
accountant. However, there are House Manager positions that may have
this requirement. There are ways in which payroll and taxes can be
approached in an orderly fashion. This includes: paycheck adjustments,
earned income credit, calculating and documenting withholding amounts,
and calculating the tax liability, the schedule at tax time.

Not every House Manager will do all the above tasks. The employer's
needs dictate how they will use a House Manager. When looking to hire a
House Manager, it is better to find one who has already had successful
experience rather than someone who merely holds a college degree in
management. The duties are numerous, and it takes many
qualities to be a top-notch House Manager. Take your time finding
the right person because they will be the captain of your household ship.

After reading this you probably have begun to recognize the
tremendous skills you have put to use for years, but never
really thought of them as resume material. Do you schedule
appointments? Do you handle your families payables and
receivables?   Do you prepare and manage a budget? Do you
Prepare taxes? Do you manage charitable giving?   Do you
manage payroll aka allowances?   Have you managed and
screen bids for a household project? Overseen household
projects? That would make you a Project Manager! You
manage inventory all the time you just don't think of it that way.
You are a problem solver, team player, delagator, Self starter,
multi-tasker with problem solving skills. You are efficient in time
management, at least to some degree of you wouldn't have
survived this long! You have mastered event planning (how
many birthday parties have you thrown)? You have experience
in staff training and are able to give 'employees' both positive
and negative feedback properly.
Obviously this could go on for a while ...

Housewife Mafia hopes you find this information handy in
considering the considerable skills you have amassed while
managing your household. Hope this helps when updating
your resume!

Household Mangers:
The typical salary ranges from $45,000 - $80,000 plus benefits
which may include fully paid housing, automobile, insurance,
and clothing allowance or other benefits.