How to screen a cleaner

Must-haves to check first

Decide these before you advertise. Keep the list short - every extra requirement narrows your pool.

• Availability for your hours - early mornings, evenings or weekends Possible knock-out
• Can get to the site or sites Possible knock-out
• A DBS check at the level the role is eligible for - eligibility depends on the duties, not the building (use the DBS eligibility tool). Out-of-hours cleaning with no contact with children or vulnerable adults is not usually eligible for an enhanced check Nice to have

7 questions to ask every cleaner applicant

Ask everyone the same core questions, in the same order, and follow up where their CV leaves a gap. That's what makes a screen fair and comparable.

1. Which hours can you work - early mornings, evenings, weekends?Listen for: Availability that matches the contract.
2. How would you get to the site for a 6am start?Listen for: A realistic plan.
3. What cleaning have you done before - offices, schools, healthcare, hotels, industrial?Listen for: Relevant experience, or willingness to learn.
4. How do you use cleaning chemicals safely?Listen for: Reads labels, follows COSHH instructions and dilution rates, never mixes chemicals, wears PPE.
5. How do you make sure you do not miss anything on a big site?Listen for: A system or checklist.
6. What would you do if you found a door unlocked or something broken while cleaning at night?Listen for: Reports it straight away; follows site security rules.
7. If the role is eligible for a DBS check: are you willing to complete one?Listen for: A clear yes. Check the level of check the duties allow first.

What not to ask

And for every role, avoid asking about:

• Age or date of birth - unless the law sets a minimum age for the task
• Health, sickness record or disability before a job offer (Equality Act 2010, section 60). The narrow exceptions include asking about adjustments for the recruitment process, and whether someone can carry out a task that is intrinsic to the job - ask about the task, not the condition
• Pregnancy, children, childcare or plans to start a family
• Nationality or "where are you from?" - instead, ask every applicant whether they have the right to work in the UK, and check documents before they start
• Religion, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or gender reassignment

More on this in AI screening and UK law.

Screening cleaners at volume

If you get more cleaners applicants than your team can phone, the questions above are only fair if everyone gets asked them. BeCareers asks every applicant about your must-haves and these questions in a short conversation - in their own language, at any time of day - and gives you the transcript and a summary. You decide who to interview.