How We've Hired 90% of Our Cleaners Using Indeed

After three years of running a cleaning business, I can tell you this with absolute certainty:

Your biggest challenge isn't finding customers. It's finding good cleaners.

And by "good cleaners," I mean reliable people who show up on time, do quality work, and don't ghost you during your busiest season.

We've tried everything: Facebook groups, referrals, hiring events, you name it. But one platform has consistently delivered better results than anything else.

Indeed.

About 90% of our cleaners over the past three years have come from Indeed. Our current job posting has 120 applicants. Another one has 155. We've probably hired close to 30 cleaners through this platform alone.

So let me walk you through exactly how we use Indeed to find great Airbnb cleaners, from setting up your account to getting someone on the phone for an interview.

Here's the thing about Indeed: it's where people go when they're actively looking for work.

They're not scrolling Facebook and happening to see your post. They're not waiting for a friend to recommend them. They're on Indeed right now, searching "cleaning jobs near me," ready to apply.

The volume is massive. The intent is high. And the platform gives you tools to filter out bad applicants before you waste time reviewing them.

But it does take some setup. Indeed doesn't just let anybody post jobs because there's liability involved, fake interviews, scams, and all that stuff. So they have some hoops you need to jump through to verify your business.

Once you're in, though? It's been our most consistent source for finding cleaners.

First, you need to create a business account on Indeed and verify your company. This process can take a few days, so don't wait until you desperately need cleaners to start this.

Once you're verified, here's how to set up a job posting that attracts quality applicants:

1. Create location-specific postings

We have separate job postings for Bentonville and Fayetteville because they're 45 minutes apart. This helps us target cleaners in specific areas rather than making everyone drive all over the place.

If you service multiple areas, create a separate posting for each one. It makes it much clearer to applicants where they'd actually be working.

2. Set your pay range accurately

We post "$25-$30 per hour," but you can adjust this to your market. I'd recommend starting at $20-$30 depending on your area.

The key is to be realistic. If you lowball the pay range, you'll get fewer quality applicants. If you overpromise, you'll attract people who won't accept your actual offer.

3. List it as 1099 contract work

We clearly state this is contract work, not W-2 employment. This is important for setting expectations and avoiding confusion later.

We also list "20-40 hours per week" as the range. Some cleaners want part-time, and some want full-time. Giving a range lets both groups apply.

This is where Indeed becomes incredibly powerful.

You can add custom pre-screening questions that automatically filter applicants before you even see their resumes. This saves you hours of reviewing applications from people who aren't qualified.

Here are our non-negotiables:

If they can't answer yes to the first three and give a reasonable answer to the last one, Indeed can automatically reject them for you. You'll never even see their application.

These questions act as our first filter. They weed out people who can't legally work, can't get to the job site, have zero experience, or don't have basic supplies.

You can set up Indeed to automatically send rejection notifications to people who don't meet your criteria. It sounds harsh, but it respects everyone's time.

Once applications start coming in (and they will), here's how to efficiently review them:

Look for the green checkmarks

Indeed will flag applicants who answered all your pre-screening questions correctly. Focus on these people first.

Read their work history quickly

You're looking for:

Check their application completeness

Did they just click "Easy Apply" with no cover letter? Or did they take time to write something thoughtful? This tells you about their level of interest.

When I find an applicant I like, I don't try to coordinate schedules back and forth through Indeed messages. That's a nightmare.

Instead, I click into their profile, go to "Messages," and send them this:

"Hey [Name], thanks for applying! I'd love to learn more about your experience. Can you please schedule a time for us to meet at this link: [Calendly link]?"

I use Calendly (you could also use Cal.com or any scheduling tool) to let them book a 15-minute Google Meet interview directly on my calendar.

This does a few things:

I keep these slots available throughout the week so applicants can usually find something within 24-48 hours of applying.

Here's one of the most important lessons I've learned:

You should be interviewing at least three candidates per week, even when you're fully staffed.

The specific number isn't what matters. What matters is that you're always interviewing. Always looking. Always building your bench.

Why?

Because your best cleaner might apply tomorrow. Because someone will quit unexpectedly. Because you'll land a new property and need coverage fast. Because the cleaner who's been reliable for six months might suddenly start flaking.

If you only post on Indeed when you're desperate, you'll hire desperate candidates. You'll take whoever applies because you need someone immediately, and you'll compromise on quality.

But if you're always interviewing, you can be selective. You can wait for the right fit. You can say no to red flags because you know another good candidate will apply next week.

I've posted a lot of job openings on Indeed over the years. Eventually, Indeed will close them or flag them if you're not active on them.

If you haven't responded to applicants in a while or haven't logged in regularly, Indeed assumes the position is no longer available and will flag it.

To keep your postings active:

I typically have 2-3 active postings running at any given time for different locations or different types of cleaning positions.

We've refined our job description over three years. Here are the key elements:

What the job actually is:

What you're looking for:

What you offer:

Be honest about the hard parts too:

The more honest you are upfront, the fewer surprises later.

Here's what to do right now:

Today:

This Week:

Ongoing:

The cleaner you need might apply tomorrow. But only if you have a posting up and you're actively looking.

Indeed isn't perfect, but it's been responsible for 90% of our hires over three years. That's not luck; that's a system that works.

If you want to see our complete hiring system, including the exact job description we use, our interview questions, and how we onboard new cleaners, it's all in our Airbnb Cleaning Course. We've refined this process over three years and dozens of hires; it could save you months of trial and error.

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