I once had an enquiry for a chauffeur for which part of the job spec was to play tennis with the boss every morning. This wasn't just about sitting in a car, reading a newspaper and waiting for the boss to reappear. It required someone who could interact and form a meaningful working relationship, whilst understanding the obvious boundaries. We successfully placed someone in that job."
Jerome Thomas, who comes from Lorraine in the east of France, has been with Randolphs for four years, expertly running the desk which recruits house managers, butlers, chauffeurs, chefs and occasionally gardeners for high-profile international households. The positions are mainly based in London and the home counties, but placements are made further afield in the UK and also in the US, Australia, Africa and Kuwait.
Here's how Jerome describes his job:
"I feel very lucky to be working on the most prestigious roles at Randolphs, placing the very best candidates in extraordinary and exciting job opportunities.
"A huge amount of work goes into the process, which usually starts when I am contacted by a PA or house manager. Clients come to Randolphs for our 15-year experience, our insight, and also because they know we'll only send them candidates with the right experience and personality – we don't put forward average ones.
"Job descriptions vary widely and sometimes, when there's not a great deal of information, I have to use my experience to understand what's required. We'll then advertise the job on our website, we look for people on LinkedIn, and we contact candidates we have on the books. When we have created a pool of possible candidates, all with at least three years of relevant experience, we then carry out preliminary interviews, request references and finally send a shortlist of CVs to the family or the PA.
"Candidates will then be called in for an interview with the PA, the house manager, the director of the family office or even sometimes the principal: the PAs know their employers and what they expect; but also the candidate has to click with the family. This process can take anything from a couple of weeks to months, but is usually completed in four to five weeks.
"Some of our clients are regular: when you prove yourself they stay with you because they're satisfied with your performance and service. Recruiting at this level is challenging because of the high expectations of the clients, so I'm always happy when we meet those expectations; for example I recently placed a senior role – a chief of staff – who would be working between Monaco, St Moritz and New York, responsible for structuring the operation of all the households, including the yachts and jets.
"I'm equally satisfied when I help to get someone really good into a great job."
