Applying in cleaning and facility management: find jobs, prepare your documents

Jobs in cleaning: from entry level to management

Many people work in cleaning without a qualification in the field, and that is possible. But there is dedicated vocational training, and if you have it, you should mention it right at the start of your application. The qualifications were recently renamed. Older certificates and some job ads still use the old names, but they mean the same thing.

• Cleaning technology practitioner EBA (Praktikerin or Praktiker Reinigungstechnik EBA, federal VET certificate), formerly Gebäudereiniger/in EBA: two-year basic training. After that, a shortened apprenticeship to the EFZ is usually possible.
• Cleaning technology specialist EFZ (Fachfrau or Fachmann Reinigungstechnik EFZ, Swiss federal VET diploma), formerly Gebäudereiniger/in EFZ: a three-year apprenticeship. You plan assignments, choose methods and products and clean buildings, facades and vehicles such as buses, trains or boats.
• Cleaning technology section manager BP (Bereichsleiterin or Bereichsleiter Reinigungstechnik BP): a professional examination, usually taken in modules alongside work. You lead teams, plan assignments and advise customers.
• Building cleaner HFP (Gebäudereiniger/in HFP): an advanced professional examination, the next level after the professional examination.
• For caretaking: operational maintenance specialist EFZ (Fachfrau or Fachmann Betriebsunterhalt EFZ) and then the professional examination as caretaker BP (Hauswart/in BP).

Where cleaning and caretaking jobs are advertised

You can work for cleaning companies of every size, for facility management companies, in hospitals, retirement and care homes, schools, hotels, for municipalities and for property management companies. Each area has its own features: in a hospital, hygiene counts most; in post-construction cleaning, robust work after the trades; in maintenance cleaning of offices, a fixed rhythm at off-peak hours.

The job ads are on the big job portals, in the Job-Room of arbeit.swiss, on cantonal job boards and on the career pages of the big cleaning and facility companies. Many smaller companies hire through temp agencies or only advertise on their own website. Search with several terms, for example “Reinigungsmitarbeiterin”, “Unterhaltsreiniger”, “Raumpflegerin”, “Hauswart” and “Objektleiter”, because every company names the job differently.

In the job ad, look at the workload and the working hours, not just the location. A job with a few hours early in the morning can be combined with a second job in the evening. If you already have a job and are looking for a second one, say openly at which times you are tied up. That way the company sees straight away whether the shifts fit together.

What belongs in your application file in cleaning

A short, clean file already shows what counts in cleaning: order and care. Save everything as one PDF or as clearly named separate files.

• Cover letter, one page, with your experience and the hours you can work.
• CV with your previous employers and the type of sites, for example offices, hospital, school, flats or post-construction cleaning.
• Federal VET certificate, certificate of proficiency or course certificates, for example on cleaning products, machines or hygiene.
• Arbeitszeugnis (Swiss reference letter) or employment confirmations, including from small part-time jobs and temporary assignments.
• Driving licence, if you have one. Many jobs require you to move between several sites.
• Your languages and how well you speak and read them.

The cover letter in cleaning: four points that count

Site managers and HR staff above all look for people they can rely on. You do not show that with big words but with concrete details. These four points belong in it:

• Your experience in the first paragraph: how long, at which sites and with which tasks, such as maintenance cleaning, deep cleaning, window cleaning or floor care.
• Your working hours: whether you can work early in the morning, in the evening or at the weekend, and which workload you are looking for.
• Machines and products you know, for example scrubber dryers, pressure washers or products for specific floors.
• Proof of your reliability: how long you stayed with an employer or at a site, or that you looked after the key to a building on your own.

Reliability, working hours and language

In cleaning, the work often happens when others are not there: early in the morning, in the evening and sometimes at the weekend. That is why your availability is one of the most important details of all for shift planning. Say precisely which times work and which do not. If, for example, you can only work mornings because of children, say so openly. That helps the company more than a vague promise.

In cleaning, reliability means: arriving on time, letting people know when something comes up, and doing the work thoroughly even when nobody is checking. You often work alone or in small teams and have access to other people’s rooms. That is why reference letters and references count especially here.

On language: many people in cleaning speak German as a second language. How much German a job requires is usually stated in the job ad. In any case, it is important that you understand instructions, safety notes and the labels on cleaning products, because some products are chemicals and require protective clothing. State your German level honestly in your CV and name your other languages. If you are attending a German course, include that too.

Trial assignment and interview

A short interview is often followed by a trial assignment at a site. There the site manager sees how carefully you work, whether you think of corners and edges and how you handle materials and machines. Ask beforehand which clothes and shoes to wear, and during the assignment ask if you do not know a product. That does not come across as unsure, but as conscientious.

Questions like these often come up in the interview: What do you do if you damage something? How do you proceed if a customer is not happy with the cleaning? Can you also step in at short notice? Think of an honest answer with an example from your previous work for each question.