Housekeeper job description for a resume

The short answer

A housekeeper writing a resume should describe what they actually did — work like clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work are… — rather than copying a generic bullet list. The U.S. Department of Labor classifies the role as Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2012.00). All 9 of its published duties are listed below. Service Orientation is the capability O*NET rates highest for the work.

What follows is the published duty list, not a set of bullets to copy. The difference matters: a line describing work you did not do is one interview question away from falling apart.

What a housekeeper does

Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.

O*NET occupation: Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (SOC 37-2012.00).

Housekeeper duties you can put on a resume

These are all 9 duties O*NET classifies as core to this occupation. Which ranking is a fact from the source; which of them you personally did is not something any dataset knows. Use the list as a memory aid, never as a list to paste.

1. Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
2. Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
3. Dust and polish furniture and equipment.
4. Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
5. Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
6. Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
7. Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
8. Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
9. Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.

Skills a housekeeper can list

O*NET rates these at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Fewer skills met that threshold here than for most occupations, so this page leans on the duties above rather than padding the list.

Service Orientation

importance 3.12

Coordination

importance 3.00

Time Management

importance 3.00

What not to claim

• A duty from the list above that you did not personally perform. It describes Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners as an occupation, not your particular job — and interviewers for housekeeper roles ask about the specifics.
• Work from an adjacent role you have not held. Housekeeper and the roles beside it overlap, and the overlap is where overstatement creeps in.
• A percentage, a headcount or a volume you did not measure. "Improved satisfaction by 35%" is the single most copied line on resume-example sites, and almost nobody who pastes it can source it.
• Service Orientation at a level you have not worked at. O*NET rates it highest for this occupation, which makes it the most likely thing to be probed.
• A tool, system or certification you have not used or hold. This is the fastest claim to disprove.

Source and method

O*NET data are provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence.The duties and skills above are reproduced as published. The resume guidance, the prompts and any generated lines are RoleSprint's, and O*NET did not write them.

Related occupations

Same occupational family in the SOC classification, so the duties often overlap with work you have done.

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