Demand for private chefs soared during the pandemic, and it's booming again.

Across the US, interest in private service staff has increased for many types of roles. For example, Google searches for "private chef" are up 83% year over year, and 50% in just the past three months. “Executive personal assistants” searches have also seen a huge increase.

With the AI boom and a strong stock market, more people are hiring. Stellar candidates can be difficult to find in the San Francisco Bay Area, NYC, and Miami/Palm Beach.

4 Ways to Secure the Best Candidates This Fall

If you're hiring, here's what we are seeing is most effective:

1. Widen the search. Go statewide and offer relocation for your top candidates. Fly-in roles are more popular than ever too, e.g. a chief of staff works remotely from home and gives 100% on site every other week in another state. Clients get privacy, and candidates keep their community and family life intact.

2. Offer a fall sign-on bonus. Happy, passive candidates are waiting on year-end bonuses. A sign-on bonus entices them to move now vs. waiting to make a change in the new year. One of our recent clients seeking a chef was wise enough to know that they had to offer this to make a hire happen now.

3. Offer unique perks. Last week, one of our chefs decided to stay put because her employer offered to pay for her two-month retreat and added more PTO to her package. A director of residences left six months of paid parental leave for a chance to lead and take on new challenges.

4. Work with a trusted firm. New firms pop up every month. With a combined 49 years in this industry, our relationships have been built over the decades with a human touch, integrity and eye for detail.

On the salary side, expect increases across the board. We're seeing strong EPAs at $175K+, and $200-500K base for all other roles.

Have a search on the horizon? I'm happy to talk it through.

Sincerely,
Nancy