Why Interviewing and Screening Matter More Than Ever in the Age of AI
A polished CV used to show that a candidate had taken care and time, knew how to present their experience and understood what a family might be looking for. In the age of AI, new tools can produce a flawless, keyword-rich CV in seconds, tailored precisely to a job advert.
A Nanny with two years’ experience can read like a seasoned Rota Nanny. A Housekeeper can suddenly describe themselves in the language of estate management. On paper, everyone looks like a strong match.
For private households, that creates a real problem, and it’s why interviewing and screening have never mattered more.
The CV Has Changed
Many of the candidate CVs we see use AI to tidy up their writing, particularly those working in a second or third language, and that’s entirely reasonable. The difficulty is that the line between presentation and invention has blurred. When an AI tool is asked to “make this CV fit the role”, it will happily fill the gaps, borrow the language of the job description and add responsibilities that sound right but may never have happened.
The result is a flood of applications that all say the right things. Nowadays, keyword matching tells you very little. If every CV mentions discretion, attention to detail and experience with UHNW families, those words stop meaning anything.
Why It Matters More in a Private Household
In a corporate setting, a poor hire is costly, whereas in a private household, it becomes personal.
Household staff are given access to a family’s home, their children, their schedules, their security arrangements and often their most private conversations. A House Manager may hold keys to multiple properties. A Nanny may travel internationally with the children. A PA may see financial and personal information that very few people ever will.
When the stakes are this high, a impeccable CV is simply not enough to go on. Families need to know that the person arriving on day one is exactly who they said they were, with the experience, judgement and character the role demands.
What AI Can’t Fake
AI can write about warmth, discretion and composure under pressure, but it can’t demonstrate them.
The qualities that make someone exceptional in private service only really come through in conversation: how they talk about previous families, how they handle a question they weren’t expecting, whether they can describe a real situation in real detail. How did they manage a last-minute change of plans for a Principal arriving late at night? What did a typical week look like across two properties? How did they handle a disagreement with a colleague in a small household team?
Candidates with genuine experience answer these questions easily, with the kind of specific, lived detail that no tool can manufacture. Those relying on an AI polished CV tend to drift back to the generalities.
“We’re seeing more and more CVs that read flawlessly, but when you ask about the detail, it doesn’t always stack up. The best candidates can talk you through their experience without glancing at their CV. That’s why we never shortlist from paper alone. The families we work with are trusting us with their homes, and often their children.”
Kerri, Recruitment Consultant, Cora Partners.
How We Screen at Cora
At Cora Partners, the CV is the starting point. Every candidate we put forward has been through a thorough process designed to test what’s on paper against reality.
In-depth interviews.
We meet candidates and take the time to get under the surface of their experience, using scenario-based questions to explore how they think, work and communicate.
Detailed referencing.
We speak directly to previous employers wherever possible, rather than relying solely on written references. A conversation reveals far more than a letter ever will.
Background and right to work checks.
Appropriate checks are carried out for the role, the household and the location.
Gaps and inconsistencies.
Unexplained gaps, overlapping dates or experiences that don’t quite add up are always explored.
Trial days.
For many roles, we recommend a paid trial before an offer is made. Interviews only reveal so much; a trial allows both family and candidate to see how they work together in practice, from settling into the household to interacting with children or the wider team, and meeting the family’s standards.
For senior or live-in positions, this may extend to a longer trial period, helping confirm the right fit before either side commits.
Technology helps us work efficiently, but our decisions are always made by people who understand private service and know what good looks like.
If You’re Hiring Directly
For families recruiting without an agency, there are a few things are worth watching for. Be cautious of CVs that too closely mirror your job advert. If every skill you listed appears neatly in the candidate’s profile, in the same order and the same language, it may have been written to match rather than to inform. Equally, look out for CVs full of polished phrasing but light on specifics. Genuine experience tends to come with detail: the size of the household, the type of property, the number of children and their ages, the routines managed day to day.
At interview, ask candidates to walk you through real examples. How did they structure a typical week? What happened when plans changed at the last minute? How did they work alongside other members of staff? Someone who has done the job will answer comfortably and in their own words. Someone relying on a well-crafted CV will often drift back into generalities.
Always speak to referees in person rather than relying on written references alone, and don’t be afraid to ask them specific questions about the candidate’s responsibilities, reliability and reason for leaving. Where you can, arrange a paid trial day before making an offer. Seeing someone in your own home, working to your routines, is the most reliable test of all.
Advice to Candidates
Using AI to present your experience clearly is fine. Plenty of excellent candidates we see use it to tidy up their wording or structure their CV; but obviously using it to invent or inflate experience is a different matter!
Families and recruiters in this sector are experienced at spotting the gap between what’s written and what’s real. If your CV claims experience you can’t talk about confidently, it will undermine everything else you bring to the table, however strong the rest of your background may be.
Be specific about the private households you’ve worked in, the responsibilities you’ve held and the situations you’ve handled, while respecting the confidentiality of previous employers. Your genuine experience is your strongest asset, so let it speak for itself.
The Human Side of Recruitment
AI is changing how people apply for job roles, and it will no doubt continue to shape recruitment in the years ahead. But it hasn’t changed what private households need: trustworthy, capable people who fit the way a family lives.
Finding those people still comes down to the things technology can’t replicate: careful listening, thorough checks and the experienced judgement that comes from years of placing staff in private homes. It’s about understanding not only what a family needs on paper, but the personalities, pace and expectations of the household itself.
At Cora, that has always been at the heart of what we do, and in a world of AI written CVs, it matters more than ever.
If you’re looking to hire household staff and want the reassurance of a properly screened shortlist, get in touch with our experienced team.