The first roommate contract ended recently, as scheduled. That meant it was time to begin the search again. And the good news is: we’ve found our daughter’s next roommate!
This is the approach we took — and a bit of what we learned along the way.
Cost & Application Sources
| Platform | Cost | % of Applications |
|---|
| Indeed | Free | 70% |
| Local Job Board | $65 | 20% |
| Craigslist | $10 | 10% |
| Total | $75 | 100% |
Posting across multiple platforms was worthwhile. It extended our reach and brought in more applicants.
Our Process
Here’s the process we followed:
Applications – Most started with just a résumé. Helpful, but it didn’t tell us much about what the person is like or why this role mattered to them.
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Cover letters – Our first reply to almost everyone was a simple note: “Thank you for applying. Could you share why this opportunity interests you and why you think you’d be a great fit?” Those answers told us far more than any résumé did.
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Video conversations – From there, we set up short video calls (through Indeed, Zoom, or FaceTime). These gave us the chance to actually meet each other and talk more about the role.
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In-person visits – A few were invited into our home to meet our daughter, and talk more about what daily life here looks like.
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References & follow-ups – After that, we checked references and, in a few cases, had follow-up chats to address further questions.
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Offer – Finally, we extended an offer to the person who felt like an excellent fit.
All along the way, we tried to keep communication warm and personal. Everyone who wasn’t moving forward got a kind, timely note. We didn’t want anyone left wondering.
What We Learned
Looking back, a few things really stood out to us:
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Cover letters mattered more than résumés. Asking people to share in their own words why this role mattered to them gave us the clearest sense of their personality and motivation.
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Meeting face-to-face was essential. No amount of paperwork could replace actually spending time together — both on video and in our home.
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Kindness went a long way. Treating every applicant with respect, even when they weren’t moving forward, felt important. It made the process more personal.
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Casting a wide net helped. Posting across multiple platforms extended our reach and brought in more applicants, which gave us options we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the person we hired came through the local job board. But Indeed turned out to be a great channel too, it helped us connect with many thoughtful applicants. We were able to post the job for free and use their essential tools at no cost. Their more powerful tools are appealing but unnecessary in our case. We even tested sponsoring the job posting for a few days (using a promotion), though it didn’t noticeably change the results — probably because the role is more unique.
If you’d like to see the job posting or some of the communications we used throughout the process, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to share. And if you’ve done something similar, we’d love to learn from your experience too.