How to recruit more care workers

Our latest Talent Intelligence Market Report found that the average time-to-hire in the care sector is 76 days! That’s quite a long time for frontline workers to sit in limbo, and with The Kings Fund forecasting that 1.22 million care workers will be required between 2016 and 2036, now is the time for care providers to restructure how they hire.

Make your job advert more attractive with benefits

We don’t mean adding a fancy user interface to your careers site – though our clients have that covered as part of the Jobtrain experience – but the wording of your advert is key. Ask yourself:

• What sets your organisation apart?
• Is it workplace benefits?
• Career progression?
• Job satisfaction?

If a candidate is considering work in the care sector, they likely have a deep empathy for other people and a vibrant social conscience. Over 90% of candidates believe a clear, structured equality, diversity & inclusion policy is important – so make sure to show that off too.

Market the flexibility of shift-working. The round-the-clock service nature of care provision requires shift patterns and staff that can work at short notice. Turn this into a positive feature – you offer flexible working hours. 64% of candidates see this as a key benefit, so remind care workers of that fact.

Use images and videos

Videos in adverts increases applications by 34%. Candidates value real information and insight in these videos from real employees. It can be as simple as sitting someone down and asking them what they love most about working with you. No fancy gadgets or cameras are needed. You want this to feel authentic so if it’s easier, just film them on your phone and upload to YouTube or Vimeo. Then embed these into your adverts.

Don't just copy the job specification

Think of things from a jobseeker’s point of view and the likely negatives they might identify. There are a whole host of questions that can accompany this, but really focus on:

• What makes this specific care setting and this specific vacancy attractive to a candidate, especially given the competition from other organisations for their services?
• Is it the location, the facilities, the people, the training?
• How easy is it going to be for potential candidates to reach the location?
• For those awkward 'out-of-hours' shifts is there a public transport option?

Support those with specific needs

An organisation with an online application process or system that doesn’t have tools to support those with dyslexia, could be missing out on many potential candidates. Here are just some key stats to get you thinking:

• Skills for Care estimates there to be 1.62 million jobs in adult social care in the UK.
• The British Dyslexia Association estimates 4 – 10% of UK adults have dyslexia to some degree.
• In 2020, around 84% of the adult social care workforce were British, which could mean circa 54,000 – 136,000 care industry employees with dyslexia.

Find ways to reduce your time-to-hire

Contact new candidates quickly, whether that’s through a personal-feeling automated email, or even a quick call to say hello! It will help you find out other information you may have stripped from your streamlined online application – and make the candidate feel wanted!

43% of applications forms take over 30 minutes to complete. Time how long it takes to complete yours – the rule of thumb is if they take longer than 15 minutes, they’re too long. Shorten your application forms. They should continue the tone and language of your culture, inviting candidates to join you, not be onerous or overbearing. What is the minimum information you need to get them into your funnel?

CV parsing, screening questions, and two-stage application forms should come built into your applicant tracking system. Be sure to see what suite of tools are at your fingertips!

Onboard candidates quickly and effectively

Once a candidate has accepted an offer, the time comes when it would be most expensive to lose out to a rival organisation.

An ATS that offers digital contracts and offer packs, and an online reference portal for referees, will help reduce the time (and risk) between offer and start. An online Welcome Hub will seal their decision and trust, and keep them committed to, and excited about joining.

Don’t forget about unsuccessful candidates!

Make your rejection communications friendly and personalised. Use merge fields to embed information from your shortlisting or interview notes stored in your ATS to share specific feedback for the reason for rejection - and to reference the positives you recorded about them too! After all, you may cross paths again in the future, perhaps as a future hire, a future colleague or peer, or even as one your organisation’s customers.