6 Tips for Creating Compelling Caregiver Job Postings

Home Care Office Staff Hiring Tips

Four out of five home care owners say that the caregiver shortage is one of the top threats to their growth.

Four out of five home care owners say that the caregiver shortage is one of the top threats to their growth.

As the home care industry grows, so does demand for caregivers and one of the most fundamental elements of solid recruiting is creating good job postings.

Improving your job postings could increase or even double your pipeline of caregivers in one fell swoop. As you write job postings, consider the following tips to make them more compelling to potential caregivers:

1. Remember that recruiting is selling.

Sales guru Brian Tracy famously defined sales as the transfer of enthusiasm. How will you use your job postings to transfer enthusiasm about your agency to your prospective caregivers?

Rather than taking for granted that the caregiver sees the value of working for your agency, thoroughly consider all the benefits of working as a caregiver for your agency and describe them in your posting. Remember that while you need to have some informative content explaining the logistics and requirements, your focus should be on persuasive content that will motivate and energize applicants.

2. Create human connection by focusing on people.

Home care is all about the people. Address the applicant directly, show personality, and talk about the individuals they will help. Using the right language helps the applicant feel valued as an individual and catch the vision of the people for whom they will be giving care.

For example, without advertising confidential information, you can make your postings more compelling by mentioning individual clients that caregivers will be helping. “We are looking for a compassionate caregiver who will take good care of a 72-year-old veteran who loves jazz and recently lost his wife” is much more compelling than “Caregiver needed to take care of elderly clients.”

3. Set proper expectations.

Making job details easy to find and digest will encourage more applicants to apply with you quickly and save you time in the hiring process.

Questions to consider:

  • Do you need live-in caregivers? If so, how does your company define live-in?
  • What shifts and schedules are needed? Can they build their own schedules?
  • Where do you need caregivers? Post the cities and neighborhoods. An applicant who sees that you need help close by where they will have a short commute time will be more motivated to apply.
  • Is the start date flexible?
  • What can they expect in terms of pay?
  • Do they need their own car?
  • What can they expect after they apply? How soon might they be able to start?

4. Discuss the ‘why’ of your company to attract caregivers who share your vision.

Understand who your target audience is and direct your posting to them. Caregivers who are motivated by your company’s mission will work harder and be more likely to stick around. You may say something like:

“Here at [name of your agency], our mission is to improve lives through dedicated care. Please do not apply if your main purpose is to find any job that will get you by in the short term. But if you are passionate about providing care and are willing to challenge yourself daily to make a positive impact on the lives of those you care for, we want YOU on our team.”

You should work to consistently send the message that your company is a place for caregivers who truly are in it to help people. You may lose some applicants this way, but this will help you identify caregivers who will provide a higher quality of work and be committed to your company.

5. Simplify the next step by having one call to action.

Offering too many channels to apply through can create confusion and inconsistencies in your process. Choose one method (phone number, email, etc.) and omit the others. Typically, the ‘apply now’ button to apply directly through the website is a good method to use. This makes it easy for the applicant and prevents people from having different experiences depending on which way they apply.

6. Display awards you’ve won and share caregiver testimonials.

Applicants don’t have to take your word for it that you’re a quality employer. Awards and testimonials provide credibility, give applicants more confidence in you, and set you apart from other agencies.

One important award is the Best of Home Care – Employer of Choice award that we give annually. This is given to home care providers who receive high caregiver satisfaction ratings through our Quality Management Program.

In addition, this program gathers testimonials from caregivers that you can use to establish yourself as an exceptional employer. Contact us to learn more about how our Quality Management Program can help you gather testimonials, qualify for awards, and improve your overall quality of care.

Take Your Recruiting to The Next Level

While there is no silver bullet to recruit more caregivers, there are many ways you can increase the number of caregivers who apply to your agency. Writing better job postings is one fundamental but critical method to take your recruitment efforts to the next level.

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