One of the biggest challenges facing the home care industry today is hiring caregivers. Home care franchise owners have struggled to find enough caregivers to keep up with demand while the demand for home care and senior care services has skyrocketed. This has been a positive trend in the opinion of most caregivers because employers have been forced to improve compensation, benefits, and working conditions to keep up. Put simply, the level of competition for hiring the right caregivers is bigger than ever.

While some home care businesses have struggled to keep, others, like Briggs Home Care, are finding new, creative, and innovative ways to improve the hiring process and attract top talent. Here are our top 5 recruiting hacks for hiring caregivers.

1. Know What To Look For Before You Go On A Hiring Spree

The caregiver hiring process should not be taken lightly. This is especially true if you’re looking to hire more than one caregiver at a time. It’s important that you clearly understand a caregiver’s duties and responsibilities before posting a job ad or conducting interviews. More importantly, you should clearly define the type of person that will make a good caregiver in your organization. This will help you hire candidates who are more likely to stay past the first few months. The less turnover you have, the less time you have to spend on recruiting.

2. Get Creative To Get Attention

The days of posting a job ad in the local paper and waiting for caregivers to apply are long gone. In order to attract top talent, you need to get creative with your job postings and optimize them to stand out. Try to answer the following questions about your listings to see if they pass the test.

• Are your headlines creative and eye-catching, or just like all the others?
• Does your ad make it clear what you’re looking for in a candidate, or just list the requirements?
• Are the most important parts of the job (from the applicant’s perspective) listed at the top?
• Does your ad have a clear call to action that makes it easy for them to apply?

3. Use Technology To Your Advantage

Technology has transformed the caregiver hiring process in a number of ways. You can now find candidates online on job boards, social media, and even through video interviews. Utilizing these tools will help you reach a larger pool of applicants and make it easier to identify the best candidates.

4. Offer Incentives To Existing Caregivers For Referrals

Referrals are one of the best ways to find qualified caregiver candidates. Incentivizing your existing employees to refer their friends, family, and acquaintances is a great way to get the word out about your open positions. Offering bonuses or other perks for successful referrals is a win-win for everyone involved.

5. Have A Solid Onboarding Experience & Training Program

This is one of the most overlooked but important hacks for hiring caregivers. Once you’ve found the right caregiver and made an offer, it’s important to set them up for success with a thorough training program. Your training program should cover all of the duties and responsibilities of the position, as well as your organization’s policies and procedures. Providing new hires with a positive onboarding experience, backed by a solid training program, will help you attract better talent, reduce turnover, and create a better experience for all stakeholders, including your bottom line.

The caregiver hiring process is more competitive than ever. By following these hacks, you’ll be in a better position to find and hire the best caregivers for your home care business.

Learn more about how Briggs Home Care helps franchisees hire the best caregivers for their business.