In this blog, we discuss 4 strategies your company can adopt for recruiting social workers more effectively.
The demand for Social Care workers has never been higher. As societies age, and the need for quality care for vulnerable people grows, recruiting and retaining dedicated professionals in the field of social care becomes increasingly crucial.
Reduce your time-to-hire
When it comes to recruiting, speed matters. In the UK, it takes almost 27.5 days to complete an average interview process from start to finish. Sometimes, that’s just too long.
Why does the recruitment process take so long? Because recruiters spend an average of 30 hours a week doing admin. It takes time to sift through CVs, post job adverts online, book interviews, organise background checks… the list goes on. Luckily, time consuming, repetitive admin tasks like these can be avoided using recruitment automation tools.
Recruitment automation involves building automated workflows, so you don’t have to complete certain tasks manually. Tasks such as; One-click job posting, smart candidate filtering, automated screening and background check
Increase your talent pool
You need to go where social care candidates are.
The major job boards such as Reed, CV-Library, Monster, Indeed and Totaljobs certainly dominate the search engine results and according to statistics, provide the majority of online applications.
In a survey of more than 100 applicants who had applied for a nursing role for an NHS trust, more than 70% said that they started their search on a search engine like Google, and visited several traditional job advertising channels before going into NHS jobs.
But job boards shouldn’t be where your advertising ends. Having a regular and consistent presence on social media will help to improve the visibility of your company and increase applications to your roles. Creating engaging posts that highlight your company’s mission, values, and work culture can draw the attention of potential candidates.
Additionally, industry-specific forums and online communities provide a space to connect with individuals already passionate about social care work.
It’s not just WHERE you post your job adverts, you should also consider HOW you write them.
To attract a diverse and talented group of applicants for your job openings, it’s important to take the time to write inclusive job advertisements. This means avoiding gender-specific terms and language that could be perceived as exclusionary. Even though social care roles are primarily female dominated, your job adverts should also appeal to men.
For example, instead of saying “nurse,” you could say “healthcare professional.” You should also avoid using words like “young” or “dynamic” as these can be seen as discriminatory against older workers.
Adopt a values-based recruitment approach
Values-based recruitment is a great approach for recruiting social workers because it focuses on the candidate’s values and behaviours, rather than just their skills and experience. While a new hire has the opportunity to acquire hands-on skills during work, their values and personality can’t be changed easily.
Social care work can be demanding and emotionally draining, and by focusing on personality and values, recruiters can find candidates who are truly committed to providing high-quality care and support.
Taking this approach can help to attract and retain the best candidates, improve the quality of care, and create a more positive work environment. By focusing on values such as compassion, empathy, respect, integrity, and commitment, hiring managers will find candidates who are well-suited to the demands of the job and who are committed to making a difference in the lives of others.
Work on your onboarding process
An effective hiring process doesn’t end on a candidate’s first day. The last thing you want is for them to leave a week or two after starting because the onboarding process isn’t up to scratch.
Effective onboarding of social care workers requires clear communication, preparation, and personalisation. Here are a few pointers to help in the process;
- Start with outlining job responsibilities, values, and expectations before the start date.
- Provide mentors or buddies to support the new hire and offer comprehensive training covering technical, ethical, and emotional aspects of the job.
- Emphasise legal and ethical guidelines.
- Facilitate shadowing opportunities and introduce available resources.
- Conduct regular check-ins and feedback sessions to help address concerns and provide guidance.
- Celebrate any milestones during onboarding and offer continuous learning opportunities.
The goal of onboarding is to make social care workers feel valued, equipped, supported, and connected to your company within the first few weeks and months.
Conclusion
Recruiting social workers isn’t just about filling positions; it’s about building a team of compassionate professionals who will make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need.
By reducing your time-to-hire, increasing your talent pool, adopting a values-based recruitment approach and implementing an effective onboarding process, you can attract and retain the best talent in the field of social care.
Remember, the recruitment journey doesn’t end with hiring; it’s a continuous effort to support and empower your team to provide exceptional care.
Starting the process to improve your hiring can be a challenge, which is why we’ve put together The Ultimate Care Recruitment Toolkit. Check out this free toolkit – it’ll save you a lot of valuable time and resources.
