Tips for Nursing Homes – The Future of Recruitment
As a Recruiter or Hiring Manager looking to source Nurses and other healthcare staff, you will be aware that candidates are in short supply and trying to get the right candidate for the job can prove difficult. At Cpl Healthcare we monitor and analyse recruitment trends and have found some useful ways to source candidates and want to impart some of that knowledge.
Traditionally candidates would have been found through word of mouth, newspaper ads and job boards which are still a popular choice. All these methods can still prove successful, but like us I’m sure you’ve found in recent times that these methods of sourcing are lacking to supply good calibre candidates. You need to start looking at how job seekers are looking for work in this new tech savvy world. Knowing what websites potential candidates spend time on and how you are going to get their attentions is key. Getting candidates attention online will help you target not only active job seekers but passive job seekers i.e. candidates that are not even looking for work. Below we have outlined some brief tips on the future of recruitment that will help you do just that:
Social Media is a word used frequently and if you don’t know what it means it’s time you learnt. It sounds very complicated but basically it means interaction on the web. Some of the more popular social media sites are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and these can be used to recruit staff and promote your Nursing Home. It’s worth pointing out that in Ireland people spend more time on these social media sites than they do on jobs boards, with only one jobs board, jobs.ie in the top 100 of the sites people spend time on. If these are the sites potential candidates are spending time on then why not utilise this information and promote your Nursing Home and vacancies. Set up a LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter profile and through that connect with relevant contacts or healthcare groups. Post updates on your Nursing Home, any news, events, vacancies etc. By doing this you are increasing your exposure to potential candidates, promoting your Nursing Home and your vacancies and soon you will see more interest in your facility and candidates will even be coming to you.
Web Exposure (SEO)/Blogging – Utilising websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will certainly expose your Nursing Home on the web and increase something called SEO, Search Engine Optimisation. In plain language this means if you write about Nursing jobs on social media sites or post a related blog and a candidate searches “Nursing Jobs” on the internet, it’s more likely your blog, update or vacancy will come up high on search engine results, meaning more exposure for you and your jobs. Blogging as mentioned above is another way to gain exposure on the web by writing and publishing information about Healthcare, Nursing, Aged Care or any other topic. As discussed at previous NHI Conferences/Seminars there can be a stigma around Gerontology Nursing and this can be a reason for the lack of responses to jobs. By blogging about the advantages and positive elements of working in Aged Care you may encourage more Nurses to enter the field.
YouTube – YouTube is a video sharing website to view and share videos and has become a global phenomenon. Why not make a video about your Nursing Home and even the local area. Make a video about why your Nursing Home is a great place to work. Check out Cpl’s video on YouTube, “Why is Cpl such a great place to work?” to get some ideas. It can be as amateur or as professional as you like and could be a way of attracting Nurses from abroad to come work for you. It would also be a good sales tool to attract residents to the home.
We hope these tips help you bring your recruitment practices in line with current trends and prove successful in hiring staff.
Annmarie Kelly – Nursing Recruitment Consultant Cpl Healthcare
Ph: +353(0)91 507505
E-mail: Annmarie.kelly@cplhealthcare.com
Website: www.cplhealthcare.com
