Tips for Recruiting Quality Caregivers for Your Home Care Business

The home care industry is growing. Your agency may be facing a lot of competition when it comes to finding qualified caregivers to staff your business. You probably need to set yourself apart if you want to attract the best of the best!

Let’s discuss how to find a caregiver for your agency, including caregiver recruitment ideas that could help you hire quality staff.

Think of your employees as valuable assets

Caregivers are an essential part of your home health agency. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to provide services to your clients. But passionate and engaged employees can do much more for your business.

Caregivers who feel valued often pass this positive energy on to their patients, which could lead to important word-of-mouth referrals and online reviews. It could also save you the time and expense of frequently hiring and training new employees. If the time comes when you do need to hire a new caregiver, you may find it easier to attract quality applicants because you’ve built an agency that caregivers want to work for.

Write a strong job ad

Your job posting might be the first impression a caregiver will get of your agency. You want to grab their attention but also represent your agency and the job accurately. Some things to consider when writing job ads:

• What personality traits are you looking for in a caregiver? Remember, you can train a caregiver in hard skills much easier than you can teach compassion, empathy, and other essential soft skills.
• Are the job duties clear? People new to the professional caregiver world may need more information about the role than experienced caregivers.
• Have you prioritized important info? Consider putting details such as work hours, salary, and in-house training near the top of the ad.
• Is the ad written in a friendly tone? You want to find qualified caregivers, but writing in an overly formal style may put people off. It can make your workplace seem uncaring or impersonal.
• Have you explained why caregivers should want to work for you? Competition for qualified caregivers can be fierce in some areas of the country. Including testimonials from current staff and patients could help sell your agency to applicants. You can also mention relevant awards that showcase what a great place your agency is to work.

Advertise in the right places

There are many websites where you can post your job ads, such as LinkedIn and Monster. However, qualified caregivers can be found in many different ways. Using various methods of advertising agency job openings could open you up to a broader pool of candidates. A few caregiver recruitment ideas you might also consider are:

• Social media posts and ads – Posting to your agency’s social media accounts can help spread the word that you’re hiring. You can also use paid ads to reach people who are not following your accounts.
• Job fairs – In-person job fairs can be an excellent way to meet caregiver candidates. Depending on the fair’s setup, you may be able to conduct interviews on the spot.
• Referrals – Current employees can also be a great way to find qualified caregivers. A simple referral program, such as offering a cash bonus for every referral you hire, could incentivize them to send top candidates your way.
• Community networking – Referrals can also come from people besides your staff. Local clergy members, the Chamber of Commerce, hospitals, and senior centers might also be good places to find qualified caregivers.

Offer great benefits

If you want to find and keep quality caregivers, you probably need to offer a good benefits package. This is especially true if there’s high demand for home care professionals in your area. You may be competing with multiple agencies for caregivers, as well as freelance home health aides.

A competitive salary is a major factor for many job seekers. Your rates should be in line with industry averages in your area. Offering other incentives can help sweeten the pot, such as excellent health insurance, training that can lead to higher pay, and advancement opportunities.

Offer ongoing training

High-quality training can help set your agency apart from the rest. If caregivers know they’ll be receiving excellent instruction with you, that could be an incentive to join your agency. Offering ongoing training that could help them earn a promotion or raise could also help you find quality caregivers who want to stay with your agency for years.

Protecting your agency with home health care insurance

You’re building a strong home health agency staffed with quality caregivers. It might be time to protect your agency from common risks you’re likely to face.

BizInsure makes it simple to buy caregiver insurance for your agency. In about 10 minutes, you can compare quotes from A-rated insurers and choose the policies that work for you. You’ll get instant coverage, and your certificate of insurance will be emailed directly to you.

Start comparing home health care insurance today!