Tips for Attracting Top Talent in Health and Social Care

In the current job market, nurses and other health and social care staff are in high demand across the UK. Check out the latest Skills for Care data here . To successfully recruit new employees for your organisation, it is crucial to have a well-defined recruitment strategy that will help you attract the best talent. This article provides four tips to improve your hiring strategy in the health and social care industry.

1. Highlight Your Organisation's Strengths.

To make your organisation more appealing to job seekers, showcase its specialisations, culture, and success in providing valuable services to the community. Ensure that your website's "About Us" page effectively presents your organisation as an aspirational place to work. Emphasise the benefits of working for your organisation and the opportunities for career development.

2. Create Compelling Job Ads (or leave it to the professionals)

Job ads provide an opportunity to explain why someone may want your job vacancy and to clearly outline the requirements of the job. Before writing a job ad, consult with the team responsible for the vacancy to understand the specific responsibilities and qualifications needed.

When creating a job description, consider how competitors in your industry construct their ads and job descriptions. Be specific with the job title, avoiding jargon, and clearly state the minimum requirements, skills, and qualifications. Provide details about the teams and people the new recruit will work with, mention the location, list employee benefits, and state the salary range.

Additionally, include a call to action, a recruitment timeline or a description of what happens next, to demonstrate professionalism and help applicants prepare for the interview and assessment stages.

3. Effective Job Advertising

Job boards come in 2 types (and multiple subtypes). Understand the main types but choose a blended approach. Job advertising is marketing. For best results, do not put all your eggs in one basket.

Democratic: Where you pay by the credit which gets you X amount of exposure for X amount of time. The busier the site, the quicker your roles fall down the list. Great advertising content and active management is required to get the best out of them.

Auctions: Where you "bid" for your position and exposure, paying by how many people begin (but not necessarily complete) an application, or by the click. Biggest budget wins on these sites, especially if your advertising content is mediocre. Active management is required on these sites to ensure your budgets are not frittered away as, in terms of cost, the only way is up!

4. Define your Job Descriptions well for Popular Health and Social Care Roles

Recruiting Care Assistants: Clearly state the necessary qualifications, such as a Level 3 Health and Social Care, BTec or minimum GCSE grades, and highlight the personality traits required for working with clients, including patience, empathy, and communication skills. Clearly outline responsibilities such as monitoring patients' physical and mental well-being, supporting patients with limited mobility, and updating records. Specify what's required to progress to the next level in your organisation.

Recruiting Social Workers: Emphasise the job satisfaction that the role can provide and highlight the skills required, such as excellent verbal, written, and listening skills, the ability to work under tight deadlines, and a degree in social work. Duties may include providing practical support to families, liaising with medical professionals, writing assessments, and scheduling meetings and appointments.

Recruiting Nurses: Specify the required level of experience and essential qualifications, such as a nursing degree. Highlight specific responsibilities that relate to your organisation as they may attract prospective candidates, such as providing specialised patient care, ordering laboratory tests, or creating person-centered care plans.

In all of the above, express your organisation's mission, vision and values. In the right hands a Job Description is a powerful tool to be used in recruitment and it's worth spending the time on.

Conclusion:

By implementing these tips, you can enhance your recruitment strategy and increase your chances of attracting top talent in the health and social care industry. Good luck with your hiring efforts!

For more tips contact Recruitment Panda on 0161 914 5722 or drop me an email at [email protected] .