Our use of cookies

We use strictly necessary cookies to make our site work. These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our privacy policy.

To agree to our use of analytical cookies, click the 'Accept cookies' button. No, give me more information.
Accept cookies Reject analytical cookies Manage cookies
 
Beta
This is a new service – your feedback will help us to improve it

Recruitment and Careers

Recruitment

Your recruitment strategy should be tailored to both your current and future staff needs. You should have a clear awareness of your upcoming needs based on your predicted turnover of staff and how your current recruitment campaign is working.

Ensure you have a dedicated lead for recruitment

You should have a nominated lead for recruitment to ensure they are familiar with the process; this could be yourself or something you delegate to a deputy.

Recruit the right candidates

Social Care might be a career that someone hasn’t yet considered, and your advert could be their first step. Be clear on responsibilities and tasks associated with the roles that you advertise, setting clear and honest expectations are a key first step to building trust.

Consider offering more flexible recruitment options

While you might have found positive results with your usual recruitment practices, you can also explore recruiting from groups that you might not previously have considered or whose working patterns might not fit your traditional approaches.

You might find that people in education, people who have children in education or retirees, are looking for part time work but cannot commit to full days or only certain days of the week.

Ensure your service stands out when you advertise

There are many services who are now offering a signing on bonus, typically payable in stages to ensure people stay with their service beyond the initial few months.

Hints & Tips

Sometimes the gap between the financial incentives is minimal, the thing that makes a service stand out is the commitment to their staff.

Make it clear how you will support them outside of the financial benefits, what development opportunities can you offer, what does your training program look like, what can you offer them that makes you stand apart from other services.

Try to look at the advert from the candidates perspective and understand if it would appeal to you. 

Conduct exit interviews with any staff who leave

Within any business there will always be a degree of staff turnover, as staff explore new careers or personal circumstances mean their current job is no longer for them.

Holding an exit interview with any staff who leave will help you to understand their reason for leaving, it could be another similar business has recently increased their rate of pay or is offering a ‘signing on’ bonus. An exit interview can sometimes be an opportunity to retain a valued member of staff.

Benchmark yourself against other services

You should always try to benchmark your service against similar services, utilize the ASC Workforce Dataset and review job adverts from other care services. You might find that your rate of pay is no longer competitive, or others are offering more flexible working arrangements.

Review the Adult Social Care Recruitment Guide for ideas

The Department of Health and Social Care’s national recruitment campaign, ‘Made with Care’, aims to raise the profile of the adult social care sector as a rewarding and stimulating place to work, and support the existing recruitment efforts undertaken by the sector to help care providers recruit the dedicated staff they need.

As part of this campaign, an Adult Social Care Recruitment Guide has been produced, packed with ideas on how to strengthen your recruitment strategy.

Social Media

Consider using social media as a new way to reach out to people, it gives you the option to provide a more personal approach and stand out from the crowd.

Recruitment Webinar

Skills for Care have run a webinar on ways in which you can maximise your recruitment. The webinar could give you ideas on how you could improve your own recruitment strategy. 

Things to consider revisited

  • Ensure you have a dedicated lead for recruitment.
  • Regularly review your current and potential recruitment needs.
  • Consider offering more flexible recruitment as this might appeal to a wider audience of people.
  • Consider a ‘signing on’ bonus as a financial incentive, potential paid over a period.
  • Ensure your service stands out when you advertise.
  • Review the Adult Social Care Recruitment Guide for ideas.
  • Conduct exit interviews with any staff who leave, to understand their reasons for leaving.
  • Benchmark yourself against other services using the ASC Workforce Dataset.
  • Review job adverts from other services to see what they are offering.
  • Consider widening your use of recruitment platforms if your existing approach is not proving effective.
  • Explore the social media as a different way to connect with potential staff.

 

Follow us Follow us Follow us

 

There are no results that match your search criteria