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The challenges with recruiting

As the industry for caregiver agencies grows, so does the number of competition for quality caregivers. In 2021, 89% of agencies did not meet their hiring goals. Facing significant hurdles with finding the right candidates was one of the main reasons.

Finding Caregivers in the Area

One of the biggest challenges is finding caregivers in the area. Many agencies note that just finding the caregivers in their serviced area has become a significant recruiting challenge. To combat this, expanding the agency's service area can allow more caregivers to be hired, and allows more patients to be helped.

Finding Caregivers With the Right Values

By incorporating values deeply into the work a company does, caregivers will be more engaged with their roles. Recruiting based on values for the caregiver industry is imperative, and some agencies find that no one matches up. To combat this, it is important to look beyond the resumé. It may appear that applicants do not have key skills, but they may have other experiences like personally taking care of loved ones. This not only makes them fantastic candidates, but also shows their values for care giving. Many agencies misjudge a candidate simply based on their resumé, and they could be missing out on value-driven staff who have a genuine desire to care.

Lack of Training Opportunities

Caregiver training and development programs are essential to the success of agencies. Not only do these programs offer a chance for caregivers to improve their skills, but also for agencies to enhance productivity and improve company culture. Training is a crucial step in attracting caregivers. Caregiver training programs should be an integral part of the recruitment process. Allowing caregivers to complete training online ensures that agencies are delivering efficient and effective training that benefits the caregivers time.

Losing Applicants to Competitors

As an agency, there’s almost nothing more exciting than finding the best candidate for a caregiver position. There’s also nothing worse than losing that potential talent to a competitor. With recruiting, there is the challenge of losing applicants to competitors. Establishing a competitive compensation package can secure the applicants and make one agency seem more appealing than the other.

Lack of branding is a challenge that many small home care agencies face. If the candidate has never heard of the company and the company does not have a strong social media presence, it can be difficult to find quality candidates. Most prospective applicants will do their research on the company prior to interviewing. So, having current patient’s families leave reviews will increase the company’s online presence.

Although the demand for direct care services is growing, within the past year the median hourly wage for caregivers has risen by less than one dollar. Providing caregivers with a higher than average compensation can be a powerful differentiating factor to recruit new talent.

Not Hiring Quickly

Agencies need to vet candidates thoroughly to ensure the right hire. But, in the current competitive market, agencies need to hire quickly, as well. Fast hiring is a challenge that many agencies face. Robert Half’s research suggests that 57% of job seekers lose interest in a job if the hiring process is too long. Agencies should drastically shorten their hiring process. In order to do this, agencies should reference some of the tools mentioned previously. Using Applicant Tracking Systems to do the administrative and manual tasks will automate the process and make the hiring procedure timely. Along this same topic, using outdated technologies is a challenge that can prevent optimal hiring processes. Agencies should utilize all the benefits that modern technology offers. Every agency will have its recruiting challenges. Despite this, home care companies are still growing exponentially and should be optimistic about recruiting.

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