What’s Your Best Move When Hiring in 2020? 8 Hiring Strategies to Attract Talent This Year…

When it comes to hiring strategies, what’s your next move and hiring plan for 2020?

Hiring managers found that 2019 was filled with challenges when actively recruiting for top talent in Senior Living. In 2020, expect much of the same. Hiring Managers are under tremendous pressure to fill key positions with the right candidates against a landscape where candidates have plenty of choices and options. In other words, the candidate-driven market continues.

While your senior living company/community probably already has talent acquisition strategies in place, the current methods by which you attract, secure, and retain highly talented, long term care employees may be under review and scrutiny.  It has become a top priority to reassess and revamp them. What worked a few years ago, is unlikely to work today.

For this reason, we want to share 8 great hiring strategies for 2020:

1. Find out what your retainable employees have in common.
   Why do your key people stay with your senior care organization? What backgrounds, skills or personality traits do they have in common? Conduct “Stay Interviews.”  Stay interviews are trending and used to ask current employees why they continue to work for your organization.  The knowledge you gain can help attract new workers as well as retain your remaining valuable, high performing employees.
2. Power through the talent crunch.
   In a candidate-driven market, if the current available talent doesn’t meet your needs, you will need to change how and where you search for them.  Start with your competitors.  Can you lure their top performers to your company? Also, consider a wider net. If  you were able to find key long term care talent within 50 miles and that’s changed, expand your reach and consider relocating desirable talent.
3. Consider interim talent as a short-term solution.
   For an unexpected vacancy or difficult talent search, organizations are turning to interim talent solutions.  For interim leadership positions including Executive Director, Nursing Home Administrator, Assisted Living Administrator, Director of Nursing, Health Services Director, MDS Coordinator and Resident Services Director/Wellness Director, interim workers can help bridge the talent gap and minimize any business disruption plus, it allows for extra time while searching for that permanent hire.
4. Use mobile technologies and social media available.
   Today, it is estimated that 90% of job seekers are using mobile devices and social media while they search for a new job opportunity.  Senior Living organizations need to adapt and make mobile recruiting and social media an important part of their hiring strategy.  Also, consider using FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or RingCentral, etc. to initially screen candidates. Tech-savvy hiring managers will have the edge.
5. Build a talent pipeline even when you’re not actively hiring.
   A talent pipeline should be developed even when you’re not actively hiring. Building a pipeline is essential in order to identify potential candidates that can be continuously nurtured and approached when vacancies arise.  There are several key reasons why it’s absolucalltoy necessary to implement a long-term sourcing strategy:  To develop relationships with future talent, shorten the time to hire, improve the interview process, and minimize business disruption.
6. Brand your organization and culture as a “Best Workplace.”
   Senior care organizations being named to a workplace “Best of” list can be a positive recruiting and retention tool.  Earning these types of accolades and creating a positive working environment is attractive to prospective employees and can brand your organization as a thriving place to work.  Not only will this boost the number of people wanting to work for your firm but will increase the morale and pride of current employees.
7. Offer transparency throughout the hiring process.
   In this era of transparency, job candidates will no doubt scour your website, Google Reviews and Social Media. But what they expect from an interview with you is an accurate job description, honesty about growth/career potential, why the job is open, overview of company culture and mission, types of benefits and perks, and any challenge(s) that your senior living organization is currently facing. Candidates also want to know the next steps…Will they hear back from you and when? How many subsequent interviews will there be? This type of transparency will make or break your shot at landing top candidates.
8. Develop relationships with reputable recruiters.
   A reputable senior living recruiting firm will have a sixth sense for the best passive candidates in the industry. In addition, they have developed relationships with these choice candidates and have a deep and extensive network and database at their disposal. In addition, they will present you with those hard-to-find candidates that can’t be found on job boards but meet your exact requirements.  Plus, they save you time and money by narrowing down the field of qualified candidates, speed in delivery, assisting with negotiations, helping desired candidate to make the transition and onboarding.

ABOUT JULIE RUPENSKI

Julie Rupenski is the Founder, President & CEO of MedBest, opening the doors in 2001. Since that time, Julie has gained national recognition for providing top talent solutions exclusively for the Senior Living Industry. Her specialties include filling C-Suite, Vice President, Regional, and Property level positions.

Julie has an in-depth knowledge of the Senior Living Industry since she previously worked in operations for both Senior Housing and Senior Living. Today, Julie makes it her personal and professional mission to place qualified people in health care positions where they have the greatest impact.

Julie earned her degree in Gerontology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida and continues to cultivate her career through senior living conferences, forums, trade shows, and expos.

(Julie’s industry articles and interviews have been published in Provider Magazine, Argentum Quarterly, LeadingAge Magazine, Florida Health Care Association, Florida Assisted Living Association, Florida Senior Living Association, LeadingAge Florida, LeadingAge Indiana, Pennsylvania Health Care Association, Oregon Health Care Association, and Virginia Assisted Living Association.)

Contact Julie Rupenski at jrupenski@www.medbest.com / 727-526-1294.

ABOUT MEDBEST

MedBest is a national Executive Search Firm exclusive to the Senior Living Industry established in 2001.  We recruit and acquire interim and permanent long term care talent, permanent and interim, for all types of Senior Living Organizations and Communities across the US including Assisted Living, Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Independent Living, Memory Care, Home Health Care, and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Contact MedBest at 727-526-1294 / info@www.medbest.com