How To Find C-Suite Senior Living Executives

For any Senior Living or Skilled Nursing company, an executive in the C-Suite is the foundation for the company’s success. Without a CEO, COO, or CNO, your company’s operations could easily slip, causing high staff turnover rates, declining patient care, and lapses in facility compliance. To hire a new executive, you must go about the hiring process carefully. On the one hand, you may want to hire an executive as soon as possible, but you also don’t want to hasten the process and make a bad hire. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to attract only the best candidates for any C-suite executive role and navigate the hiring process confidently. This information allows you to grow your leadership team and help your company thrive. 

Different C-Suite Roles in Senior Living

The C-suite consists of several different positions that are integral to the effective operations of a senior living company, such as:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO): The CEO is the highest-ranking executive, overseeing the senior living company’s overall vision, strategy, and direction. 
• Chief Operating Officer (COO): This role includes coordinating between departments, optimizing processes, and addressing operational challenges. 
• Chief Nursing Officer (CNO): The CNO oversees resident care standards, implements healthcare policies, and manages the nursing staff. 
• Chief Information Officer (CIO): The CIO manages the company’s technology infrastructure and data systems.
• Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO): The CHRO leads the development and execution of the company’s HR strategies, including talent acquisition, employee engagement, and labor law compliance. 
• Chief People Officer (CPO): The CPO creates and fosters an exceptional workplace culture. 
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO): The CFO manages the financial health of the senior living organization and allocates resources to departments throughout the company. 

While not every senior living company will have room for every executive role included on this list, having at least one or several executives can keep your facilities and communities functional.

Steps To Find C-Suite Senior Living Executives 

Whether you’re hiring a CNO or a CEO, here are some steps you can take to go about the hiring process.

Define the Role and Your Goals

When you hire a C-Suite senior living executive, your priority should be to outline what you want out of candidates to meet your organization’s goals. This may involve: 

• Defining the role’s responsibilities: Outline the daily, monthly, and long-term tasks associated with the role.
• Identifying ideal candidate qualities: Specify the skills, experience, certifications, and leadership attributes required for success. Be clear about traits that align with your organizational culture, such as strategic thinking or excellent communication skills.
• Clarifying organizational goals: Connect the role to your company’s mission and objectives, such as improving care quality or expanding services. This will help candidates understand how they will contribute to the organization’s success.
• Including salary and benefits: Be frank about what pay you’d be willing to provide to potential candidates and what benefits packages you offer. Include details such as flexible schedules or other perks that may attract the best candidates. 

Once you’ve outlined the role, goals, and the compensation you’re willing to offer, you can offer these details to a recruitment firm to incentivize and inform candidates on your behalf.

Utilize Retained Executive Search Methods

When searching for a C-suite senior living executive, you need every recruitment technique in your arsenal, including a retained executive search method. This method involves partnering with a recruitment firm and paying them upfront to utilize a tailored approach and find a highly qualified candidate — even going as far as reaching out to candidates who may not be actively searching for a role.  Often, this method provides the best results because the healthcare and senior living talent pool exists as a metaphorical iceberg. While you may see a small percentage of candidates at the top of the iceberg who may be actively searching for a new position, most qualified candidates hide at the bottom. Over 70% of qualified candidates in the healthcare industry are often untouched through traditional contingent searches. Securing a C-Suite executive requires a deeper dive.

This approach is highly valuable when searching for high-level positions like those in the C-suite, as recruitment firms will work with you through every step to find the right candidate that suits your company’s needs.

Explore and Interview Candidates

Reading over each candidate’s application and interviewing are arguably some of the most essential steps in the interview process. In both processes, you need to focus on whether or not each candidate could excel in their new role. For resumes and cover letters, you should:

• Look for relevant experience: Prioritize experience in healthcare, senior living, or related fields. Pay close attention to leadership roles, accomplishments, and their impact on previous organizations.
• Assess qualifications: Verify that the candidate meets the role’s educational and certification requirements, such as degrees in healthcare administration or certifications.
• Evaluate tailored applications: A strong cover letter should reflect a genuine interest in your organization and demonstrate an understanding of the role’s responsibilities and goals. Likewise, sending an assessment to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge of the role can help you screen your candidates before proceeding to interviews.
• Note red flags: Gaps in employment or overly generic applications may require further exploration during the interview.

Likewise, your interview process should be equally detailed with the following steps:

• Prep effective questions: To fully evaluate your candidates, draft questions beforehand that seek to understand their soft skills, leadership experience, and responses to potential challenges that arise in the role. 
• Conduct phone and video interviews: Phone and video interviews are great ways to screen candidates before an in-person interview.
• Plan a structure: You should plan out your interview to touch on key conversations, such as introductions, a portion where you discuss your main questions and explain the role more, and a portion where the candidate asks their questions. 
• Decide with your team: After meeting with each candidate, write your initial thoughts and meet with your team to decide who you’d like to hire.

By thoroughly reviewing applications and conducting thoughtful interviews, you can confidently identify the right C-suite leader who will drive success and innovation in their senior living company.

Evaluate Cultural Fit and Leadership Style

Cultural fit and leadership are arguably two top qualities you should look for in interviews and resumes. Although evaluating what makes a candidate a good leader or cultural fit can be challenging, you’ll know it when you see it! A candidate who shares values like compassion, teamwork, and resident-centered care can be a good cultural fit as they foster a positive workplace culture.

Likewise, leadership styles can vary from person to person, but some traits may be more valuable than others when navigating challenges common in the senior living industry. For example, an adaptable and empathetic leadership style is essential in this industry, where issues like staffing shortages and regulatory compliance are common.

Transition and Onboard 

Once you’ve decided on the right candidate for a C-suite executive position at your senior living or senior healthcare Company and they’ve accepted, you shouldn’t stop there. Transitioning and onboarding the candidate is equally important. This may include:

• Outlining expectations on the first day;
• Introducing them to key team members, residents, and stakeholders;
• Offering mentorship opportunities or executive coaching;
• Scheduling regular meetings to see how the new hire is transitioning.

These steps will increase the likelihood that your new hire will adapt and stay longer.  

Common Challenges in Hiring C-Suite Executives

When hiring a senior living executive independently, you may experience the following challenges.

Cost

Cost is among the most significant challenges and roadblocks for senior living facilities. Many facilities may hesitate to hire recruitment services like MedBest because of cost concerns. However, this decision may cause a position to stay vacant longer, which can be costly. Likewise, if you feel rushed and make a bad hire, it will require additional time and resources to continue your search after the bad hire leaves.

Lack of Time

 Senior living facilities rely heavily on their executive leadership, and the longer a position remains unfilled, the more significant the impact on operations, staff morale, and resident care. However, rushing to hire without proper vetting can lead to mistakes, such as selecting a candidate who is not the right fit for the role or the organization.

To find the balance between urgency and precision, you can:

• Plan ahead: Develop a contingency plan for leadership transitions, such as maintaining a list of potential interim executives.
• Leverage executive search services: Partnering with a firm like MedBest can help streamline the process, ensuring a pool of qualified candidates is quickly available without compromising quality.
• Delegate and prioritize: Assign parts of the hiring process, such as initial candidate screening, to trusted team members or external consultants so you can focus on final decisions.
• Utilize interim executives: Bringing in an interim executive will keep your daily operations functional, allowing you to focus on a thorough hiring process for a permanent hire.

Adopting these strategies can minimize the impact of prolonged C-suite vacancies while searching for a permanent hire.

Limited Pool of Candidates

If you want to find an executive or leader with experience in senior living, you’ll note how complex the endeavor can be. Because it’s such a competitive industry, you often have a limited pool of candidates. If you make mistakes, such as only posting a poorly produced job ad on LinkedIn, you’ll receive an even smaller pool of candidates than if you used other recruitment methods like retained search. In addition, it can be challenging to find the 70% of perfectly qualified candidates who aren’t actively searching on your own. However, with MedBest’s help, you’ll be able to uncover the hidden pool of healthcare talent.

How MedBest Overcomes Hiring Challenges

By working with MedBest, you can easily overcome these challenges mentioned above. Our help makes the hiring process more thorough, faster, and effective, saving your company money in the long run. We do this thanks to our team, who have professional experience in senior living operations and management and receive training for C-suite recruitment from a renowned London-based firm. This knowledge equips them with industry-leading techniques and best practices that enable them to research, vet, and obtain high-quality candidates for any position. In addition, we have a highly interconnected network of senior living executives that you can access.

MedBest will work with your internal hiring team every step of the way so you can feel confident in our vetting process. Even better, MedBest will guide you through onboarding and transitioning to ensure your new hire is a good fit. With our help, you’ll have a C-suite senior living executive started with minimal hassle. Call us today to get started!  

FAQs About Hiring C-Suite Senior Living Executives

What Are C-Suite Senior Living Executives?

C-suite senior living executives are high-level leaders in a senior living company who oversee strategic decision-making and operational management. These roles typically include the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), and other leadership positions like the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).

Why Is It Important To Hire The Right C-Suite Executives For Senior Living Facilities?

C-suite executives shape a senior living company’s overall direction, culture, and success. They keep each facility compliant with healthcare regulations, manage finances, oversee operations, and foster a positive environment for staff and residents. Hiring the right executives can significantly impact a company’s reputation and quality of care.

How Long Does It Take To Hire a C-Suite Executive For a Senior Living Company?

The timeline for hiring a C-suite executive can vary depending on factors such as the role’s complexity and the recruitment method used. Partnering with an executive recruitment firm like MedBest can streamline the process, with placements often occurring within a few months.

What Qualifications Should Senior Living Facilities Look For in C-Suite Executives?

C-suite candidates should have extensive experience in healthcare management, a proven track record of leadership, knowledge of state and federal regulations, and expertise in financial and operational management in senior living or long-term care. 

How Do Executive Recruitment Firms Help Find Senior Living Executives?

Executive recruitment firms like MedBest use specialized retained search methods to identify, vet, and recommend top-tier candidates. They manage the entire hiring process, from creating a candidate profile and assessing candidates’ cultural fit to final placement, saving facilities time and ensuring access to the best talent. Plus, they stay in touch after the placement to ensure the new hire transitions seamlessly. 

What Does Retained Executive Search Mean?

Retained executive search is a recruitment method in which you partner with a firm exclusively to fill a specific position. It involves a proactive and personalized approach to finding the most qualified candidates, making it a practical option for hiring C-suite executives.

How Can Facilities Spot a Good Culture Fit With a C-Suite Executive Candidate?

During the interview process, facilities can assess cultural fit by asking candidates about their leadership style, values, and approach to team collaboration in assessments and interviews. You can also involve key stakeholders when interviewing and selecting candidates to see if they align with the company’s mission and goals.

What Are the Common Challenges in Hiring C-Suite Senior Living Executives?

If you recruit and hire independently, you may run across challenges like a limited pool of qualified candidates, high competition from other organizations, and ensuring cultural fit. Partnering with a specialized recruitment firm can help overcome these obstacles and secure the best candidate.

How Much Does It Cost to Use an Executive Recruitment Firm?

The cost of using an executive recruitment firm varies depending on the search parameters and the position you need to fill. Retained executive search services, like those offered by MedBest, are typically more comprehensive and include an engagement fee that commits a client to only using MedBest to fill a position.  

Can C-Suite Executives From Other Healthcare Sectors Transition to Senior Living?

Yes, executives with experience in other healthcare sectors, such as hospitals or home health, often have transferable skills that can benefit senior living facilities. However, assessing their understanding of senior living-specific regulations and care models is essential.