Hi Stephen – 
I met you at the recruiting and retention seminar in Phoenix in September. Our CEO asked me reach out and ask you a question.
In our market, what would be a reasonable expectation for a full time recruiter for bringing new caregivers in to orientation? Knowing the no-show challenge faced by all – we want to have some kind of feedback from your perspective of what we should be expecting. We know what we have had this year – but no basis of comparison if we are doing good, falling short, or about right.
We have put several of your recommendations in to play since that seminar, including hiring a Retention Coordinator to try and stem the stampede of caregivers out the back door and a much more aggressive referral program to name just a couple.
Thanks !
Jeff
COO
Scottsdale, AZ
Dear Jeff … thanks so much for your note. And thanks for being with us at the recruiting workshop.
Great question. Unfortunately, there are so many variables that it’s impossible to give you a precise answer. Here’s what I can tell you.
1). Everyone in the country is having difficulty recruiting enough caregivers. Some companies are having more difficulty than others.
2). The companies that have a dedicated recruiter (either full time or part time) who focus every day on recruiting, selection, and on-boarding have a much stronger flow of quality hires.
3). The companies that use a pre-employment selection system (such as
Caregiver Quality Assurance) have a more effective selection process.
For a dedicated recruiter, you want to clearly define the role with a focus on recruiting, selection, and on-boarding. Be wary of hiring someone with previous experience as an “HR Generalist”. They will have broad experience in HR, but they will want to do things other than recruiting and selection. You will want to set up clear metrics for the recruiter:
– number of ads run by source
– number of applicants by source
– number of applicants who pass pre-employement screening
– number of applicants interviewed
– number of new hires
– number of applicants who attend orientation
– number of applicants who show up for their first shift
If you do a good job of tracking your metrics, you will be in great shape to adjust your recruiting process based on the data. You will also be able to assess whether you have the right person in the job.
The reason we can’t give you specific answers to your question is because most companies don’t track these metrics, and those that do won’t share the data.
Best Regards,
Stephen
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