You’ve just finished arguably the most important part of the Caregiver and CNA recruitment process, the interview. A lovely candidate came in and you’re thrilled about the prospect of them joining your team. They appear to be a great fit and are excited to start work with you. The second they walk out the door, the clock starts. We’ve talked about processing times on this blog before (see: Home Care Recruitment Processing Times: Why Caregivers Aren’t Making it to Cases), but new data sheds additional light on the need for a quick turnaround after an interview in order be successful when recruiting CNAs and Caregivers. We asked Caregivers how long they wait after an interview before interviewing with another company. Their answers are below.
54% of Caregivers and CNAs won’t wait more than a few days before they interview with another company. Considering the fact that Caregivers still receive 3+ calls a week for work on average, they’re likely meeting with your competitor down the street the next day. With more than a quarter of Caregivers not waiting at all, you may not have more than a few hours head start over the rest of your market. Here are a few key tips for improving this aspect of Caregiver recruitment:
Start processing right away
Imagine a giant stopwatch in your office starts running the minute a Caregiver leaves the interview. The quicker you start to process a candidate, the more likely you are to make the hire. Even a few hours can be the difference between hiring Caregivers and losing them.
Expedite the process
Examine your processing routine today and look for areas where you can be more efficient. Starting right away is a great first step. Consider using technology to your advantage. Digital reference checks are one example of how agencies are cutting down on one of the most time-intensive parts of processing candidates. Hiring CNAs and Caregivers can come down to little changes like this setting up a ripple effect through the rest of your process.
Communicate clearly
Caregivers have a lot of job opportunities swirling around at any given time. They’re being courted by recruiters in the senior care space while other industries like fast food, retail, rideshare, and more try and lure them into their respective fields. The more communicative you’re able to be with a candidate after the interview process, outlining next steps and providing approximate timelines, the more likely you are to keep engagement high. We’ve created a free resource to help you with this step, a handy guide to help Caregivers understand the process between the interview and their first shift. You can download the free Interview to Hire guide here.
Any steps you can take to process candidates more quickly is going to bring positive results to your Caregiver, HHA, and CNA recruitment efforts. If you don’t currently keep track of how long it takes to process a Caregiver, it’s worth starting. The best home care recruitment takes a data-driven approach, and the more data you have at your fingertips the better decisions you can make.
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The 8 Critical Things to Focus On When Interviewing and Hiring Caregivers
Caregiver Recruitment: The Importance Of Tracking Caregiver and CNA Pay
