We are seeing more vacancies in aged care than ever before. It has been estimated that the aged care workforce will need to grow from around “366,000 to 980,000 by 2050 to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of older Australians”.
Add to the mix, we’re seeing larger exit rates from the industry. Needless to say, it is imperative that organisations focus on attracting and retaining the right people.
So where to start…
Recruitment tips for employers posting job adverts
The job advert is the first impression you make. It needs to inspire job seekers to act by standing out from the multitude of other options out there!
Here are our 7 tips to think about when posting job adverts.
1) Boast about your benefits: Tune in to what is truly beneficial to job seekers and promote them to stand out e.g. additional leave, parking, childcare, health & wellbeing perks, car, additional super, performance bonus…
2) Describe your culture: Outline your organisation’s purpose and values, and how those values translate into attributes and behaviours in ideal employees. Make them want to belong.
3) Provide clear and concise expectations: Don’t copy and paste your job description, be outcomes focused. Candidates want to know what they need to achieve, and how they contribute to the overall purpose.
4) Be specific with practical details: Include the location, salary range, size of service.
5) Use emotive language: Include words which will resonate and engage with the right fit candidates and inspire action.
6) Know your talent pool: Women make up a large percentage of our workforce and are less likely to respond to ads that use ‘masculine’ language or have 6+ essential criteria.
7) Hot tip – change your perspective: Think of what employees are looking for, not only what type of candidate you’re seeking.
Know what the talent is looking for
Recognising the importance of what your talent is looking for in your organisation is key to securing top talent. Here’s 5 practical tips based on what candidates tell us is important to them.
1) Flexibility: Where possible provide options to work from home, have flexible start and finish times, consider part time or job share, offer time off in lieu (TOIL). Flexibility also comes into the scope of their role – which areas of the role can you blur the edges of to appeal to the stand-out skills of individuals which enables them to play to their strengths and add more value.
2) Support: Set them up for success by setting clear performance expectations and success measures from day dot, provide a thorough induction, connect with a mentor/buddy who is not their line manager, connect them with other roles which partner with their roles to create a network of support, offer coaching.
3) Personal & professional development: Provide opportunities for training & education which is tailored and not generic. Identify what they need to achieve and develop in order to progress, and promote realistic progression opportunities.
4) Competitive remuneration: Research shows that as long as salary is reflective of workload and expectations than most people are satisfied, so being fair is key and research your industry benchmarks. With tight budgets some employers are using performance related pay for certain aspects of roles.
5) Honesty: Candidates often know what struggles organisations are going through, so be open and transparent about challenges to build trust and loyalty. Invite your people to problem solve with you and contribute their ideas which also helps them feel empowered and involved.
What else?
1) Consider an employee referral program: Encourage employees to recommend people in their network and spread the word.
2) Provide candidates with feedback and outcomes of applications: People talk about their application experience, regardless of the outcome. Give them an excellent experience.
3) Consider a Set for Success program: This enables clear and mutually agreed objectives and expectations for employees, from the day they start their new role.
Next steps
3D Recruit understand the challenges faced in sourcing qualified, skilled applicants who are the ‘right fit’. If you feel you have tried everything under the sun and are looking for support or want to find out more about how you can set your employees up for success, please contact one of our dedicated recruitment consultants who can partner with you to uncover more options through our extensive network.
Laura Sutherland
Director & Founder
M 0410 360 679
E laura@3drecruit.com.au
Laura is a Workforce specialist, Leadership and Career Coach. Her core professional purpose is to support individuals to fulfil their career potential, and support employers to develop the potential within their most valuable asset – their people.
Kamala Gracie
Talent Specialist
M 0424 435 152
E kamala@3drecruit.com.au
Kamala is a committed recruitment specialist who is friendly, practical, compassionate, open minded and acts with high integrity. She gains a great deal of satisfaction aligning candidates with a fulfilling career, not just a job, and finding employers the talent to enable them to thrive for years to come.
