You want to find the right person to work with you or your loved one, but where to begin? As an experienced Recruiter who has acquired top talent for everyone from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, I have some tried and true suggestions that may help.
The following steps are similar to the process I walk business clients through (with a few tweaks to make them relevant for caregiving, BI and CSW positions).
Define the Job
Today’s candidates have lots of options, short attention spans and little time to spend reading postings. If they don’t understand or resonate with the job duties, it’s unlikely they will take the time to apply (or call you back if they are mass applying).
It’s essential that you have a clear understanding of the tasks that will be involved in your position. This establishes expectations for your new employee and can be important in certain employment situations that can arise. You can find SHRM’s list of many reasons for having a formal job description in this article.
Here are a few ways to get started developing yours:
Review similar job postings on job boards like Indeed.com, O*Net, LinkedIn or agency websites.
Document your day. Write down each activity you complete when helping your family member or what your family members are doing to support you.
Think through how this role aligns with the family or individual’s values and goals. What is the overall mission of this position?
Now that you have a starting point, you will want to begin developing content for each section of the job description. These include:
Job Title - It’s best to use a common title that candidates will think to search. While “Happiness Champion” may make the job seem fun and meaningful, it won’t help applicants to find your posting online. Job search is very keyword-driven these days and the job title plays directly into your recruiting success.
Location - Will your employee primarily be working in your home, in the community, at a school or some combination of these?
Hours - Do you need help part-time or full-time? Will the person be sharing hours with another employee or do you want one person to cover all of the shifts? The more specific you can be about the schedule, the less time you will waste on the phone with candidates who are seeking something else.
Roles & Responsibilities - This section should describe the activities, position scope and level of responsibility that the person will assume. It’s a good idea to confirm that your position expectations align with any program rules or guidelines.
Define the Qualifications
After considering WHAT your position will entail, we now need to consider WHO will be a good fit for this type of role. What skills, experience or education does your employee need to have to be successful?
As you look at each activity, it’s a good idea to ask yourself “what skill is needed to perform this activity”. For each skill, you can ask “what experience, education or training is needed to build this skill”.
Through this exercise, you will begin to realize your job’s essential qualifications (which anyone working in the position must have) and preferred skills (those you would appreciate but aren’t required). Start listing each of these out. Keep in mind that that you may need to justify these qualifications in certain circumstances, especially if they could seem discriminatory.
Define the Pay
Next, you will need to learn what market pay is for someone with these qualifications. You can often find market rates on sites like Salary.com, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Payscale.com, ONetOnline.org or by asking individuals who are currently employed in the field.
Additionally, you will need to understand any pay parameters associated with your program (Family-Directed, Self-Directed, CFH, etc.) I mention this because program rate caps are historically far behind market rates.
A couple compelling reasons to post the pay rate within your job ad are:
10+ States (CA, CO, CT, MD, NV, NJ, NY, OH, RI, WA), as of today, require pay transparency. As job seekers get accustomed to seeing pay rates on postings, they are less likely to click on opportunities that do not include pay.
22% of job seekers believe pay transparency on job postings should be the employer’s top priority About 1/3 of job hunters say they will not participate in a job interview if they don’t know what pay the employer is offering.
As you can see, you will be limiting your applicant pool, if you aren’t including pay in your job ad.
Define the Culture
57% of job seekers surveyed by HR Dive said they consider culture as important as pay. Prospective employees want to work in a physically and psychologically safe environment. While we can’t guarantee that nothing bad will happen, we can explain the measures we are taking to keep employees safe and engaged. Here are a few questions you can answer to help determine your workplace culture:
How do employees, the participant and the family treat one another?
What policies have you established?
How open to change are other employees, the participant and the family? Are new ideas welcomed? Implemented?
Do you offer any training or professional development opportunities (with other providers, observing therapy appointments, group discounts on certifications, etc.)?
Do you do anything to celebrate goals being achieved, work anniversaries or birthdays?
Why have long-term employees worked here for an extended amount of time?
Does the team frequently help one another (fill-in, teach a new approach that’s working well, leave notes for one another, etc.)?
Are there any safety protocols, equipment or tools used in the environment? What does one do if they need help?
What level of autonomy do employees have in their work? Can they make decisions about the schedule and/or activities for the day? Are employees allowed to accept personal phone calls, check their texts or be on their phone while working?
How are scheduling changes or time off requests received? Does the family encourage vacations?
Develop the Job Ad
Your job ad should consist of all the previously mentioned sections. Here is a free job ad template that you can download to get started: Job Ad Template
If you are a participant or a family (not a business), you will want to anonymize your job ad to protect your privacy and avoid scammers. In place of “company name” you might list something like “30-year old female with CP” or “parents of a 5-year old Autistic boy”. Applicants typically need to know a little bit about the situation to determine fit, but never any personally identifying information. Age and diagnosis are usually enough to help someone know if the job aligns with what they are seeking. You can add in a few special interests (Legos, working out, baking, animals, etc.) too, since this can often be an important source of alignment for providers and participants.
Additional tips for writing a great job ad include:
Voice - Applicants will be paying attention to the tone or “voice” used in the ad. Try to write in your natural voice to attract individuals who will feel comfortable with your organic engagement style.
Target Candidate Persona - Just as marketers develop personas to ensure their messages will attract their target audience, you too may want to consider the words and job aspects that will be most meaningful to your ideal candidate. Companies often find it helpful to think about what drew in their best employees from the past (what mattered to them?).
Differentiation - Candidates want to know why they should consider YOUR job over similar opportunities. Don’t be afraid to mention what makes your environment or role unique.
Simplicity & Conciseness - As I mentioned before, most job seekers don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to reading postings and applying. So, be sure your message is to-the-point and avoid fluff and big words.
Inspiration: Award-Winning Job Ads
https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/best-job-ad-examples
https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/268/top-10-best-job-ad-examples
http://blog.hirerabbit.com/17-recruitment-ads-that-will-bring-a-smile-to-your-face/
Do YOU have any great job ad writing tips to share? If so, we would love to hear about them in the Comments section below!