Sourcing top talent can be tricky if you’re only advertising on job boards or your careers site. As professional recruiters serving the assisted living industry, we know that the true golden girl or boy can be found through referrals.

The benefits of finding employees this way are manifold, and we’ll explore these along with the various avenues to turn to and get referrals in this post. After reading it, you’ll have a better idea of where and how to find your future employees! As for your current workforce – they should be encouraged to form a part of your assisted living referral sources.

The Benefits Of Accessing Talent Referrals

If you’re looking for employees online, it can be a lot of work to separate the high-quality candidates from the rest. Qualified senior care staff are in demand, and if you don’t take the right approach to recruitment, then finding them can be impossible. 

The talent you want may not be seeking a job at the time you’re searching the market. In this scenario, using your current employees as referral sources is invaluable. They have people in their networks who they know are qualified and will fit right into your community. Essentially, they can recommend candidates who you don’t know exist or aren’t on your radar. 

There is also evidence that the turnover rate of referrals is lower. Referrals tend to fit the company culture more accurately than other hires and are happier working there. As a result, you get to hire and retain high-quality employees for longer.

If a position opens up and you need a candidate as soon as possible, the process to source, screen, and hire someone takes time. Once hired, it also takes time for them to reach optimal productivity in the community. 

By tapping into your network of referral sources, this process is faster. Not only are candidates who come out of it more qualified, but they also have an existing connection with the person who put their name forward and can learn the ropes quicker once hired.  

In addition to time savings, you’re looking at spending less in the acquisition process too. After all, time equals money when hiring. 

4 Key Assisted Living Referral Sources

When it comes to building your list of referrals, you’re going to need to take stock of the sources you have around. Even if you don’t realize it, you already have several sources at your disposal. There might also be others that you need to develop. A good pool of referrals will ultimately benefit the community, as it optimizes the hiring process.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of several sources that could be key to unlocking the full potential of the referral process.

1. Existing Employees

The people who currently work in your community are extremely qualified to help you find top-notch candidates. They will have contacts, be it people they’ve worked with, or trained and studied with, who might be qualified for the positions you’re looking to fill. In addition, your employees know the company culture and can accurately tell if someone is a good fit for the job.

2. Past Employees (Alumni)

Your past employees can be just as influential as your current workforce! Despite leaving, if they had a good experience working with you, they will be happy to refer someone they know. In fact, they may even want to return themselves, provided their exit was on good terms. 

By keeping in touch with past employees, for example, on LinkedIn or a social media group, you can draw on them for referrals. Since leaving your community, they will have expanded their networks in their new place of work.  

3. A Referral Program

Bradley Harris & Associates’ assisted living referral program is a powerful tool to help professionals find their ideal placement. It’s a network driven by the entire industry where we match talent with employers. 

Have a role to fill? No problem, contact us, and we’ll send the description out to our network. Participants are motivated to help find a suitable hire as they get rewarded for a successful placement, while you access a talent pool that simply can’t be found elsewhere.

4. Complementary Senior Communities

Complementary senior communities can put one another in touch with the candidates they know. For example, candidates who chance it and apply to one but aren’t suitable can then be referred to another. It’s a case of building and maintaining industry relationships that can benefit everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

Referrals are the most successful means of hiring. To really unlock their potential, you need to build a good list of assisted living referral sources. Our program will give you access to the cream of the crop where you can source your next big hire.