The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the hospitality industry with a sizeable portion of hospitality workers either experiencing layoffs or being furloughed. If you fall under the category of displaced hospitality workers, then working in assisted living can offer you a lifeline in these times of uncertainty. Of course, this is not something new, we’ve always welcomed and desired hospitality workers.
Assisted Living communities face employee shortages in the best of times, with the industry outpacing average U.S. job growth by 3.7% according to stats. Piggy-back a pandemic that’s causing a shift in family and work responsibilities, and finding qualified candidates becomes even more challenging for employers. Of course, this doesn’t do well to reassure prospects, existing clients, and their families of the community’s ability to weather the storm and professionally maintain operations.
So, we ask the question – displaced hospitality workers, have you considered joining the assisted living industry? There is a high demand for employees who can adhere to high-level hygiene, operational, and entertainment standards, much like you do in hospitality.
Working In Assisted Living
As professional senior living recruiters, we know the roles that employers are currently looking to fill. These include Director of Operations, Sales Directors, Chefs, Activities Directors, Housekeeping Heads, Director of Nursing, as well as Sales and Marketing Consultants, among others.
As you know, some of these positions exist in hospitality too, it’s simply a case of following the increasing demand cross-industry. There are several easily transferrable roles between the two. With a focus on people and maintaining venue support and standards, ex-hospitality staff are more than qualified to make the switch.
For positions that don’t require specific healthcare training or qualifications, switching over to the senior living industry should be a relatively seamless affair. Your duties and responsibilities working in assisted living will be similar to those in hospitality, it’s just a case of adapting to your new residents and their families; instead of a rotation of customers, your residents call this home. Working with the elderly will be both a resume and a personal highlight you can learn from.
Navigating An Industry Move During The Pandemic
With the critical need to replenish the workforce at senior living communities, many states have relaxed laws relating to staffing and training to speed up the hiring process. These include issuing temporary certification waivers for licensed staff coming in from other states, as well as enabling employers to quicken pre-employment requirements such as health testing, employee physicals, reference, and background checks.
This is perfectly suited to displaced hospitality staff who are considering switching industries as their state may make concessions that enable easier employment.
Recruiters are also being mindful in dealing with applicants who want to switch over from the hospitality industry. Not only is it stressful times in general, but people are also being faced with complete career displacement, having to move off a trajectory they had worked long and hard to pave a way for.
In response to this, recruiters are making every effort to ensure that advertised roles project stability and a clear career path to ensure it’s not just a role to pass time. You can rest assured that they are committed to your well-being, and will be transparent regarding your skills, credentials, and experience.
Going to a recruiter also means that interviewing will be carried out using the right techniques for the industry. They use specific assessments and tests to evaluate your skills and will determine how best to use your unique traits to fit in with the job at hand.
They will also ensure that onboarding is seamless to make the transition to productivity as smooth as possible. This way, you can be confident of upward mobility with many career development opportunities in the senior living space.
Where To Find Assisted Living Jobs
Your best bet is with assisted living recruiters like ourselves. We have years of industry connections with some of the top senior living employers and will be able to match your skills to a role that will provide satisfaction and security during uncertain times.
In addition, online channels such as Facebook groups and LinkedIn may produce some results for listings, although you won’t get the personalized approach.
The Bottom Line
In times of crisis, everyone is being forced to be agile and adapt to the new normal as it arrives. While working in assisted living may not have occurred to you as a first career choice, have no doubt that it’s incredibly rewarding. You get to forge meaningful relationships with the residents and have the honor of overseeing the wellbeing of the older generation in a time when the role is critically important for both of you.