5 Ways Senior Living Communities Can Recruit Competitively

Good news: Senior Living community occupancy rates are finally picking back up following the losses during the pandemic. The bad news is that the Senior Living industry workforce is at the lowest point in the last fifteen years. This means that communities across the country are scrambling to rebuild their teams to keep up with tenants.

Here are five ways that senior living communities can competitively position themselves as the employer of choice for potential candidates:

  • Break Down Application Barriers
  • Reduce Your Applicant Response Time
  • Look for Potential
  • Focus on Retention
  • Partner with Specialized Recruiters

Break Down Application Barriers


Having too many applications is a good problem to have right now. If a candidate applies but is unqualified for that position, they might still be a good candidate for a different position. At the very least, you have their application, have made contact, and can reach out to them farther down the line when they get more experience.

Create more application traffic by providing multiple channels for candidates to apply. Avoid asking candidates to self-screen by putting a laundry list of unnecessary skills requirements in the job advertisement. Keep job ads brief and focused on what the candidate would get from working for you.

Reduce Your Applicant Response Time


Candidates are not just applying to one job; They likely have multiple applications active with other companies. Responding before other companies will give you a competitive edge when they are deciding which opportunities to pursue.

Do you have a certain day of the week that you reply to applications? Or do you wait until you have a batch of resumes to contact them all at once? This approach is a mistake. Respond to each application as soon as you receive it, even if the candidate is not a good fit.

Look at Potential


Most applicants for a job will not meet every single qualification or criteria. For some clinical roles in senior living communities, many skills are non-negotiable to qualify for an interview. But for many other roles, it might be worth scheduling an interview with someone even if their resume is not a perfect fit. With the right attitude and willingness to work, a quality training program and on-the-job experience could create a rockstar employee.

Focus On Current Employee Retention


When turnover is high, your attention is most likely on filling roles as fast as possible. But don’t forget to focus on what your current employees need to still feel valued. If you have recently had to offer bigger compensation packages to candidates, consider bumping current employees’ pay to match. Assign overtime carefully to avoid team burnout and slow the turnover rate that might otherwise alarm candidates.

Partner with Senior Living Recruitment Experts


Partnering with efficient Senior Living recruiters can help create a competitive recruiting process that gets results. Our senior living recruiters can utilize a vast database of healthcare professionals to give you a competitive edge in every aspect of your Senior Living Community’s recruiting. Contact us today to learn how.

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