It’s not easy to find the perfect candidate for a job that you have available in your healthcare facility. Many organisations lack the time and the resources to find the right hire so when you are running out of time and you have jobs to fill, a specialist healthcare recruitment agency could be the solution you need. Eliminating hiring hassles and finding professionals with the experience and qualifications is much easier with the right recruiter working with you.
But who do you choose to work with?
A recent NHS report shows that there are more than 110,000 unfilled healthcare posts in England and while this is a problem, it’s one that can be overcome. To mitigate your own hiring issues, you need to assess which healthcare recruitment agencies will go the extra mile providing a quality service, to ensure you have the team you need.
In this blog, we have four points for you to consider when choosing a healthcare recruitment partner.
Be Specific About What You Need
When embarking on any recruitment activity, it can be helpful for healthcare managers to start with an analysis of their hiring needs. This helps not only with clarifying the type and volume of upcoming roles but can also narrow down the search for a recruitment partner. For example, if you regularly hire for your care team, then a Support Worker and Care Assistant recruitment specialist would be the best fit.
Some of the questions you could consider exploring include:
These questions will help you to narrow down the type of care recruiter you are looking for and help you to streamline your overall hiring process.
Research Healthcare Recruitment Agencies
Before you can approach any healthcare recruitment partner you have to consider what they do and assess their capabilities in fulfilling your hiring needs. How big is their team? What hours do they operate? Can they offer you the targeted attention your facility needs? What are their costs?
These are all questions you need to answer while you are doing your research. Healthcare recruitment agencies should be evaluated for their experience and services so that you can be sure you are choosing the right one.
You could review testimonials of existing or previous clients, or narrow down a list of healthcare recruiters by specialisms that match your requirements (choosing a specialist HCA recruiter to fill Care Assistant needs, for example) and you could even contact previous clients and hear directly from them what the recruiter is like.
Get to Know Their Niche Experience
Each recruitment agency, working in any specialism, offers something different from the next. You wouldn’t pick an agency that only looks for nursing candidates if you need a full spectrum of healthcare professionals. Researching each niche speciality takes some time but it’s always worth doing the work so you can be sure you have partnered with the right one.
Hiring candidates with the relevant experience, qualifications and availability you are looking for is easier when you collaborate with consultants dealing with the speciality you need.
Ask which hospitals and health facilities they have worked with before so you can decide whether they would be able to help you or not. It’ll be better to know whether these facilities use the agency on an ongoing basis or not – repeat business is a good sign of efficiency and experience.
Learn What They Can Do for You
The best care recruitment agencies make a huge effort to do what they can for their clients. They’ll make the process of recruiting candidates you require as smooth as possible and they will take the time to listen to your needs.
Will the agency respond within a good timeframe to emails and telephone calls? Will you have a dedicated recruiter to work with? Will you be updated throughout the recruitment process? You want to deal with an agency that will have a personal touch rather than a faceless, automated response to your queries. The human factor is the most crucial element of partnering with a healthcare recruitment agency and this must be a partnership that works for all involved.
The best recruitment agency out there will work to understand you, engage with you and ensure CVs are thoroughly checked. If, during your search, you feel that a healthcare recruitment agency will be cutting corners, the best thing to do is to stay away from them. You deserve a continuous and dedicated service as a company like this will be an asset to your healthcare facility.
Summary
Choosing a healthcare recruitment agency in the UK may feel like a minefield but it doesn’t have to be. With the right planning and research, you can ascertain which healthcare assistant recruiter will be best for your facility and ensure your business is a success.
When you choose to partner with QS Care, a healthcare recruitment agency covering the East Midlands, and South Yorkshire area, you are partnering with an agency that has more than 170 healthcare establishments benefiting from our dedicated service.
We operate 24/7 all year long to ensure that we provide only professional and experienced care staff. If you are looking for qualified and experienced healthcare candidates to fill your vacancies, contact our team today.