Today's article is by Jason Chagnon from Providentia Marketing.  Jason and Providentia's goals are to help to drive client referrals and attract caregivers to your agency.  In today's blog, he offers around 100 creative ideas to improve your agency recruiting efforts.  Enjoy his post (below) and feel free to leave a comment!

Disclaimer: These creative and innovative recruiting ideas range from the common to the off-the-wall! Some are serious, some are humorous – but all are intended to get you thinking!

Recruiting New Applicants

1. Use alternate locations for registration.

2. Offer larger than normal referral bonus for difficult-to-fill positions.

3. Staff a mall kiosk to apply for work. Give gift certificate after 40 or 80 hours of work.

4. Hire a full-time recruiter.

5. When applicant turns down an offer, ask if they know someone else who might be interested.

6. Systematically call applicants to ask for referrals.

7. Ask for referrals from restaurants, retail stores, hair salons. Give them company information to hand out. If they refer someone, give the applicant a certificate for free service at the business.

8. Publicize your training; better market your training abilities.

9. Work with companies who are laying off – offer to help displaced workers.

10. Scenario recruiting – setup a scenario, ask people to refer the people that fit the scenario (e.g. workers from other services, someone just laid off, someone going on summer break, etc.)

11. On-campus job fair – after 40 hours of work, donate $25 to school fund – $50 if school refers person to us.

12. Form alliance with human resources department to recruit applicants they can not use. If client later has a need for the applicant at their company and you haven’t hired him permanently, give the applicant back (second chance).

13. On-hold (phone) advertising.

14. Direct recruit during your lunch hour.

15. Sponsor a break during a night course – provide free refreshments.

16. Use “free training”, if you provide it, in your classified ads.

17. Align with outplacement or resume services.

18. Recruit from 3rd party training schools.

19. Meet instructors of classes at local schools, continuing education, etc.

20. Advertise online.

21. Ads for college interns – Get experience with ABC Home Care.

22. Staff a booth or table in a grocery store for registration.

23. Make the application process more fun.

24. Lunch is on you – if applicants register on lunch break, buy them lunch.

25. Borrow space at a university, or set up a table in the student union.

26. Ask other companies for creative and innovative recruiting ideas.

27. Go to employment and job fairs.

28. Hold a marketing event / open house.

29. Speak at a class at community education or continuing education.

30. Ask your clients for referrals.

31. Open branch offices.

32. Advertise in your newsletters.

33. Shop your competitors to get creative recruitment ideas.

34. Instruct a class at community education / continuing education.

35. Guest lecture at a local college.

36. Raise your minimum referral bonus amount.

37. Get testimonials from your caregivers.

38. Place a coupon in the paper – give something to the applicant.

39. Write articles / columns in the school newspapers.

40. Use space at the Department of Labor.

41. List available positions with the Department of Labor.

42. Present a high school career day.

43. Contact local libraries.

44. Recruit from GED classes.

45. Work with the Board of Education.

46. Advertise at theaters on-screen.

47. Offer remote testing.

48. Advertise on radio.

49. Get on your local morning news program.

50. Consider an infomercial.

51. Produce an ABC Home Care video.

52. Advertise on city buses.

53. Go downtown and hand out $10 coupons to register.

54. Advertise on back of supermarket register tapes.

55. Hand out brochures in front of your competitors’ offices.

56. Have outside sales people display magnetic signs on their car doors.

57. ABC Home Care bumper stickers – Honk if You’re a Caregiver.

58. Give away phone calling cards to your caregivers.

59. ABC Home Care “Classifieds” – mail ad listings to local colleges & training centers to be displayed.

Applicant Retention and Reactivation

1. Keep your best caregivers engaged.

2. Offer better pay to your caregivers – pay higher than your competition.

3. Don’t wait for the caregiver to end an assignment to plan for the next.

4. Hand out referral bonuses; take picture for your newsletter.

5. In-office bulletin board with photos of your caregivers in action “ABC Home Care on the Job.”

6. Offer free seminars on getting a job, preparing a resume, etc.

7. Automate “Come Back & See Us. We want you back” cards. Mail with W-2’s.

8. Have a “Where are you now?” reunion. Share success stories. Have former caregivers bring a friend, etc.

9. Implement an incentive program to pay for medical benefits. Ideas: work a minimum number of hours, or refer a minimum number of people.

10. Must work 28 hours per week to stay on the plan. After 90 days eligible for the program; after 6 months you pay part.

11. Send monthly relationship builders to highly qualified caregivers – post cards, notes, birthday cards, etc.

12. Call to reactivate highly skilled caregivers.

13. Provide discounts on daycare.

14. Hold a special drawing for new applicants.

15. Develop a process for sending postcard, “Haven’t heard from you lately, are you still interested?”

16. Provide bonuses to long-term caregivers.

17. Provide more recognition for caregivers.

18. Offer a scale for increased vacation time – earn more than one week.

19. Offer an ABC Home Care day care service.

20. Hold an ABC Home Care picnic for caregivers.

21. Hold a happy hour / cocktail party downtown.

22. Hold a family fun night.

23. Develop and give away an ABC Home Care Cookbook.

24. Hold an ABC Home Care mini golf outing.

25. Offer an ABC Home Care Visa card.

Improving Skill Level of Current Applicants

1. Put a process in place for automatic follow-up after caregivers are interviewed. Encourage them to work for you.

2. Get lists of needs from clients, and train around these needs.

3. Gather evidence that training pays off for your caregivers – higher pay, better support, etc.

4. Quantify what improved skills mean to your caregivers.

5. Include an article in each issue of your newsletter discussing need for specific abilities.

6. Provide coupons to your applicants for free training.

7. Provide training on a specific skill.

8. Offer additional training room hours, after business hours.

9. Ask the trainees why they are training.

10. Training party – hold a training class followed by a barbecue.

Other Caregiver Recruitment Ideas…

1. After scheduling interviews, sell specific openings to create a sense of urgency.

2. Confirm scheduled interviews.

3. Follow up to no shows – ask them why they didn’t show.

4. Double-book interviews.

5. Give caregivers a bonus for client referrals – tickets, training, free lunch, free training.

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