Introduction:

You don't have to break the bank when it comes to finding staff for your home care agency. Traditional hiring can be filled with hidden costs that add up fast everything from advertising expenditures to spending weeks or months interviewing which keeps your managers from doing what they should be doing. That’s where on-demand recruiting is a game changer for home care businesses that want to build their teams, rather than breaking the bank.

On-demand recruiting is like having a hiring expert available whenever you need one. You don’t need to have an in-house recruiting team insurered on retainers with traditional job agencies – instead, when open positions are there you’ll get professional help. This adaptable approach could not be better suited for the idiosyncratic nature of home care staffing requirements.

How It Compares to Traditional Hiring

Traditional recruiting ties you into long-term contracts with costly agencies that bill 15-25% of wages. These arrangements persist even if you hire no one, or five people. On-demand recruiting reverses this model by pricing only when you need actual hiring support.

The process moves faster too. With Cherish, when a caregiver resigns you can come to recruiting right away – not wait until your next visit with the retained agency. And speed counts in home care, where client needs do not take long, languorous hiring cycles into consideration.

The Costs You Didn’t Know Existed with Old School Hiring Methods

Not that not all home care agencies understand how much money vanishes when they hire the traditional way. The costs are higher than just the obvious things, like posting to a job board.

Time Investment from Management

Your managers and supervisors spend hours reviewing resumes, doing phone interviews, and arranging for meetings. If they do this over 20 hours and make, say, $30 an hour, the labor alone spent filling one position is now $600; other costs don’t even enter the equation. Several openings can eat up hundreds of management hours each year.

Advertising and Job Board Expenses

It costs money to post jobs on several platforms. Some health care job sites have charging $300-500 for a premium listing. Agencies hiring 10-15 people a year might invest $3,000-7,500 just in advertisements alone.

Background Checks and Screening

Background checks for home care are must. Standard screenings run $30 to 75 per candidate. If you screen five candidates to fill one opening, that’s $150-375 per hire. And those costs add up fast across your hiring.

Training Costs for Poor Fits

It’s even more expensive to hire the wrong person. It takes 2 to 4 weeks to train a new caregiver. If they leave within three months, you’ve sunk training time and administrative effort — and lost productivity while gaining nothing. The total cost of a bad hire can be more than $5,000.

How On-Demand Recruiting Services can Save Money on Hiring

Recruitment can be cost-effective if you optimise the hiring process. Just On-demand recruiting achieves this in several ways which have a direct effect on your bottom line.

Pay-Per-Hire Pricing Structure

You only pay when someone is successfully placed and remains on the job beyond a guarantee period (usually 30 to 90 days). No monthly retainers. No upfront fees. No fee if candidates don’t pan out. This pay for performance compensation structure also serves to tie the recruiter's interests closer to your own.

Your standard on-demand recruiting fee is, say 12-18% of first-year salary, less than what agencies would typically charge. Most important, you pay nothing for slots that go unfilled.

Faster Time-to-Fill Rates

On-Demand Recruiting Services have networks of pre-screened homecare professionals. When you are in need of a caregiver, they can frequently offer qualified candidates within days rather than weeks. Quicker hiring cuts the time with unfilled shifts, reduces overtime costs and makes clients happier.

Access to Qualified Candidate Pools

Industry professional recruiters who work with in-home care services know how to find good caregivers. They’ve built up relationships with professionals who might not be on the market, but would consider an appealing opportunity. You have access to these passive candidates without spending years building your own network.

Reduced Administrative Burden

Sourcing what is referred to as on-demand recruiting works for initial screenings, reference checks and preliminary interviews. Your team only interviews candidates who are already vetted and meet your specific criteria. Which allows your current administrators countless hours of time to spend client-serving and business-growing.

Cost-Effective On-Demand Recruitment – Key Points

All on-demand recruiting services are not created equal. Knowing what to look for will also help you select partners who actually mitigate hiring costs.

Flexible Engagement Models

The superior services allow you to scale up or down as demand requires. Hiring five caregivers this month? Great. Hiring none next month? Also fine. You’re never locked in to minimum hiring levels or paying for service not used.

Industry-Specific Expertise

Home care-savvy recruiters know the certifications, personality types and levels of experience that correlate to success. They don’t squander your time with candidates who do not have a needed certification or would not mesh well with the culture of your agency.

Technology-Driven Processes

Contemporary recruiting tools leverage applicant tracking software to store candidate data, automate outreach and expedite the hiring process. You receive real-time updates on progress with recruitment, without having to make endless phone calls or send emails.

Quality Guarantees

Look for services that offer replacement guarantees if a new hire turns out to be a bad fit. Good recruiters will absolutely stand behind a placement because they’ve pre-vetted the dickens out of someone.

Doing On-Demand Recruiting at Your Agency

Moving from one to the other needs a bit of planning, but here’s how you can make it go well.

Assessing Your Current Hiring Costs

Work out how much you’re spending on recruiting at the moment. Factor in job board fees, background checks, management time and the cost of turnover. This is your benchmark so that you can compare and contrast after on-demand recruiting.

Choosing the Right Service Provider

Look for research providers focusing on healthcare and home care staffing. Inquire about how they source candidates, average time to fill, and client retention ratio. Ask for references from other home care companies.

Setting Clear Expectations

Specify What You Want in Candidates - and be Specific Develop a description of exactly what you want from candidates -- specific certifications, years of experience, availability when needed (i.e. 24/7 worldwide), geographic location and even cultural fit issues. The more specific you can be, the more effectively your recruiter will be able to focus on appropriate candidates.

Measuring ROI and Success Metrics

Monitor KPIs such as time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, new hire retention and overall recruitment spend. Quarterly compare these numbers to the baseline before and during implementation. The majority notice real results between 6-12 months.

Tangible Perks More Important Than Saving Money

Although, what it really comes down to is lower hiring costs; on demand recruitment provides you with other perks that help grow your agency.

Better Quality Hires

Savvy recruiters also know what good caregivers do now, and what makes a caregiver great. Their screening methods generally produce higher quality candidates than generalist hiring organizations, resulting in better client success outcomes and lower turnover.

Improved Staff Retention

When you hire people that are an authentic cultural fit to your agency and your clients, they stick around. Every 1 percent better retention means thousands in recruitment and training spending saved every year.

Focus on More Important Business Operations

Instead of sifting through resumes, your leadership can concentrate on building relationships with clients, the quality of care and overall business strategy. The attention is then force towards the revenue side of things resulting in increased revenue that dwarf’s any headhunting savings.

Common Concerns About On-Demand Recruiting

Many home care agencies shy away from on-demand recruiting because of misconceptions. Now let's talk: What are the concerns?

“Will They Speak Agency?

On-demand quality recruiters take the time to understand your agency, culture and unique needs before starting their talent search process. Alignment is established upfront during the initial consultation process, before a recruiter goes to work using this profile.

Is It Truly Cheaper Than Doing It Ourselves?

Consider all the hidden costs — management time, advertising, screening and bad hires — and most agencies spend more on internal recruitment than they realize. On-demand recruiting, as a general rule, is less expensive and more effective.

“What If the Candidates Aren’t a Good Fit?”

Reputable services include replacement guarantees. If a candidate doesn’t work out, during the guarantee period they will find you another one at no additional cost.

Swapping Milling for Smarter Hiring

Your home care business deserves a staffing solution that reflects the demands of contemporary business practices. On-demand recruiting provides the flexibility, expertise and cost savings that traditional methods simply don’t. Hire with Breezy, collaborating is easy.You only pay for the placements a recruiter makes and you find better people faster.- Lower cost of hire They have their specialist recruiters that focus on sourcing the exceptional talent needed to fill your roles while lowering the cost of hire for tight knit companies like yours.

It’s not a matter of if you can afford to test on-demand recruiting; it’s if you can afford not to. “Every month of shifting to a new, outdated way of hiring — it’s money that could be left on the table.” Begin with one or two positions, measure the results and then scale up as you reap the benefits.