By Susan Hildebrandt, VP of Workforce LeadingAge National
Workforce challenges top LeadingAge members’ concerns. Recruitment is a multi-faceted activity involving marketing to and educating prospects even before the hiring process starts. That’s why LeadingAge has created a recruitment “toolbox”, filled with resources, tips, and tools that will help you with recruitment outreach, and communicate the rich and rewarding career opportunities that exist in our field.
Why and What: Diversity of Jobs in Older Adult Services
- Our field has more than 20 different job categories! Print off the list of 21 jobs to use in job fairs, marketing, a link on your website, and more.
- Hear LeadingAge members talk about their jobs in everything from management to information technology to staff education and other areas, about why they chose our field and why they stay.
- Need videos? Take advantage of LeadingAge PA’s two videos geared to nursing assistants – and jobs in our field in general.
- Use all these materials in job fairs, at high schools and more.
Broadening Your Pipeline: Reach Non-Traditional Populations
- Want to add depth and volume to your pool of potential candidates? Our one-pagers can help you tap a variety of prospects from displaced workers, immigrants and refugees, men as caregivers, older adults, people seeking a second career, and veterans.
- Listen to short recordings and see photos of people working in LeadingAge member communities. They talk about how they got into our work – and why their background has helped. Play them at job fairs or at high schools.
Young Adults and Elementary Age Students
- Create a pipeline for entry-level workers by raising awareness of older adult services among youth and young adults.
- Reach high school students at career fairs and school/work programs using a ready-made powerpoint, print off the one-pager that describes 21 jobs, and the Workforce Crisis One-Pager. In minutes, you’ve got a presentation you can brand with your community logo and take it to your high schools. Want to know if students in your state need volunteer hours – say, at your community – look it up here, contact your schools and offer to help.
- Capture the imagination and curiosity of young students and teens. Take advantage of a program called Careers That Love You Back. Thanks to LeadingAge Ohio, we link to artist-designed posters on 21 jobs in older adult services. They can be used digitally or printed, and include education required, salary, job outlook, and more. Take these to your local schools along with the teacher’s guide.
- Make plans for reaching students in 2020. Join us and other organizations during Careers in Aging Week, April 19-25, 2020, and reach out to schools and offer to host a Shadow Day, Open House and more. Templates for contacting the schools and privacy forms are included – and more information will be added.
