Inside My Business
In my newsletter, I share inside stories and learning from running my care business. I take you behind the scenes of a real system, meeting, decision or process we use inside our company because I believe the best way to learn is to see how real businesses actually operate. Subscribe now to get the latest information.
Jul 24 • 2 min read
Inside My Business #2
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Hi Reader The biggest recruitment risk in care right now isn't a bad candidate. It's a tired hiring manager. And this week, that tired manager was me! We've been recruiting for months. It's a brutal market, and the fatigue comes from both directions. Recruiting locally? Suitable applicants are still incredibly scarce. When someone finally applies, the temptation is to think, Fantastic. They can start next week. Before long, "anyone with a pulse" quietly becomes the standard. Then there's sponsorship recruitment. The complete opposite problem... Hundreds of applications for a single vacancy. CV after CV. Interview after interview. Somewhere around application number eighty, your judgement starts to blur. Different problems. Exactly the same danger. Fatigue is when standards quietly fall. You start convincing yourself someone is "probably fine." You hire for availability instead of suitability. This Week's LessonThis week reminded me why we've always recruited for values before anything else. Our values aren't something we frame on the wall. They're part of every recruitment decision we make. They're woven into our application screening. Our telephone interviews. Our face-to-face interviews. Our reference checks. We're looking for evidence of five things:
Not whether someone can recite the words back to us. Whether they've actually lived them. Because here's what thirty years in health and social care has taught me... Skills can be taught. Values cannot. Some of the best care professionals I've ever employed arrived needing confidence, experience or additional training. But they cared.
They listened.
They were honest.
They took responsibility.
They wanted to learn.
We could build everything else. On the other hand, I've also employed experienced people with impressive CVs who simply weren't the right fit. Those mistakes are always the expensive ones. Financially.
Emotionally.
Operationally.
Culturally.
The wrong person doesn't just affect one client. They affect colleagues, managers, families and the culture you're trying to build. The most critical part, though: Values-based recruitment only works if the person making the decision is in the right frame of mind to apply it. When I know recruitment fatigue is setting in, I don't just keep pushing through because "it has to be done." I step away. Between myself, our HR team and the other managers, we rotate. Because nobody makes their best decisions when they're exhausted. Protecting the standard is just as important as protecting the process. If you want to strengthen your own recruitment, keep it simple.Ask yourself three questions before making an offer:
Sometimes the best recruitment decision you'll make... ...is waiting one more week. 📌 This Week's TakeawayA vacancy creates short-term pressure.
The wrong hire creates long-term cost.
Protect your values before you protect your headcount.
I'd love to hear from you. What's the one quality you refuse to compromise on when recruiting? Simply hit reply and let me know. I'm always interested to hear how other providers make their hiring decisions. Next time, I'll take you inside another part of the business. p.s. if you are enjoying these newsletter and know someone else who will benefit, please share the link below:
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In my newsletter, I share inside stories and learning from running my care business. I take you behind the scenes of a real system, meeting, decision or process we use inside our company because I believe the best way to learn is to see how real businesses actually operate. Subscribe now to get the latest information.