How Home Instead finds great people to care for their clients

Editors note: This paid promotional post was written by Potomac Local in collaboration with Home Instead Senior Care of Manassas, serving Prince William and Fauquier counites.

Home Instead Senior Care of Manassas is always looking for candidates searching for rewarding career.

Candice Johnson is the Regional CAREGiver Recruiter at Home Instead Senior Care. Home Instead Senior Care selects and places experienced CAREGivers to homes with seniors, from those who need just a little help and companionship to seniors who need around the clock, twenty-four hour care.

As a Regional CAREGiver Recruiter, Johnson does a lot of work and running around town to attract the best talent that the community has to offer.

“The recruiting process is a lot of repeating my same actions. So I do a lot of “flyering”, I advertise in papers and online, I participate in job fairs and speaking engagements at colleges, CNA schools, LPN schools. I’m really just getting the position out there,” said Johnson The most important part to Johnson’s role is that people know that Home Instead Senior Care is hiring and that many of the positions are flexible and can fit comfortably into anyone’s hectic schedule.

“So if they’re working full time or going to school full time, this is a job that will allow you to still keep your daily responsibilities but bring in some supplemental income on the side,” said Johnson.

Who is the ideal candidate that Home Instead looks for and hires?

“An ideal candidate is anyone who has a caring spirit. –– anyone who has a civic heart, who wants to get involved with our seniors, to make a difference in a senior’s life and their family’s life and who wishes to give back,” said Johnson. “So it could be anyone from the college student that has a few hours a week, the retiree that wants to help out, or the stay-at-home mom that is looking to do something while her kids are in school. Or even an active duty military member, or vet that wants to give back as well,” Johnson added.

Home Instead is a 24/7 business and serves both Prince William and Fauquier Counties. Due to the nature of Home Instead and its services, flexibility is of the utmost importance in recruiting.

“Our CAREGivers have the option to set when they want to work and where they would like to work,” said Johnson. Making sure that CAREGivers are comfortable with the location they would like to work at and the hours they have available to work is extremely important to Home Instead. “For every client we have a CAREGiver that can meet their needs.,” said Johnson.

Though the ideal candidate needs to have a caring spirit to do well as a CAREGiver at Home Instead, the recruiting process for potential CAREGivers is extremely thorough and covers all the bases.

“Well, essentially because we love our seniors, we want to make sure that they are in good hands,” said Johnson, “Unlike a senior facility, we are sending individuals into somebody’s home. So it’s very important that to us, that all candidates successfully pass a background check, drug test, and have a good driving record.”

During the recruiting process, Johnson sees that potential candidates want to join the team for the right reasons. Potential CAREGivers need to be caring, kind, patient, and understanding to succeed and provide care to seniors.

“These can sometimes be very difficult situations that we’re walking into. Our seniors have a lot of pride, so sometimes they don’t want someone in their home. Or, maybe it’s a son and daughter team that needs some help,” said Johnson, “They’re stressed out. They’ve been caring for mom and dad for a little bit, and they need some additional help. Their life has kind of taken a back seat to caring for their parents, and they’re tired.”

Even before potential CAREGivers are hired, this is something that they need to understand and expect. Potential CAREGivers also need to be trustworthy and dependable.

“Once you become a CAREGiver with a family, you become their family. They’re looking for you. They’re counting on you. They turn to you. So we want to make sure that we have those individuals that are in it for the right reasons,” said Johnson.

Not everyone can be a great CAREGiver. Who doesn’t fit?

“People that are selfish. People that are in it for the money. People with limited availability. People that may not be the most compassionate or understanding,” said Johnson.

As well as individuals who cannot see the bigger picture or do not have a heart or capability to serve others. Often caring for seniors, in particular, elderly parents who may be suffering from debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or dementia, have an overall effect on the family, and this is something that individual CAREGivers have to take into consideration when providing care to seniors.

“We get people from all over. It’s amazing how I’ve been doing this job for a year and kind of how the word has spread,” said Johnson. “I do a lot of online posting to job boards like Craigslist, Indeed, and others. I also put up a lot of flyers within the community and that seems to work well. One of my favorite recruiting activities is speaking to local schools, colleges, and universities. I like to encourage them to consider a career in geriatrics. But the best referrals come from our CAREGivers….Our wonderful CAREGivers love what they do and don’t mind spreading the word!