Using Social Media for Recruitment in Social Care

Social media has become a huge part of most people’s everyday lives – we use it to connect with family and friends, to keep up with the news, and to find out about products and services.

So, it’s no surprise that social media has also become an important part of the recruitment process across all sectors, including social care.

Here is what a selection of social care recruiters and managers had to say:

Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd

They have been using a range of social media channels to connect with potential candidates, and most recently they’ve turned to the newest addition to the social media world, TikTok. Sara Booth, Registered Manager and Director at Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd, tells us more:

“There are various social media platforms we use to attract, recruit and retain staff, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. The most recent addition is the use of TikTok, using short videos to attract potential applicants and engage with our existing followers.”

Using different platforms allows us to target different types of people and generations. We find that Instagram and especially TikTok is used by a younger generation who engage with these channels more than Facebook.

MacIntyre

MacIntyre have also recently started using TikTok as part of their recruitment strategy. Recruitment Co-Ordinator at MacIntyre, Helen Readdy, spoke to us about how the team have been using TikTok and the impact it’s had.

The goal of using TikTok was to support us in attracting and engaging more audiences and new applications. We ran a recent campaign to attract summer placements for one of our children’s homes and TikTok presented us with the ideal platform to engage with this audience. Our campaign was a huge success, so we have begun to evolve and roll out our TikTok campaign across other homes and regions.

West Sussex County Council

West Sussex County Council have been working to support the adult social care sector in the region with recruitment, through the launch of their Proud to Care project. The project focuses on online and social media recruitment activities. Project lead Allison Durieu told us more about Proud to Care and the impact it’s had.

Three years ago, West Sussex County Council (WSCC) knew it needed to support the adult care sector to increase the workforce and give our residents independence and choice. 

Recruiting to care is an ongoing challenge but without a social media platform as a vehicle to connect job seekers to care employers the task was insurmountable.

Jobseekers visit the site to search for jobs, learn more about working in care and seek advice on how to start their career in care.

Using social media is a freeway for us to promote the Proud to Care brand and allows us to engage with providers and candidates to strengthen relationships. Having a channel such as Facebook or Instagram also means we’re available by direct message for anyone who wants to contact us which makes conversations quicker and easier.

 Cheshire East Council – Care4ce Recruitment 

Cheshire East Council’s Care4ce department has been using social media to promote a career in care.  A video has also been produced involving Care4ce to support this campaign. Care4ce Operations Manager Jo Hobson and Resource Manager, Zoe Brakewell shared details about the strategy behind the video production. 

We feel that using social media and video is a really important and engaging way for care providers to connect with potential candidates and support recruitment, and it’s definitely something that we’ll continue to focus on.

Source: Skillsforcare.org.uk