How to get ahead applying for care homes jobs

Howard Green is the founder of Green Care Management, a leading health and social care recruitment agency. We thought we’d tap in to his knowledge of the nursing home and mental health care market to give you the inside track on the current jobs market, and some top tips when applying for care homes jobs.

As a recruiter of nursing home managers, what are the typical skills you'd expect to see in a CV for anyone interested in applying for care home manager jobs?

The key skills that I would expect to see on any Home Managers CV are a mix of clinical and commercial attributes. From the clinical side, up-to-date knowledge and training is essential to lead the person-centred care delivery that residents and families now expect.

The commercial skill set has become much more of a requirement from our clients. They are looking for Managers with good IT, financial (i.e. P&L and balance sheet knowledge) and sales and marketing experience. In this economic climate, managers that go out and actively fill beds rather than wait for them to be filled will be the most sought after, as this is what ultimately will make the home successful.

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How would you describe the jobs market from the point of view of a nursing home manager looking for a new job?

As always, there are opportunities out there for the managers that can maintain and, importantly, grow homes in terms of bed numbers, care delivery and profitability.

There are less jobs around, due to all levels of candidates staying where they are due to the 'last in first out' mentality that accompanies any economic downturn. There will be some companies that batten down the hatches, however the companies that seek to recruit the top talent will be the ones that prosper in the coming years.

There is some extraordinary talent on the market at the moment due to redundancies, and our clients want to hear about these people who can add real value.

We know that you also recruit mental health candidates too. We often hear that there just aren't enough mental health nurses coming through. Would you agree with that assessment? And if so, what would you like to see that could change this?

There are a number of exceptional newly qualified nurses on the market, who unfortunately are struggling to find that first role as traditional employers such as the NHS are reducing the number of opportunities that they have.

Clients need to take a risk on British trained newly qualified nurses as there are less experienced RMN's coming to the UK from abroad. Clients that can offer a solid preceptorship programme will be rewarded with well trained, motivated nurses.

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As we all know, the requirement for care homes and skilled staff able to care for an ageing population is set to grow. We're currently going through an economic crisis though. How is that affecting the care homes jobs market?

There are still the opportunities out there, candidates need to be more flexible in the roles/locations/salaries that they will consider.

Our clients are always looking for experienced RGNs to work in nursing homes, and these roles should be considered by nurses who are struggling to find roles within the NHS or private hospitals.

Although there will be less roles within residential homes due to closures, there will be an increased need for skilled care professionals in the Domiciliary Care Market.

We are being approached on a daily basis by new Domiciliary Care agencies looking for full staff teams, and there are transferable skills from the residential care home sector.

Finally, you have links with overseas health care organisations. Is the requirement from these overseas organisations steady, growing, or reducing in the current climate? Which countries tend to always need UK healthcare professionals?

We are working with employers in the Middle East and Australia, and there is currently an increased need for qualified healthcare professionals with UK experience.

We are finding that candidates who have not previously considered working abroad are developing their careers faster than they would at home, along with the obvious perks of tax free salaries and all year sunshine!