Even the most accomplished candidates may not be well-suited for senior care, or for the culture of your company. Turn to the tips below to identify top talent for your senior care facility.

Ask Your Ideal Team Members for Referrals

Even if you already have a referral program in place, actively seek out referrals from your current star players. Inquire if they have any friends, former colleagues, or former classmates who share the same work ethic, values, skill, and level of professional expertise as they do. Even if you’re hiring for a position outside of an employee’s wheelhouse, ask if they have any first-hand experience with other health care professionals in the positions you need to fill.

Prescreen to Ensure Applicants are Aligned with Your Vision and Values

If you have yet to identify a prescreening tool for your applicants, now is the time to do just that. You can create your prescreening interview questions in-house, or you can turn to your preferred HR prescreening company for a customized pre-employment tool for the first step in your interview process. Just make sure the questions are designed to ensure your applicant is aligned with your vision and values.

Create an Internship Program with a Local School

Another excellent way to identify top talent is to create an internship program with a local school. Since most healthcare programs require an internship that provides hands-on experience prior to graduation—the positions will be easy to fill. While most of your interns will be entry level, not all will be new to the healthcare or senior industry. For example, someone who spent several years as a non-medical senior caregiver already knows this is the sector of health care they’re passionate about. You’ll also find interns who have gone back to school to switch from one specialty to another—and therefore already have health care experience.

Take Your Business Cards with You

As you and your team head out to local hospitals, healthcare facilities, senior communities, and community events—bring your business card with you. Hand them out both for general networking and for those you see who have that little something you’re searching for in your employees.

Identifying top talent is the key to providing quality patient care, a positive company culture, and an environment top professionals want to work in.