Amrit Dhaliwal, CEO of home care franchise Walfinch discusses why transferable skills are now key to recruiting.
Chefs, bridal designers, accountants, City traders, radio presenters and safari rangers. What do they have in common? They are now all in the home care sector, either delivering care or running care franchises with Walfinch.
The care sector is rare in today’s world of work: it’s a career you can start with no qualifications or experience. That means it’s open to new talent. People can create a new career, regardless of their former employment.
At last the government has decided to do something practical to help recruit new carers: the new national care career structure arrives in June, backed by over £50 million of funding to support up to 37,000 people to enrol on the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate. Over £20 million is also available to support new apprenticeships.*
But to fully take advantage of this, many care sector employers must change their attitudes to recruitment. The days of relying on recruiting experienced care workers are gone. Now we must know how to recruit people from outside the sector.
That means looking at people with all kinds of previous jobs, even if they have no relation to the care sector. The most important requirement for carers is the right attitude, whether they are experienced carers or career changers. But even then, you still have train them – and that will be easier if they have the right transferable skills.
Spotting transferable skills
There’s a knack to this. Stop looking at job descriptions and start looking at the underlying skills that a job requires.
For instance:
- A safari ranger will have skills in handling sometimes frightened people and in spotting subtle signs. The ability to spot when a rhino is about to charge is useful when it comes to detecting fear or confusion in a client.
- Bridal designers will have buckets of tact. Dealing with the sometimes unreasonable demands of a stressed bride-to-be will give them great skills in calming people down and helping them make decisions.
- Chefs are great at working under pressure – though avoid the ones whose kitchens are a hotbed of stress and swearing!
How do you check for the right transferable skills?
Look at what transferable skills applicants will have used in previous jobs – ‘soft’ skills like patience, tact, the ability to radiate calm, effective communication and empathy. Don’t fall into the trap of looking solely for practical skills, such as the ability to operate a sewing machine or create an Excel spreadsheet – both are useful but it’s soft skills you’re looking for.
Conversation is key
Ask about their previous jobs, looking for stories that reveal the soft skills that carers need. Open questions, such as, “How did you deal with stressed customers?” or “What did you do in an emergency… ?” are better than those that prompt yes or no answers. Give candidates plenty of time to talk – it’s key to finding out more.
Ian Thompson, the Walfinch franchisee in Welwyn and Bishops Stortford, who employs Miena, the former safari ranger, says: “If applicants have no care experience I ask about how they dealt with situations similar to those that may crop up in care work. I also ask what they would do in a particular situation. The point is not to get the answer right, but to see if they show empathy and put the other person’s safety and feelings first.”
There’s a big chance to bring new people into fulfilling care careers now. Let’s ensure that we get the right ones – whatever their former work experience.
* Find out how to apply at www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-training-and-development-fund/adult-social-care-training-and-development-fund-a-guide-for-employers#care-skills-funding-1
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