Franchise owners are responsible for every aspect of their business, and that includes hiring the best talent. With a good team, you can build synergy that will carry your business to the next level. But finding that talent can be difficult. When you are looking to fill the various positions at your business, it’s important to consider the role first. The responsibilities of the role will help guide you as you look for individuals who will be successful. In this post, we will review the qualities to look for in key job positions at a home care business: caregiver, manager, and marketer.
Caregiver
Caregivers are the backbone of a home care franchise because they actually care for the clients. They perform personal care, transportation services, and other duties to help seniors live happy, healthy, and at home. Caregivers are the face of your company because they are the people with whom your clients interact on a daily basis.
It’s not necessarily enough for a caregiver to have knowledge about how to care for a senior; caregivers must be extremely compassionate and possess a high level of emotional intelligence. Caregivers who can connect with the seniors who they work with are crucial to a home care business’s success. These individuals should be able to empathize with their clients in addition to perform their daily tasks.
Additionally, look for caregivers who are dependable. Across all industries, caregivers have a higher rate of unplanned absences, which can cost you a lot of money as a business owner. If caregivers don’t show up, then you have to scramble to find a replacement or the client goes without service, which could ultimately cause the client to cease service. That’s why it’s important to look for reliable and loyal individuals to provide care for your clients.
Finally, good caregivers are extremely patient. When dealing with seniors who suffer from dementia, chronic illnesses, or other physical or mental challenges can be emotionally and physically demanding, requiring caregivers to be patient with their clients and with themselves. Throughout a shift, a caregiver may need to adjust plans and adapt to the situations that arise without becoming flustered or frustrated.
Here are some potential interview questions and prompts that can help you gain insight into the type of caregiver that an applicant is:
- What are 3 things that your past clients would say about you?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult client.
- Have personal issues ever pulled you away from your work? If so, how did you handle the situation?
Manager
To run a successful home care business, you will need to hire a manager to oversee various functions of day-to-day operations. At Caring Senior Service, we refer to our managers as Care Managers. These individuals focus on managing caregivers and organizing schedules.
Our Care Managers must be adaptable. Because caregivers call off or new clients are scheduled last-minute, the Care Manager must be willing to jump into any task and help without hesitation. They must be decisive and confident in their decisions regarding both caregivers and clients.
The Care Manager should also be organized and logical as they balance multiple tasks throughout the workweek. Because this individual oversees some business functions and helps manage caregiver schedules, it’s important that small details don’t fall through the cracks.
As a franchise owner, you will rely on your Care Manager(s) to shoulder a large amount of responsibility so you can focus on the bigger picture. When hiring a manager, look for someone that you can trust and feel comfortable working with because this person will likely spend quite a bit of time with you in the office.
To evaluate a potential manager, here are some interview questions and prompts to consider:
- Tell me about a time when your workday ended before you were able to finish your task.
- Can you describe a time when you were asked to learn a new skill? How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult colleague. How did you work together to complete your objectives?
Marketer
Marketing is a key component of running a successful home care business. While you don’t necessarily have to have a full-time marketer, we recommend having a marketer who can devote all of their time to attending marketing events, meeting with potential referral sources, and completing other marketing activities. Because face-to-face marketing and building relationships requires a lot of time, it can be helpful for a franchise owner to have an individual dedicated to marketing on their team.
Marketers should be outgoing and personable individuals. Most of their job will be communicating your services to hospitals, hospice organizations, assisted living facilities, or even seniors themselves. Marketers should be sociable and have a confident presence when talking to new people. However, they shouldn’t be cocky. Marketers should also be eloquent and able to think on their feet to answer potential questions that referral sources might have — without being know-it-alls.
Good marketers are also creative and innovative when it comes to tackling problems. They aren’t afraid to try new marketing techniques or conversation starters when overcoming challenges. They should be able to stand out from the crowd of other marketers to help your business shine instead of fading into the background.
Because marketing isn’t an easy job — especially in the home care field — you should look for people who are optimistic and not easily defeated. Inevitably, marketers will face a lot of rejection, which some individuals internalize. An all-star marketer will view rejection as an opportunity to grow instead.
To find the best marketer, try incorporating some of these questions into the interview process:
- Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge that you couldn’t overcome.
- What skills do you think you would utilize most in this position?
- How do you determine if you’ve had a successful conversation?
Having the right people in the right positions is crucial to ensuring that your overall business goals are met. As you consider the responsibilities and qualities of each role and identify candidates that embody those traits, you can feel confident in your hiring decisions. And with a team full of quality talent, your home care franchise can be more successful.
