Gone were the days when you post a job ad and hours later, there would be hundreds of applicants with stellar accomplishments who fit the position.
These days, childcare providers get a handful of applicants only to get stood up during interviews.
Given its reputation for a low paying industry, childcare providers know why applicants are reluctant to even send their resume.
Why make $12.15 an hour when one can easily make $15 or more flipping burgers or making milkshakes round the corner?
And some employers like US McDonald’s even provide benefits such as emergency childcare for those with children.
Given that almost everyone is hiring with boosted benefits and rates, it’s no wonder that the childcare industry is having a particularly hard time attracting applicants, let alone qualified ones.
Still despite the pandemic, the need for childcare remains. To get over staffing shortages, here are 5 best practices you can apply when hiring childcare staff during a pandemic.
Advertise for a cause, not a job.
If you’re aiming for bright-eyed and energetic Gen Z talents, it’s best to highlight the cause they would be supporting by working at your center.
Instead of phrasing it as a support to childcare development, ask them to beat childcare deserts by being part of your team to support more working families and children in the area.
As more families end up in waiting lists year after year, reframe the situation as not only getting a job helping young children develop but also helping ease worries for parents as they go back to their jobs.
Provide attractive bonuses for successful referrals.
The best path to find qualified applicants is through your existing employees.
Launch a referral program that’ll incentivize them to look into their network for qualified applicants.
This will help you get vetted applicants who have already been pre-screened by your employees.
Given that they will also have a handful of friends with the same educational background, the talent pool will be more refined that if you launched a job ad into the digital realm.
Go digital and have your lovable children help you attract applicants.
With their parents’ consent, of course. Instead of the dry and lengthy job descriptions which everyone has read, why not use videos that’ll go viral for their cuteness and sincerity instead?
Ask parents of your enrolled children if their kids can participate in a hiring video where the kids themselves ask applicants to become their new teacher at school.
You can also use kids’ artworks as digital posters for job ads to catch applicants’ attention on your various social media platforms.
When lovely Ellie and cheeky Carl ask everyone to apply at their preschool, we’re sure any applicant’s heart would melt at their sincere pleas.
Provide incentives that correspond to their needs.
It is true companies have certainly bumped up their benefits and incentives offered to attract the best talents out there.
However, given the limited resources most childcare providers have, it’s better to offer incentives tailored for an applicant.
Some incentives don’t even have to be monetary in value.
For example, if the applicant has their own kid, you might want to provide free childcare if they are in need.
Or flexible hours which are adapted to provide them a better work-life balance.
If you’re considering offering this new incentive plan to new hires, don’t forget to include your existing employees.
This helps in retaining employees and building their trust and loyalty. This will also help them feel more confident in referring their friend or contact to an appreciative workplace like yours.
Demonstrate how well you’ve coped throughout the pandemic.
The number one question in any applicant’s mind is what you’ve done to adapt and cope during the pandemic.
So be sure to highlight all that you’ve done during the pandemic.
Also indicate your current hygiene, masks, and other coronavirus preventive measures.
This lets an applicant know you are a responsive, adaptive, and responsible employer.
It also gives them assurance that yours is a safe workplace that abides by the latest guidelines.
The pandemic has definitely changed the hiring landscape. As childcare providers struggle over staff shortages that prevent them from serving more families, try to apply these best practices when hiring.
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