One of the easiest ways to find a support worker is to make sure your job description is on point.
The basic principles of getting this right are to ensure it does two things.
Firstly, it needs to accurately represent the job role and responsibilities of a support worker, and secondly, it should be searchable to passive candidates.
In an increasingly competitive recruiting landscape and a skills shortage in the health and social sector, it’s important to master this process.
With this in mind, here are some simple, yet effective, strategies to help you write a brilliant job description for support worker vacancies.
Set the tone by putting the candidate first
It’s easy to waffle on about your organisation or company and its incredible achievements, but candidates will switch off very quickly.
You need to keep the company bio introduction short and sweet, predominately covering your ethos. Instead, focus on putting the candidate first and highlight what the job can provide for them.
The job description should answer questions like:
- Why should this support worker join you?
- What are the benefits/perks of working for you?
- Is there a robust career path and training opportunities in place? If so, have you mentioned them?
Regardless of whether you’re looking to find a support worker on a permanent or temporary basis, giving them ample training opportunities and an environment to flourish is of paramount importance.
Support workers are far more likely to apply if they know they can develop themselves and move into other areas of the industry at a later stage.
In terms of quantity of content, research suggests that the most effective length for a job description is around 500-749 words – which similar to a nice concise blog.
Be realistic
The role of a support worker is challenging, so don’t paint the job through rose-tinted glasses.
Entry-level support workers will want to know what their day-to-day job will look like.
Granted, you don’t have to go into all of the grizzly details.
However, it’s important to include certain personality traits required, such as; being resilient, open-minded, willing to get stuck in and enthusiastic – despite having to work long hours.
Similarly, don’t be tempted to embellish the responsibilities of the role.
Stick to the daily tasks without making it into a long and uninspiring list.
If the candidate is still interested after you’ve mentioned these elements, then you’re onto a winner.
Think about the company culture
A poor culture fit is one of the main reasons behind support workers leaving.
The job description is your opportunity to detail the ‘ideal candidate’, depending on the traits you believe they should have.
If you have loads of outgoing individuals, maybe it’s time to bring a more reserved and calm person into the mix.
Adding too many egos can create tensions, while a team of introverts can make getting out of bed every day a real struggle.
Weigh up what personalities you already have and customise your job description to fit around the needs of your work culture.
Include keywords
Want support workers to find you?
Then pay special attention to the keywords they’re searching for on Google.
The more relevant words you include, the better chance you have of featuring at the top of their search query.
To further improve your ranking, localise the search terms by including the town or city where the vacancy is.
Some good examples to use for this job role include:
- Support worker jobs
- Support worker jobs in [location]
- Part-time support worker
- Support worker
- Temporary support worker
If you’re unsure on what words to use, head over to SEMrush to conduct a simple search.
Remember the basics
Above all, you must remember to cover the essential details.
It’s all well and good including keywords and getting the tone right.
But if you don’t make the support worker job description clear, you’ll receive an influx of unsuitable candidates applying for the role.
This means including the working hours, the qualifications and the salary.
All of these details are make or break to a lot of support workers who require their career to fit around their lifestyle.
For the best results, opt for a salary bracket instead of a flat rate so you can adjust it according to experience and always put it at the top of the description (not the bottom).
Once you have posted one support worker job description, don’t rest on your laurels.
Take note of whether it was successful or not and look for ways of improving the quality of your recruitment push next time.
Times change, so your job description content needs to keep up-to-date with market expectations and behaviours.
If you need some further help with this important part of the recruitment process, get in touch with us today.
