Quick Guides

Starting a

A quick guide to starting a successful recruitment agency in the health & social care sector.

Healthcare

Social Care Hub LTD, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN socialcarehub.co.uk | 020 3633 4680 |

hello@socialcarehub.co.uk

Recruitment Agency

A Quick Guide to Starting a Successful Recruitment Agency in the Care Sector

Starting a Healthcare Recruitment Agency

Introduction Starting a healthcare recruitment agency is a fantastic idea, however there is often a fine line between delivering a quality and valuable service to providers whilst maintaining a profitable business. If you are thinking about entering the market, this guide briefly lays out the process of getting started from business & legal set-up through to marketing and growth. There are many things that are initially overlooked when starting a recruitment agency in the care sector, and the process can take much longer than needed. In this guide we will cover everything and so you can make sure your recruitment agency is positioned for success right from the outset.

The use of agency staff in care homes to assist in reducing staffing gaps has risen by over 55% in just two years, meaning there has never been a better time to get started. Most recruitment agencies will provide services to care homes & hospitals on either a temporary or permanent basis. It can take time as a new agency to build a network of customers who will utilise your services, so initially planning how you are going to reach these organisations and start working with them is paramount. Business Set-Up 1) Business Legal Set-Up The most tax efficient way to run a recruitment agency is to start as a limited company. Register your company with companies’ house is easy but your accountant can also do this for you. 2) Logo Design & Branding A key to making your organisation stand out from the rest is to focus on your branding and company identity. Putting together all of your branding and a set of brand guidelines will do wonders when building your website and marketing materials. 3) Services Brochure Once you have your branding sorted, it is a great idea to have a services brochure for both print and digital distribution. This way you can use this in your marketing when contacting prospective customers, exhibiting at events etc. 4) Website (Fully Responsive) A website is a key tool for any business, it is how many companies will hear about your services and a place to go for providers to find out more about your offering. Put focus on the user experience and ensure you have relevant content available that prospective customers would find useful. In a changing digital world, you should also ensure that your website is responsive (optimised for mobile devices), this not only will affect your customers but also your search engine ranking.

A Quick Guide to Starting a Successful Recruitment Agency in the Care Sector

Starting a Healthcare Recruitment Agency

5) Telecoms If you do not have an office, setting up a virtual phone line is very simple these are local numbers that can be diverted to a mobile and run for a small monthly fee. 6) Email Addresses Email addresses can be linked to your domain with ease through your hosting provider. 80% of prospective customers are more likely to reply to a professional email address, as opposed a public address (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail etc.) 7) Invoice & Billing Ironing out your invoicing and billing process is important, especially when you have staff to pay and other overheads. Put together invoice templates and plan out your billing process in a way that reduces admin and helps you keep on top of things or find a software that you can do your billing though. 8) Business Plan & Financials A full business plan is great to refer back to once you get started, this plan will change as time goes on but putting an outline down on paper will work well in the long run. 9) Staff & Client Handbooks Having handbooks for staff is a great way to ensure you are delivering a quality service and that your team know what is expected of them, as well as what they will get in return from you. Also having a guide for your customers that has information about scheduling, support etc. will keep customers in the know and make them feel more at ease when using your services. 10) Suite of Legal Agreements (Clients & Staff) You will need to have legal agreements for the provision of staff to providers, as well for staff your work with. You can find legal agreements online or draft them yourself, however if you have no contract writing experience we recommend you go to a professional to make sure you have all of the bases covered.

A Quick Guide to Starting a Successful Recruitment Agency in the Care Sector

Starting a Healthcare Recruitment Agency

Marketing & Recruitment Once you have decided the segment of the market you are going to cater for, you need to ensure you have adequate plans in place for marketing your services, both out to clients and care staff. A common mistake of new recruitment agencies is to think that just having a website is going to generate your business and enquiries. Although a website is an essential pillar of any marketing strategy, without it being optimised for search engines, or having traffic driven to it from other sources you will not gain new enquiries. This is where marketing comes in… Check out quick guide to marketing care services which will give you some useful pointers on how to get started: www.socialcarehub.co.uk/marketing-recruitment-services This list is by no means exhaustive and only covers some of the basic elements of getting a recruitment service off the ground. About the Social Care Hub The Social Care Hub is the UK’s leading supplier of marketing solutions to the social care sector, working specifically with homecare agencies, care homes & recruitment agencies. Our comprehensive business start-up packages can help you start and build a successful organisation in the care sector. To learn more visit: www.socialcarehub.co.uk/starting-a-recruitment-agency Or contact our expert team on 020 3633 4680, email: hello@socialcarehub.co.uk or tweet us @social_care_hub.

Social Care Hub LTD, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, City of London, London, EC1A 2BN

T: +44 (0)20 3633 4680 E: hello@socialcarehub.co.uk W: socialcarehub.co.uk Twitter: @social_care_hub Facebook: www.facebook.com/socialcarehub LinkedIn: Social Care Hub

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