Recruiting is a lot like a horror movie. There’s always something lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce. One minute, you’re thinking you’ve found the perfect candidate, and the next thing you know, they’ve disappeared without a trace. Or worse, you’ve hired them, and they’re a complete disaster.

Here are a few of the scariest things about recruiting:

  • The ghost of the perfect candidate: This is the candidate who had everything you were looking for: the skills, the experience, the personality. You were so sure they were the one. But then they vanished into thin air. Now you’re haunted by the thought of what could have been.
  • The possessed candidate: This is the candidate who seemed great at first, but then something changed. They became demanding, unreasonable, and even downright scary. You’re not sure what happened to them, but you’re terrified of what they might do next.
  • The zombie candidate: This is the candidate who just won’t die. No matter how many times you reject them, they keep coming back. You’re starting to think they’re not even human.
  • The vampire candidate: This is the candidate who sucks the life out of your team. They’re negative, energy-draining, and they always seem to be in a bad mood. You’re not sure how much longer you can take it.
  • The werewolf candidate: This is the candidate who is perfectly normal during the day but transforms into a monster at night. They party too hard, they’re always late to work, and they’re never prepared for meetings. You’re starting to dread the full moon.

So next time you feel scared, remember that you’re not alone. We get it. The act of recruiting is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, it’s what Aspen Associates has been doing for 15 YEARS.

  • We make those not-so-fun calls to your competitors to find people you would not have access to on job boards or websites.
  • We work with the candidates to ensure their resume represents their career history with measurable accomplishments.
  • We clarify compensation expectations up-front to be sure we’re not wasting anyone’s time talking about something that is too far outside of everyone’s reality.
  • We handle all the scheduling for interviews and client-based assessments, as appropriate, so you’re not having to play phone tag.
  • We help candidates coordinate their resignation to minimize the effect of counteroffers from their employer.
  • Our candidates show up for their first day of work as scheduled and are enthusiastic about their new role.
  • We recognize the complexities that life sometimes hands us, and in the rare instances that things don’t work out, our candidates come with a replacement program so you can rest assured alternate candidates are provided at no additional charge.

By Tom Zeleny, NHA

About the Author

In addition to having been a licensed administrator for over 20 years, Tom Zeleny is an expert consultant for a state Board of Nursing Home Administrators and testified as a subject matter expert for operational and regulatory compliance for long-term care. He has worked for prestigious national and privately-owned providers in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors as Administrator, Executive Director, and multi-site manager. This hands-on experience has helped him consistently place candidates in senior living positions throughout the United States since 2003.

Tom received his Certificate of Gerontology from Colorado State University and has received professional certification from the American College of Nursing Home Administrators (ACHCA). Tom maintains an active Administrator’s license and continues to keep abreast of the constant regulatory changes that affect senior living clients and candidates. He has been selected as a speaker for multiple state organizations on topics including talent acquisition, effective salary negotiation, generational differences in the workforce, job performance standards and job descriptions, as well as other human-resource-related best practice topics.