One of the key reasons that Be. Recruitment consultants are so capable at recruiting for roles in social care, is that many started their careers working in the industry.
Lauren Roobottom is one of our Principal Consultants. Her heart for the social care sector goes back to her early working years in the U.K. where she was a Social Support Worker in community housing.
Lauren says she made the switch to recruiting after moving to Australia, as it “utilises my interests and my knowledge of the social care space”. She continues:
“I love working within the industry that makes such a positive impact in people’s lives.
“I genuinely have an interest and joy working with programs that help people that may be experiencing homelessness, family and domestic violence or people with psychosocial disability.”
Recruiting from experience
Much of Lauren’s current portfolio is focused on recruiting for positions in mental health, but her experience reaches far and wide in the sector.
“I recruit for a lot of roles in mental health, domestic violence, child, youth and family services, and disability and aged care… all specialisms whether they be therapeutic, case management and social support, outreach, residential…
“I have experience recruiting most specialism in the sector as I have worked with a variety of programs and organisations.”
Another specialty area is recruiting for non-clinical outreach-style roles, where psychologists and social workers deliver evidence-based therapy and psychosocial interventions.
Building relationships to meet clients’ needs
Lauren’s broad experience and high level of emotional intelligence helps her to understand the needs of clients, who have learned to trust her talent recommendations.
As an example, one of Lauren’s recent placements was for a client in the social care sector who was looking to fill a temporary role.
Lauren knew the hiring manager well and what she looked for in an applicant. She recommended a candidate named Alan*, even though the client wouldn’t have considered him based on his CV alone.
The client took on board Lauren’s recommendation to interview Alan, and were pleasantly surprised to find he was an ideal fit.
Not only was Alan recruited to fill the temporary role, but the client then offered him a permanent position to follow as they were so impressed with him.
Supporting candidates every step of the way
Lauren’s caring nature means she not only wants the best for her clients, but also works hard to help candidates achieve their best too.
Lauren recently worked with a candidate named Virginia* on a role in Psychosocial Support Work.
While Lauren knew Virginia would excel in the position she was applying for, she identified that her interview skills needed improvement.
“I could see that interviewing was an area that needed improvement for her and something that had stopped her from securing other roles in the past,” Lauren recalls.
“So I went through and did lots of coaching with her, and practice interview scenarios.
“About an hour or so before she got to the interview, she felt really nervous. So I called her and did more practice and some mindfulness exercises with her, and made her feel positive – to gain a bit of confidence before she walked into the interview.”
Lauren’s calming manner and practical support worked wonders. Virginia’s interview was successful and she was offered the role.
Afterwards she said to Lauren, “I never would have got that role if you hadn’t rung me an hour before and given me the confidence to go in there.”
If you’re looking for a new role in the caring sector, or have a position that needs to be filled, get in touch today to organise a time to speak to Lauren or another member of the Be. Recruitment team.
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*Names have been changed to protect privacy
