Any of you using (have used) headhunters to find NHA positions?

I've been looking around for about two months for an administrator position here in Florida. Visited almost every nursing home in my area to see if there are any open positions that would help me get my foot in the door. Unfortunately, no luck. An administrator suggested to try using a headhunter. I've never thought of using any type of consultant service/company to help me find a job but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Has anyone used any type of headhunting service? How effective do you think it is?

Joe T in Orlando, Florida said: I've been looking around for about two months for an administrator position here in Florida. Visited almost every nursing home in my area to see if there are any open positions that would help me get my foot in the door. Unfortunately, no luck. An administrator suggested to try using a headhunter. I've never thought of using any type of consultant service/company to help me find a job but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Has anyone used any type of headhunting service? How effective do you think it is?

Joe,
Opis Management is looking for an assistant administrator for their Jacksonville facility. Here is the contact information in case your interested:

Riverwood Nursing Center
2802 Parental Home Road
Jacksonville, FL 32216-5702

Phone:(904) 721-0088
Fax: (904) 724-7370
Email: michelle.carroll@opismr.com

Fax: (904) 724-7370

Thanks Brenda, I'll check it out. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you looking for administrator work as well? Are you having any luck?

Your welcome Joe. Yes I am also looking for a position; I interveiwed there today. Everyone seems to want at least 2 years experience. However, I may have an assistant administrator position at another facility. Good luck!

Yeah it's tough if you're just starting out with no experience. Did you by any chance look into that position in Ft. Lauderdale that I emailed you about a couple months back?

Yes I did; however they also went with someone with more experience.

Denied as well. I'll give Riverwood Nursing a try but I'm sure they'll be looking for a more experienced administrator. Thanks again for the heads up!

...And so the search continues.

II know that the market out there for NHA is tough. My advise is fax your resume to every facility in your area and to the large nursing home chains (do it every month). Make sure to do your research on the company's so that you are aware of the types of facilities they run and who they are looking for. Master your interview skills. If a company likes you and sees potential in you they will find a position for you. You may have to realize that you most likely wont land a Administrator position your first time out. And be very weary of any offers to run a facility with little experience. Most times its a troubled building with a laundry list of defiance's. The last thing you want to do is associate your name with a bad building or worse lose your license. There isn't anything wrong with accepting assisted administrator position your whole goal should be trying to achieve the 3 to 5 years of management experience that is required for a NHA. And make as many contacts as possible.

I started out working AP/Payroll/HR in a 120 bed SNF making 30k. The administrator was aware of my desire to gain more experience and started giving me more and more tasks like; handling all of the unemployment and work comp claims, doing rounds, putting together a new disaster manual, controlling the HPPD's. When I graduated they made me the assistant administrator in addition to my current duties. I worked many long days and weekends for very little money but knew that the experience that I was getting was worth it in the long run. I now have been offered another position in Orlando as a assisted administrator of a 240 bed facility were my only duty is to be the assisted administrator making well over 50+. And to tell you the truth I still need at least 1 more year of good experience before I would want my own building. Being an Administrator is a hard job. And its not for everyone. Know what your getting into and get as much experience and exposure as you can before diving in.

I've been making my rounds around the Orlando area but no such luck. I've also been going for admissions coordinator positions. I figure I should use my work related experience ( a little over 7 years) in health insurance and admissions to get my foot in the door. Problem is that I haven't been getting any replies. Having spoken to other administrators, it seems that facilities shy away from hiring licensed NHAs for positions of that sort. It's more of a stability issue than anything. Companies want to fill those positions with the intent that the applicant sees the role as a long term position. I'm sure companies would have taken me into more consideration if nursing home administration was a goal in the distant future and if I wasn't already a licensed NHA. It's a catch 22. Can't find an NHA position without experience but can't get any other non-clinical position because of the fact that I'm a LNHA. Over qualification perhaps.
Don't get me wrong, I'm realistic and understand that I have to pay my dues before stepping into a NHA role. It's just that it's discouraging when the only thing I want is a chance but no one is willing to give it to me. And to be honest, it's not even about the money. I'm just eager to get into the industry and learn the ins and outs. Long days, problem solving, working weekends, etc. do not intimidate me.
As for getting in over my head and accepting a deficiency laden facility, I'm definitely cautious about that. At the moment, I'm in the interview process for a small SNF. I not getting my hopes up and will do my research on the facility once the name disclosed. I was contacted only because a former instructor at the University of South Florida, a practicing NHA, had put a word in for me at a consulting firm. I'll definitely check with the area administrators and see what they have to say about the facility. If I feel it is a desperation move by management to hire a novice administrator just to fill the position I'll turn it down

Have you tried all of the large company's? IE: Senior Health Management, Adventist Care Centers, Manor Care, Guardian Care, etc?

Do you have any experience in long term care?

I've sent my resume to the majority of those companies as well as many consulting firms. The killer for me is the lack of experience. Aside from education (Gerontology), internship experience in an SNF, and knowledge required to be licensed NHA, I have not worked in a facility. That's why I'm aiming for business office and admissions positions. I'm considering taking the ALF core classes and trying my luck in assisted living or CCRCs.

Joe T in Orlando, Florida said: I've been looking around for about two months for an administrator position here in Florida. Visited almost every nursing home in my area to see if there are any open positions that would help me get my foot in the door. Unfortunately, no luck. An administrator suggested to try using a headhunter. I've never thought of using any type of consultant service/company to help me find a job but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Has anyone used any type of headhunting service? How effective do you think it is?

Waste of time. Headhunters do exactly what employment agencies do. They have you come in and do a preliminary interview and send you on interviews when they get leads. There are no guarantees that you will find a job with them. Trying to find employment in Florida is terrible.

Joe T. in Orlando, Florida said: I've sent my resume to the majority of those companies as well as many consulting firms. The killer for me is the lack of experience. Aside from education (Gerontology), internship experience in an SNF, and knowledge required to be licensed NHA, I have not worked in a facility. That's why I'm aiming for business office and admissions positions. I'm considering taking the ALF core classes and trying my luck in assisted living or CCRCs.

Joe-
Sorry your having no luck...I'll keep you in mind if I hear of anything.

Erin Grassing in Lake Mary, Florida said: Joe-
Sorry your having no luck...I'll keep you in mind if I hear of anything.

Thank you. I really appreciate that. It's nice to know that there are still people out there willing to lend a hand. Please email me at jtabora01@hotmail.com if you hear of any potential positions.

I was placed at my current position by a recruiter. I had a very good experience with him, and stay in touch with him periodically. I would recommend trying to find a good recruiter, who is local to your market. Not one that is out of state that operates by phone/email. I think many larger operators and some smaller chains do use recruiters, and operators are always looking for good admins.

I would definately NOT fax my resume to everyone monthly, they will remember your name and know that you are desparate. NOT A GOOD IDEA, trust me. Your challenge will be that you don't have a lot of experieince. You may have to start out at a "challenged" building. I used to run a facility for the mentally ill pop. It was awful, fights, drugs, it was in the bad part of town, the staff were almost as crazy as the residnets. And every day was an uphill battle. But it was a great character building expereince. And I can honestly say that I learned how "not to do" healthcare. I took all of that experience and used it to advance. My first survey at my old building was a 32 tag extended survey with 4 quality of care deficiencies. It was awful, almost all the tags were nursing, and the DON had no interest in making the facility a better one. I got through it, somehow. The company was not ethical, and the facility had an awful reputation. That doesn't matter now, what matters is the fact that I gained a ton of very valuable compliance and clinincal experience.

The bottom line is that you have to get in somewhere, your best bet will be applying for an assistant admin. That is what you need to do, you aren't ready to be an admin. You may have to work at a home that is less than prestigious, but you will gain a lot of experience there.

I have a mixed opinion when it comes to Recruiters or Headhunters. I put recruiters in two distinct groups. Those who are employed by the healthcare organization they are recruiting for and those that contract out there services to outside companies. In house recruiters are often salaried employees, whereas contract recruiters selling there services often charge a fee percentage based on the salary of the employee they are placing. For those contract recruiters out there, I know this is not always the case, but there is always a fee attached that the Healthcare Company must incur in addition to the salary they will pay the employee. I have seen these fees as high as 25-30% of the employee salary. For instance, a recruiter successfully places an administrator who will make 100,000 base salary, the Healthcare provider would have to pay the recruiter and additional 25,000 for their services. That figure is probably a little on the high side but you see my point. Depending of the location of the facility I think that we are often at a disadvantage when we are presented to the hiring company by a contract recruiter. I think this is especially the case when searching for jobs in larger cities or metro areas. I know that this is the case in Dallas/Ft. Worth area where I personally know 5-6 Administrators that are searching. Why would any company hire an administrator through a contract recruiter and pay the additional placement fees if they have other equally qualified candidates that apply directly with the company due to cheaper advertisement like word of mouth or online ad postings. There are always exceptions. Companies with facilities in small rural areas or those having problems finding qualified applicants for difficult or problem facilities may benefit more from contract recruiters. There is no harm in using recruiting firms but if you can apply directly to facility/company in person or online I think that your chances of landing an interview are much better.

try looking for jobs on these two sites:

jobsinltc.com
and
"interim healthcare placement"

They seem to advertise for jobs all over the country. use search words:
nursing home administrator
and
nursing home administrator/lnha
Good luck

Joe T in Orlando, Florida said: I've been looking around for about two months for an administrator position here in Florida. Visited almost every nursing home in my area to see if there are any open positions that would help me get my foot in the door. Unfortunately, no luck. An administrator suggested to try using a headhunter. I've never thought of using any type of consultant service/company to help me find a job but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Has anyone used any type of headhunting service? How effective do you think it is?

I'm serving on a search committee looking for an administrator for a pediatric skilled nursing facility. We have 58 residents & 120 employees. We are licensed to care for children at birth until they reach the age of eighteen.
Our Center exists to serve the nursing, medical, physical and psychosocial needs of children (infants to 18 years of age) who because of severe developmental disabilities require ongoing residential care in a skilled nursing facility. Our goal is to afford each child an experience of the fullness and goodness of life to the limits of his/her ability. You may contact me by email if you are interested.

looking for work in administration in healthcare. Something different than (Director of Social Work) some kind of different problems to solve all day.

I love working with the elderly, I like to keep busy and challenged.

I just have 1 year experience as ED, and everyone is looking for 2-4 years.

Willing to relocate.

Any advice out there?

Where are you willing to relocate to? I'd be interested in learning more about your experiences and background as an ED.

Lindsay Lynam 602.452.6419
Lindsay.Lynam@micrapartners.com