Ambassador can sound so lofty. State dinners and foreign travels come to mind. But Argentum has another kind of Ambassador. And they’re much more down to earth.
Our Ambassadors have signed on to Senior Living Works, Argentum’s program to help recruit and retain workers in senior living.
They are nurses, caregivers, executive directors, HR leaders, and CEOs. What ties them all together is a passion for senior living—and a desire to share that passion with young people, teachers, parents, and career-changers. We’ll need all of them if we are to meet our growing need in the senior living workforce.
As I’ve visited communities across the country, I’m always struck by how bright, modern, and vibrant they are. Smiling faces are everywhere, with our residents and our employees. I wish I could bottle that feeling and share it with people who might never think to visit a senior living community.
That’s where Ambassadors come in. They reach out to schools, community centers, houses of worship, and wherever else prospective students or jobseekers might be.
Our website provides the tools for Ambassadors to do that effectively. Career posters to give to instructors and guidance counselors. Videos featuring professionals and what they love about their job. PowerPoints to help guide school presentations and career fairs. All the resources are available for download, and they all have attractive branding and a common message.
Also through Senior Living Works, Ambassadors have access to Argentum’s Education Pipeline, a tool to locate the right education programs to recruit and partner with. Search by occupation—say, nursing aides or cooks—and by state or county, and out comes a custom list of programs, the degrees they offer, how many graduates they have each year, and how to contact them. For Ambassadors, it’s a great roadmap to help reach the right audience with the right message.
How much difference can Ambassadors make? Consider a single community that dedicates a half-day a month to outreach and school partnerships. Possibilities include visiting a high school CNA class with 25 students, taking part in a community college job fair for 300 participants, hosting an evening open house for 40 or more jobseekers, and taking on a couple of interns during the summer. In just six months, a community could easily introduce more than 500 people to our careers. Put all our Ambassadors together, and they’re on track to engage more than 50,000 people this year.
Ambassadors can sign up for free at seniorliving.works. And while a lot of Ambassadors are in HR and recruiting, the truth is that anyone can succeed. In fact, some of the most active communities have selected early-career workers to be Ambassadors, coordinate activities, and, above all, share their personal journeys in senior living. Their enthusiasm is a big part of the message, and Senior Living Works gives these leaders a chance to shine.
