My support worker and I were looking through the profiles of applicants. “Another oatmeal one,” we’d say. “More oatmeal, oh dear.” And rarely, “Ooh, this one is good. Message them!” You can probably guess what we meant by oatmeal – the vast majority of profiles we read were effectively identical, and all very bland. Worst, they didn’t tell us most of what we needed to know in order to choose a new support worker.
Unless I am desperately low on applicants, I never bother to reach out to the oatmeal ones. Let’s make sure you’re one of the ones who gets contacted.
The basics
Hireup’s article on creating a profile covers the basics. Whether in the ‘about’ field or the other ones, your potential clients will need to know:
Relevant qualifications/skills/driver’s licence/etc
Your availability
How far away you’re based
We certainly don’t mind learning a little about you: kids, pets, previous working experience, and so on, but it’s not 100 per cent necessary – if we work together we’ll learn about each other then. Keep this short for now, max one paragraph.
Three minutes to improve your profile
Go through your draft and delete any statement about yourself where noone would ever claim the opposite. Such as:
I love helping people
I’m honest and reliable
I care about accessibility and inclusion
Firstly, we already assume all those things are true. You wouldn’t have chosen this work if they weren’t. Secondly, all support workers have been vetted and checked out by Hireup. You’re decently reliable, punctual, trustworthy and respectful, or you wouldn’t be on the list in the first place. (Or not for long, at least!) And lastly, have you ever trusted someone just because they SAY they’re trustworthy? At best these claims are true but obvious; at worst, they’re deceptive. Either way, noone reading your profile gives them much weight. They’re useless words.
Instead, we’re going to prove these qualities instead of just listing them; it’s much more compelling and believable that way. The rest of the advice below will build more proof. As a first demonstration, tell us a small story about your favourite moment with a client, either a recurring one or a specific one. An example: “My favourite moment with a client is when they can see they’ve made progress on their goals. Recently, a client who is in rehabilitation took their first unaided steps after a year of hard work. We both cried and celebrated together.” You could stop here and have a profile that’s already better than most others. But why be good when you can be great?
What potential clients really want to know about you
Funny but true: your profile isn’t really about you. It’s about your potential clients, and helping them make an accurate guess on whether you’d be a good fit for them.
If you write a super-basic, generic, oatmeal profile, your potential clients will need to guess about a number of important factors. Let’s take the guesswork out of it and improve the experience for both of us. The below isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a very good start. Other questions can be answered in messages once we’re already interested in you.
Does your style mesh with mine (And my disability?)
Remember earlier I said there was no point in listing any qualities where no-one would ever claim the opposite? Now we’re going to describe (and prove) the qualities where there is no universal “right” answer, only what is right for me, the client.
A non-exhaustive list:
Chatty versus quiet
Upbeat versus relaxed
Super-organised versus go-with-the-flow
Intimate versus detached
Predictable versus spontaneous
Comforting versus matter-of-fact
What is the right option? Whichever suits my personality and my disability needs. For instance, if I have chronic pain I might like someone energetic to help me get motivated to move, or I might find that enthusiasm overwhelming and prefer someone more low-key. Most clients will know their own preferences (especially if you aren’t their first support worker), your job is to help us know which qualities you have.
Read full article here https://hireup.com.au/news/what-clients-want-to-know-about-their-future-disability/
