A Discovery Call I Won’t Forget and Why Ethics Still Matter in Caregiver Recruiting
I had a discovery call recently with a home care agency in Indiana that reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time:
How you recruit caregivers matters just as much as how many you recruit.
The call was booked under the assumption that the agency wanted help finding qualified caregivers. At the scheduled time, the call went to voicemail. I left a polite message explaining that we would cancel the call and follow up with an option to reschedule.
Before I could do that, the prospect called back.
As I began asking standard discovery questions about their business and caregiver recruiting challenges, the answers were evasive. The same phrase kept coming up again and again:
“You get us leads, and we’ll pay you for them.”
That is not how caregiver recruiting works, at least not if you are doing it responsibly.
I explained that at Caregiver Leads we use a proven, ethical system:
- Geographically targeted social media advertising
- A pre qualification funnel to filter candidates
- Automated follow up with applications and interview scheduling
- A CRM to track and manage every caregiver lead
That is when the conversation took an unexpected turn.
The prospect clarified that they were only interested in caregivers who were already working with clients at other agencies, with the expectation that the caregiver would leave, bring the client with them, and switch agencies entirely.
In other words, they were not looking to recruit caregivers…
They were looking to poach them and their clients.
I will be honest. I was taken aback. And yes, I was frustrated.
I explained calmly but clearly that we are a professional digital marketing agency and that we do not engage in unethical or predatory recruiting practices. I began outlining ethical alternatives for attracting caregivers who want to work with their agency.
Before that conversation could continue, the prospect hung up.
Here is the takeaway for home care agency owners:
Caregiver recruiting is hard. No one disputes that.
But shortcuts that undermine trust, professionalism, and ethics will always cost you more in the long run.
The agencies that win long term:
- Build strong employer brands
- Attract caregivers who choose them intentionally
- Invest in systems, not schemes
- Compete on culture, leadership, and opportunity, not desperation
There are enough caregivers looking for better work environments, better communication, and better leadership. You do not need to tear another agency down to grow yours.
If you are serious about recruiting caregivers the right way, sustainably, ethically, and with systems that actually work, that is a conversation I am always willing to have.
Because how you grow your agency says a lot about who you are.
