Four Outreach Support Worker hires in under four weeks for Simon on the Streets
This Outreach Support Worker recruitment case study shows how Simon on the Streets moved from limited response through its own channels to four successful hires in under four weeks.
About Simon on the Streets
Simon on the Streets is a Leeds-based charity providing practical and emotional support to people experiencing homelessness. Its services are delivered through street-based outreach, supporting individuals who may not be engaging with other services.
The charity needed to attract Outreach Support Workers with the experience, resilience and personal qualities required to build trust and support people facing extremely difficult circumstances.
The Outreach Support Worker recruitment challenge
Before partnering with Ad Talent, Simon on the Streets had advertised its vacancies through its own website and social media channels.
Despite these efforts, the campaign had generated very little traction and was not reaching enough suitable candidates. The charity needed to improve the visibility of the roles and attract people with the right skills and values. As we explain in our guide to reducing unsuitable job applications, successful recruitment is not simply about generating more applications, it is about generating relevant reach.
Simon on the Streets also wanted to retain control of its own online application process. The campaign therefore needed to generate interest, identify relevant candidates and encourage them to complete the charity’s application form.
What Ad Talent did
Role positioning
Ad Talent presented the Outreach Support Worker opportunity to a wider pool of candidates in and around Leeds.
The campaign communicated the importance of the role and the qualities needed to support people experiencing homelessness, helping candidates understand the work before taking the next step.
Candidate attraction
We promoted the vacancies across our recruitment channels, increasing their visibility beyond Simon on the Streets’ existing website and social media activity.
This generated 76 applications in under four weeks and brought the opportunity to candidates who may not otherwise have seen it.
Candidate identification and engagement
We reviewed the applications against the requirements of the role and identified 21 relevant candidates.
Our team then engaged directly with those candidates, encouraged them to learn more about Simon on the Streets and its work, and directed interested applicants to the charity’s website to complete its online application form.
This approach helped Simon on the Streets retain control of its application process while keeping suitable candidates engaged and moving them towards the next stage.
The results
The campaign delivered:
- 76 applications in under four weeks
- 21 relevant candidates identified and engaged
- Four successful hires
- Four new Outreach Support Workers appointed in under four weeks
Why the campaign worked
The campaign succeeded because it addressed both parts of the recruitment challenge: increasing reach and improving candidate relevance.
Greater advertising visibility generated a much stronger response than Simon on the Streets had achieved through its own channels. Careful review then helped identify the candidates most closely aligned with the role.
Proactive engagement was also important. By speaking directly with relevant applicants and encouraging them to complete Simon on the Streets’ own application process, Ad Talent helped the charity maintain control while reducing the risk of suitable candidates dropping out.
Together, targeted recruitment advertising, careful candidate identification and hands-on engagement helped Simon on the Streets turn an underperforming vacancy into four successful hires in under four weeks.
Related insight
Recruiting for specialist support roles requires more than simply generating applications. Candidates also need to understand the work, the organisation and the personal qualities required to succeed. Our healthcare recruitment guide for UK employers looks more closely at some of the challenges involved in attracting suitable people to care and support roles.
Targeted advertising, relevant candidate identification and proactive engagement can help charities and care organisations reach suitable people while keeping their own application process in place.
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