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We’re Hiring: Sullivan County officials looking at new ways to attract applicants

By Patrick Adrian
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — In a COVID-influenced job market Sullivan County officials are strategically highlighting geographic proximity and flexibility in a campaign to attract new employees.

“People [tell us that] they want to be creative with their schedule,” said Sullivan County Human Resources Director Hilary Snide. “Sometimes they are working around young children at home or a spouse’s schedule . . . They might want some fluidity to what days they want off. And the want is sometimes not even full time anymore.”

The county also seeks to highlight the opportunity to work closer to home, such as through its newest employee recruitment poster’s slogan “Love local, work local.”

The majority of county jobs, particularly the vacancies, are located at the county complex in Unity, which houses the county nursing home and correctional facility.

Currently 10 of the county vacancies are nursing-related, including registered nurses and licensed nursing assistants. Other vacancies include one correctional officer position and multiple kitchen staff, housekeeping, and laundry staff.

Given the high regional demand for nurses and licensed assistants, schedule flexibility becomes a vital recruiting tool, particularly in a county with less fiscal resources to compete with wealthier counties or private employers like Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

“We have really generous and flexible per-diem offerings so that someone doesn’t have to be full-time with us,” Snide said. “We see that trend growing, where people may want to work for multiple employers.”

In terms of health care, the trend to Snide is not so much that employees are completely leaving the industry. Rather Snide sees health care workers exploring their type of work situation.

“People are questioning where they want to work, or how far they want to drive to work, where they live or what they are making,” Snide said. “They aren’t necessarily saying that they don’t want to do this work but whether they want to do this work ‘here’ anymore.”

Jaclynn Fowler, the nursing administrative coordinator, said she was drawn to the close-knit professional community at the home.

“My grandmother was a resident there before I started working there,” Fowler said. “The employees treated every resident and co-worker like a family. And that’s really what Sullivan County is all about, working together as a team and helping one another and its residents.”

Food services, another highly competitive job market, is also a major hiring area in the county.

While the county prefers cooks to have a culinary background, the nursing home also employs dietary associates, which are entry-level positions with duties that include meal delivery and kitchen support.

One advantage that nursing home kitchens arguably have over traditional restaurants is more consistent work hours, noted Debra Belanger, director of county food services.

“No matter what, we are all done and out of the kitchen by 8 p.m.,” Belanger said. “At some restaurants the employees don’t get out of there until 1 a.m. So many cooks I hire tell me that they love the hours [at the home].”

The kitchen shifts are also designed with attention to employee schedule preferences, Belanger said.

“Some people are morning people, some people are night people,” Belanger said. “I try to be flexible and meet all their needs. That’s what people want right now.”

To learn more about Sullivan County employment opportunities, visit the Sullivan County website or go directly to the online employment link bit.ly/3rG3Dzn.

reporter @eagletimes.com

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