When I started Snap Care 25 years ago, recruiting support staff looked very different to how it does today. It was slower, more manual, and far less polished – but it was also deeply personal, and that part has never changed.
Back to the Early Days
In the early 2000s, CVs arrived by post or were handed in at our Shoreditch office. Every single one had to be read, logged, and often retyped (some were truly creative!). Job adverts went into newspapers and magazines like The Lady, or onto college noticeboards after a session with the guillotine. From advert to application could take weeks.
The Digital Shift
The arrival of online job boards and digital CVs changed everything. Candidates could apply from external job boards or directly from our website, enabling us to organise applications more efficiently. Social media and online advertising widened the talent pool and significantly sped things up. (There is a downside, it is almost too easy to apply for jobs; we have to filter out many CVs that are completely unsuitable).
How We Use Technology at Snap Care
Today, technology plays a helpful supporting role in how we work. For example, we use AI to transcribe candidate interviews, which means we can fully focus on listening to the candidate rather than typing. Virtual interviews and online home visits have also become the norm, saving time for families and clients. and making scheduling far more flexible.
Data and analytics now help us spot trends and refine our approach, but they never make decisions for us.
That said, we do need to be careful. We are seeing more AI-generated CVs that look impressive on paper but don’t always stand up to scrutiny. A probing, well-structured conversation often reveals that a candidate’s hands-on experience is not quite as extensive as their CV suggests... This is another reason why in-depth interviews remain so important.
Why the Human Element Is Still Essential
Supporting children and adults with disabilities is deeply personal. No algorithm can truly assess compassion, judgement, adaptability, or whether someone is the right fit for a particular client or family. That comes from conversation, experience, and trust built over time.
At Snap Care, technology helps us work smarter – but it’s the human connection that underpins everything we do. Taking the time to understand candidates, clients, and individual needs is what leads to successful, long-term placements.
Looking Ahead
Recruitment will continue to evolve, and we’ll continue to embrace tools that genuinely add value. But when it comes to recruiting exceptional support staff, the human touch will always be irreplaceable.
#SnapCare #SpecialistRecruitment #SupportStaff #DisabilitySupport #HumanTouch #InclusiveRecruitment #SENSupport