Being a healthcare recruiter is hard work, and it is only going to continue to get harder, with record low unemployment numbers in most geographic markets, coupled with the fact that there are major narrow funnel stoppages that do not allow supply to meet demand of educated clinical professionals. However, there are ways around these challenges that will allow you to see much success as a talent-acquisition professional in the impactful and booming healthcare space.
Personal Branding Will Set You Apart
Personal branding is a topic that has sat at the forefront of my mind, and has been one of the cornerstones, in my opinion, of my own success in the healthcare talent-acquisition space. Building out an intentional, robust, and authentic personal brand can help you drive the results that you seek.
While there has been much written on this topic, ensure that your brand is authentic and that is one that is substantial. I have built my own personal brand through daily investment into commenting on various topics, writing on various topics, being visible on all social channels, speaking at conferences, and more. If you are viewed as a subject matter expert (and have the chops to back it up), then more passive candidates will be engaging with you, your personal brand, and eventually your hospital/care center’s brand.
Think Your Process Is Fast? Move Faster
Speed kills in healthcare recruiting, and it has never been more evident today. I wrote about this topic in full this past year, but the content and fundamentals continue to ring true. Coach and educate your hiring managers on the labor and geographic limitations of a specific care center and role, what the market is bearing, and more.
One way I have been able to speed up the process in my own practice is by sending weekly updates as to where we are at with all candidates in play, and what could be coming up as far as next steps, and using analytics/matrices to tell a story of similar recruitments in the past. For instance, I communicate what time it took to get to offer the last time we had to fill a role of this nature in a specific geographic area, and beyond. Coach your hiring managers and really sell your candidates to your hiring managers, which is a major key in healthcare recruitment. In addition, you must move at a frantic pace and stay on top of your practice, which would include returning emails in a expedited manner, returning all voice mails, and more.
Pipelines Have Never Been More Important
This topic dovetails nicely into the previous point, but truly does warrant some commentary in and of itself. The healthcare space has statistically never been more competitive, with healthcare being the America’s largest employer by number. I carve out time daily, and weekly, to conduct pipeline related conversations and actions. Some actions I take include having an introductory conversation with a passive candidate who has expressed interest, sending inbound marketing to a group of passive candidates, simply reaching out to those in my network in some fashion, and more. This investment in time now will allow you to reap major rewards when that role comes open (and it will) in the future.
Get Innovative
John Sullivan really hit the nail on the head. The organizations that are most innovative are going to be noticed, and eventually, take the W. There are no shortage of ways to be innovative, so use your imagination. Whether it be live Facebook/Twitter/Instagram chats, hosting a “get to know us” hiring event at a high-end restaurant in your city, or setting up a ice-cream stand on a hot sunny say outside of a hospital, there are no shortage of ways to be innovative.
I am excited to unpack these concepts and more during my session at ERE San Diego 2019 which I have titled, “Winning the Healthcare Recruiting Game in 2019.” See you there!