Where to find and recruit healthcare employees
The demands of the healthcare industry constantly change, and you may be struggling to find candidates for open jobs. Here are a few sources to find skilled healthcare job candidates and streamline your recruiting process.
Referrals
Referrals from a variety of sources in your network, such as current employees, colleagues and business partners, are a great way to find well-aligned job candidates. Recruiting talent through referrals takes less time and investment on your part as you’re tasking the initial sourcing efforts to your network, and research shows that 45% of referred hires stay four years or more. In other words, referrals are a cost-effective strategy that can lead to higher quality hires.
To get referrals, reach out and build a rapport with your professional and social circles. Let them know your business’s medical staff hiring needs and criteria, and ask for introductions with individuals who may suit your job openings. You can also implement employee referral programs where you reward current employees for referring successful candidates.
Healthcare staffing agencies
Staffing agencies help organizations fill temporary and permanent job openings and are a great resource for businesses in need of healthcare workers. The healthcare recruitment and hiring process can be time consuming and costly, but medical staffing agencies offload these tasks from your business and match you with candidates that meet your job opening requirements. Some agencies even help with vendor management, software and professional credentials.
Campus recruiting
Most healthcare professions require specific education, training or credentials, which means universities and other education institutions are good places to connect to a growing talent pool. Send your business’s representatives to university job fairs and other healthcare recruiting events to generate awareness and interest about career opportunities in your organization.
Visiting institutions with notable healthcare programs can help you access a competitive talent pool, but keep in mind that business, public administration and other programs also prepare students for non-medical professions in healthcare, such as administrators or community health coordinators.
Posting to job boards
In addition to networking, many healthcare workers look to Indeed and online healthcare job boards to connect with employers. Advertising your healthcare job openings online can help you find a wide talent pool with relevant skills and experience that match your business’s needs.
When crafting your job posting, make sure to use relevant keywords and phrases that can rank you at the top of job searches. Consider keywords such as:
- Healthcare industry-specific terms
- Location-specific terms
- Job title abbreviations
- Your business’s branded terms or marketing phrases
Related: How to Find Healthcare Industry Candidates with Boolean Search
How to attract and recruit healthcare employees
COVID-19 resulted in a major shift in the US job market when a record-breaking rate of workers quit their jobs. The healthcare industry has maintained a relatively stable resignation rate, but the job market remains competitive as workers search for stronger company culture, better compensation and improved work-life balance. Here are strategies for attracting healthcare workers in a competitive job market.
Clear job description
A clearly-written job description that specifies exact qualifications and job duties is more likely to attract relevant applicants, streamlining the initial stages of the recruitment process. Job descriptions should also outline your organization’s vision, values and culture to attract applicants that best align with your company. Remember to use inclusive and welcoming language, even if you’re looking for specific or specialized job candidates.
Read more: How to Write a Job Description
Competitive compensation
With a competitive job market, your organization’s compensation package needs to be equally competitive to attract top applicants. Research what other organizations are offering for similar roles, and consider highlighting employee salary ranges and other financial incentives in your job postings.
Comprehensive benefits and perks
In addition to competitive financial compensation, many healthcare workers want a comprehensive benefits and perks package that supports work-life balance, well-being and professional development. Consider offering the following benefits and perks and highlighting them in job postings:
- Flexible work environment and schedule
- Retirement plan
- Wellness programs
- Tuition reimbursement
- Health benefits
- Stock options
- Paid leave
- Childcare
Prioritize company culture
A healthy company culture is increasingly important to workers, especially millennials and Generation Z. Get feedback from your organization and continually address issues or opportunities in your company culture, with consideration to aspects such as:
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Support for healthcare workers experiencing burnout or distress
- Collaborative and positive employer-employee relationships
- Defining and and demonstrating core values
Related: Advancing Diversity in Healthcare: How to Hire for a More Inclusive Health System
Emphasize your company brand
Although often underestimated, branding can be an effective way to attract applicants and build your talent pool without making additional outbound recruitment efforts. Applicants who recognize your organization’s branding and respect its reputation may be more likely to apply
To market your company brand, try incorporating these ideas into your online strategies:
- Feature photos and videos of your business and employees at work
- Highlight employee and customer testimonials
- Write email newsletters to keep potential candidates interested
How to screen and interview
Consider the following steps when screening and interviewing candidates for healthcare jobs:
Initial prescreening
Prior to scheduling interviews, prescreen each potential candidate and review their education, experience and other qualifications. Healthcare workers interact closely with patients and carry significant responsibility, so it may also be necessary to review details such as social media personas and prior employers.
Schedule phone interviews
Phone or virtual interviews are a cost-effective mode of first-round interviews that let you gauge candidates’ qualifications before moving them into advanced assessments and interviews. During these interviews, ask candidates questions around topics such as:
- Alignment with company culture, mission and values
- Level of interest
- Communication style
- Soft skills
Perform assessments
Depending on the skills required for the position, you may consider performing pre-employment assessments to ensure that candidates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and competencies. For instance, some medical assistants or billing associates perform skills tests for medical codes.
Background and credential check
Regardless of how trustworthy applicants may appear, it’s important to verify their history and qualifications to ensure you’re making informed and responsible hiring decisions. Verifying details such as work history and education credentials as well as performing a background check helps ensure that you’re hiring reputable candidates and not missing any information discrepancies.
In-person interviews
Once you’ve narrowed down your candidates, conduct in-person interviews to get an in-depth evaluation of their knowledge, skills and other qualifications. To streamline your interview process, develop both baseline healthcare questions as well as role-specific questions. Consider soft or transferable skills developed in other industries or roles, such as office or customer service experience.
There are a variety of interview styles, many of which can be conducted virtually if in-person interviews aren’t feasible. These include:
- One-on-one interviews
- Panel interviews
- Group interviews
Retaining employees
Despite a relatively stable resignation rate throughout COVID-19, the healthcare industry maintains one of the highest average turnover rates. Due to issues such as stressful work environments, career frustration and burnout, the healthcare industry turned over more than 90% of its workforce between 2016 and 2021, costing an average hospital up to $6.5 million in registered nurse turnover alone.
To manage turnover and retain more employees, consider the following strategies:
- Ongoing development. To mitigate role and career frustration, provide employees with ongoing training, education and other opportunities to support their professional development.
- Access to amenities. Perks and benefits such as wellness programs, food options and childcare can help employees feel valued and improve well-being.
- Vacation and leave. Providing appropriate vacation and paid leave enables employees to achieve greater work-life balance and may reduce absenteeism or burnout.
- Relocation assistance. For in-person roles, offering relocation assistance can broaden your talent pool.
