Health care is a diverse industry, and recruiters have an important job that involves matching qualified candidates to open employment positions. Recruiters scout healthcare professionals who have the right qualities and experience to meet the needs of employers seeking to hire. Learning about healthcare recruitment, why it’s important, and how to recruit effectively can help you improve your recruiting skills and match candidates with the right positions. In this article, we explain what healthcare recruitment is, and what healthcare recruiters do and offer seven tips on how to recruit new candidates into the healthcare industry.
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What is health care recruitment?
Healthcare recruitment is the process of identifying qualified candidates on behalf of a medical, insurance or related healthcare organization looking to hire professionals. This is an important job because it helps organizations find high-quality candidates who meet their specific requirements for fulfilling a particular role. For example, a large hospital often needs to hire many nurses to ensure all its patients receive excellent care. Maintaining a roster of qualified nurses is important for managing turnover, preventing employee shortages and developing an effective nursing team. Recruitment is important for matching the right candidates to the right jobs.
What does a healthcare recruiter do?
Healthcare recruiters work with organizations to understand their employment needs, create systems to find and scout potential candidates, communicate with candidates and negotiate employment contracts. Some healthcare recruiters work for a particular healthcare organization, while others may work for an employment agency or even as freelance contractors. In health care, recruiters often work for hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and diagnostic or research laboratories. The daily responsibilities of healthcare recruiters may vary depending on their setting of employment. Here are some of the additional responsibilities of healthcare recruiters:
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Consulting with members of an organization’s human resources and senior management teams to understand the employment needs of the company
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Writing and posting job descriptions
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Creating and maintaining a candidate tracking system, such as a database
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Using social media sites to identify and contact potential candidates
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Researching applicants to gain insight into their personal and professional backgrounds
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Reviewing job applications and resumes
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Scheduling and hosting job interviews to learn more about qualified candidates
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Communicating with human resources and management professionals to identify the right candidate for a position
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Negotiating contract details, including benefits, time off and salaries
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Attending job fairs, conferences and other types of professional events to network and recruit candidates
7 tips for recruiting candidates in the healthcare industry
Here are some tips to consider to improve your recruitment strategy in the healthcare industry:
1. Know the industry
Successful healthcare recruiters need to understand the industry in which they work. Since the healthcare industry is multifaceted and relies on an extended network of medical professionals, allied health support professionals, insurance providers, researchers and manufacturers, recruiters often need to understand how the different sectors within the industry overlap and differ. For example, a recruiter working for a major hospital may need to understand the employment needs of the hospital and know how its partners interact with its employees before recruiting professionals. Choosing candidates who can work well with a hospital’s network of partners is important.
Additionally, understanding the specific needs and employment trends of the healthcare industry helps recruiters choose the best strategies for hiring professionals. For example, when the industry faces nursing shortages, the recruiter may need to investigate the causes of the shortage and develop strategies for overcoming that trend. Learning about why fewer professionals want to enter or stay in the nursing field can help recruiters recommend changes to an employer’s workplace to make it more attractive and competitive for nurses.
2. Remain updated with technological changes
Technology typically evolves quickly in the healthcare industry, so recruiters often need to be aware of how these changes can affect the employment needs of their organizations. In particular, technology advancements may change the types of tasks employees need to complete on a daily basis. Technology may replace some menial responsibilities, causing changes to the requirements for certain job positions. Additionally, technology may change how certain employees perform their jobs. Recruiters may need to find candidates with experience using particular types of technology or equipment for a particular position.
Recruiters also need to be aware of changes in recruitment technology. New application management systems, networking sites and job boards may help recruiters perform their roles. By learning about new recruitment technologies, recruiters can update their current systems and processes to gain access to new tools and resources that can help with their work. Additionally, candidates may use new technologies when looking for and applying for positions. Knowing what technologies candidates use can help recruiters align their recruitment process with the systems candidates rely on most often.
3. Consider employer branding
Choosing the right candidates for a position requires recruiters to understand the brand and values of their organization. Not only does a candidate need the right skills and experiences to qualify for a position, but they also need to fit well culturally into the organization’s team. When a candidate’s values, goals and professional perspective align with those of the company, they may work well as part of the organization’s team. Teamwork is often an important aspect of working for a healthcare facility, so hiring the right candidates involves choosing professionals with the right characteristics and attitudes.
4. Review competitor benefits and salary offerings
To stay competitive, recruiters investigate the typical benefits packages and salaries their competitors offer. Recruiters research these packages and work with the human resources team to design employee contracts that offer comparable advantages to competitors so they can attract and retain candidates and employees. Since part of a recruiter’s job is to negotiate employee contracts, it helps to know what the typical offerings are for similar positions at other institutions so you can negotiate effectively. When you can justify the salary and benefits package with industry-backed data, it can improve your ability to negotiate a fair contract with candidates.
5. Build strategic recruiting pipelines
Not only do recruiters interact with hiring managers and job candidates, but they also help organizations develop internal systems that support the recruitment process. For example, recruiters may design an automated online application review system that makes it easier to collect, analyze and categorize candidates based on specific positions. In addition to using technology systems, recruiters create networks with institutions and agencies intended to help candidates find jobs. Recruiters may build relationships with university advisers, professional societies, local job placement agencies and state job boards to gain access to candidates who are actively looking for employment.
6. Choose the right places to advertise open positions
Using the right channels to post job listings can help you access the candidates who are most likely to align with the position’s needs. For example, you may prefer to post job listings on a wide variety of job boards to collect as many applications as possible. This can be an effective strategy for a general position or if you’re looking to hire many employees at the same time. In other cases, you may choose to be more selective about the channels you use.
For example, if you’re looking to fill a high-level, technical or specialized position, you may prefer to meet candidates in person before inviting them to apply. You may use your network to identify potential candidates, attend professional events like conferences or visit professional organization meetings to expand your network. Another great way to meet candidates in person is to go to job fairs. College job fairs or post-graduate fairs can be great ways to meet eager candidates looking to start their careers or find a job that suits their level of experience.
7. Determine long-term strategies based on industry trends
Account for industry trends that may help you anticipate your organization’s future hiring needs. For example, an aging population may increase the demand for healthcare services, which means organizations may need to scale their staffing to accommodate an increase in patients. Additionally, some healthcare sectors may experience different trends when compared to others. For example, there may be an increase in the need for senior health care services, but the demand for pediatric services may remain relatively steady within the same timeframe. Anticipating demand based on population trends helps recruiters manage sufficient staffing.
I hope you find this article helpful.