Did you know hiring the right medical staff is a substantial challenge for healthcare organizations? This amid healthcare industry threat is posed by several factors, but the most significant contributor is an already puzzling hiring practice.
There is an urgent need to improve the healthcare recruitment process, as addressing this concern is just peeling the first layer of the onion. A statistical forecast by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) states that in the next 15 years, the US will experience a shortage of 140,000 physicians, 300,000 registered nurses, and 100,000 psychologists. This makes it very clear that it is one of the most pressing healthcare challenges.
Luckily, there is still a silver lining, as the global healthcare staffing marketing is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.77% from 2024 to 2029 and attain a market valuation of USD 58.81 million.
Therefore this promising market forecast is for HR’s to invest in a healthcare database if they want to push their recruitment process faster. Nevertheless, at our disposal, we have a few positively impactful healthcare recruitment tips that will drive successful hiring.
Table of Contents
Healthcare Recruitment Tips to Supercharge Your Hiring Process:
Healthcare recruitment is plagued with numerous challenges; the below image highlights a few of the grave difficulties. But, we will take through promising healthcare recruiting tips that will address challenges in tactful way and help your healthcare organization find quality hires.
1. Creating a Robust Employer Brand:
75% of the candidates do a thorough research about the employer’s brand before applying for the job. It is mostly because healthcare is a continuously evolving sector, and it’s difficult to find a healthcare sector that focuses on ethical values, work-life balance, and diversity. So, as a healthcare organization, you communicate your brand image by conveying values and vision on social media, professional websites, job descriptions, and career pages. All of it has a significant contribution as 84% job seekers take organization’s reputation into consideration while applying for a job.
2. Be Specific About Your Healthcare Practice Requirement:
As a healthcare facility, before you begin hiring workers, you need to make calls about which roles you need to fill and the experience level you require for the particular roles. When you narrow the necessities, you will be able to decide the timeline within which a candidate should be hired and the budget requirements for the candidate.
The HR of the healthcare organization should have a very clear perception of the hiring criteria. Only then will they be able to put a descriptive role requirement, inculcated with proper style and formatting, as 52% of job seekers say that the quality of the job posting has a noteworthy impact on their decision-making process to apply for a job.
3. Utilization of Niche Job Board:
Posting job requirements on the usual portals such as Careerjet.com and Indeed.com is a hiring approach you should not miss out on. At the same time, healthcare organizations must take into consideration registering for job boards which are specifically created for the healthcare industry, i.e., Healthcare sources, Career Vitals, Health providers, and others. Using niche boards will help you reach healthcare staff with the right skill set as niche job boards have a 30% higher apply rate than general job boards.
4. Make use of Online and Offline Platforms:
Now that you know how to create a strong employer brand image, how to shortlist candidate requirements, and put jobs on niche boards. Next, you need to be available on numerous platforms as it creates a healthcare staffing candidate pipeline.
Social Media: Around 92% of healthcare companies use social media to recruit talent as it is an excellent way to reach passive candidate. Candidates who are not presently searching for a job might apply once they are aware of the job opening. Carry out an analysis to understand which platform is majorly used by your ideal candidates, then leverage the social media platform to the optimal levels to meet recruitment goals.
Networking Events: Healthcare sector events aid in fostering bonds with healthcare providers with excellent experience. As the hiring executives make themselves available in these network gatherings, they will meet healthcare executives who might be willing to make a job switch.
Student events: Healthcare Educational institutions encourage collaborations with healthcare organizations. Your healthcare organization can take advantage of the scenario and attend student events to identify up-and-coming talents and offer internship roles that can be fostered in long-term employment and careers. According to Zippia, 615,165 medical interns are currently working in the United States. Furthermore, healthcare organizations should participate in student events as the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that 78.6% of students participate in experimental learning opportunities. Below, we highlight a few more statistics from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) internship.
Referral programs: Internal employee referral programs are a great way to grow the candidate pool. The referrals are always targeted toward qualified individuals, increasing the chances of getting high-quality hires. In a time when the healthcare industry is posed with increased competition, it’s best to urge your employees to promote your organization’s job opening.
5. Leverage Advanced Technology for Recruitment Process:
Upgrading the hiring process with advanced technology is prerequisite, as the demand of healthcare services are ramped up due to aging and population growth. Utilization of advanced technologies has significant contribution, such as it can optimize the performance of the existing workforce, boost the analytical and reporting work, and save time by streamlining automated process, and multiplies the candidate pool to a great extent. Below we have listed few technologies which will help in achieving these particular goals.
- Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence has brought unprecedented enhancement to healthcare requirements. The AI algorithms are beneficial in identifying relevant skills, matching candidates with job requirements, and analysing resumes. 95% of HR professionals think that the application process will be simplified with AI. Around 68% of recruiters agree that AI will diminish hiring bias.
- Virtual Assessment and Video Interview: The advent of virtual interviews has eliminated the concerns of geographical barriers and accelerated hiring. It has become a common practice for healthcare organizations to conduct virtual interviews to save time and resources. Furthermore, virtual assessments are feasible as the candidate’s diligence can be thoroughly monitored with advanced technologies. For example, TestGorilla is one such software that offers the following features: Over 300 tests, candidate webcam snapshots (with candidates’ permission), disabled copy/paste IP address monitoring, full-screen mode detection, and randomized test questions.
- Big Data for Predictive Analysis: Big data analytics is a game changer for talent acquisition. By harnessing large volumes of data, healthcare organizations can identify trends, predict potential turnover, and forecast workforce needs. As per forecast projection big data in healthcare management is estimated to reach a valuation of $105.73 billion by 2031. It indicates in the coming years, the leadership roles looking after day-to-day operations in the healthcare sector will significantly benefited from incorporating big data for predictive analysis.
It’s beneficial to incorporate these advanced technologies in the recruitment processes, as further ahead in the future, more involvement of technology in the healthcare industry sector is inevitable. In due time, wearables, IoT, and augmented reality will be used to optimize the healthcare hiring process to a superior level.
6. Easy and Efficient Application Process:
Statistics suggest that 60% of the candidates bail while working with a lengthy, drawn-out application process, so healthcare organizations should focus on making the application processing part more straightforward. Thereby making the work easy for both the interested candidate and the healthcare recruiter.
- The listing should include all necessary information upfront, such as pay, next step, and requirements.
- Offer “Easy Apply” options based on the application platform.
- Use settings and keyword that allow your application to appear in executive search filters.
- Inform candidates about when they can hear from you
- Remove unnecessary fields from your application.
- Develop an internal process for quickly reviewing and responding to the applications.
7. Conscientious Interviewing & Timely Offer:
Interviews are double-sided in healthcare recruiting; the job seeker will be keen on knowing how this job will fulfil their needs. Henceforth, a healthcare candidate interview needs a well-rounded approach, where the recruiter must enquire about the candidate’s soft skills. To understand how professional education helps the candidate to navigate day-to-day work challenges. As the interview proceeds, the recruiter can provide information about workloads, compensation, and career opportunities.
Job seekers go through numerous interviews while they are looking for a job. So, it’s predictable that job seekers also get multiple job offers. Therefore, to stay ahead in the competitive market, if you find a candidate that ticks all of your necessary boxes, make an offer at the earliest. This proactive approach will not only show your efficiency but also increase the chances of securing the best candidates. On average, 55% of job seekers consider the period should be two weeks from the first interview to the offer letter. Lastly, when you send an offer, be prepared to negotiate in case the candidate has prior legitimate experience.
8. Address Skill Gap Concern:
Do you know that almost 80% of healthcare executives say that recruiting talent is one of the greatest business risks? What is the reason behind it? There is a noticeable gap between job seekers’ perception of pay standards and the healthcare industry pay standards. The scenario is being referred to as a “hiring hang-up“. From the employer’s perspective, the candidates are not aligned with technological and medical shifts, additionally lacking in education. From the job seekers’ point of view, the strict job requirements make it unthinkable for them to apply for jobs above entry level.
Under changing job marketing expectations, recruitment becomes even more difficult. There are a few simple ways to overcome these hurdles: implement the tactics mentioned below.
- Increase the possibility of on-the-job training.
- Increase the minimum wage of healthcare staff
- Drive return to work for recent retirees
- Start recruiting amongst the college graduates.
A proper balance of the above four tactics will address the skill gap concern that the healthcare sector is facing at the moment.
9. Strategize Email Marketing Campaign:
Healthcare-related email campaigns have an average open rate of 41.23%. That’s why incorporating email marketing in healthcare recruitment ensures tailored messages are sent to candidates based on their skills and preferences. As the communication becomes more targeted, the engagement with the emails goes higher. In doing so, healthcare organizations can build talent pipelines by quickly sharing job opportunities and highlight the positive employer brand by showcasing the success stories and organization culture.
If you want to jump-start finding the right hire immediately, get a database of healthcare professionals to attract candidates aligned with your organization’s ethos.
Bonus Healthcare Recruiting Tip: Invest on Staffs to Retain Talent
As the healthcare staff shortages are at an all-time high, almost 78% of medical leaders agree to spend more time finding the right candidate. Another statistic suggests a 5% reduction in time-to-fill can yield $4.3 million in revenue. Therefore, the hiring process doesn’t end with finding the right candidate; they should also be retained. It will give the hiring and healthcare executives a little pause in between the hiring and diminish the employee turnover rate.
Here are a few suggestion to retain an existing and new talented healthcare worker:
Upgrade internal software: Healthcare practitioners feel satisfied with their work when they are able to deliver a good patient experience. So, empower medical staff with the right software and tools that streamline all internal processes, improve communication, and cut patients’ wait time.
Certificates and training: Upskilling your employees indicates you value their contribution to the organization. Also, it helps the healthcare staff grow in their career within your organization.
Appreciate Your Employees: A simple token of appreciation goes a long way. Offer bonuses, timely promotions rewards and recognition to applaud the contribution of the healthcare staff.
Extend Employee Benefits: Sometimes the benefits you provide as an organization, set you apart from your competitors. Learn about what your healthcare staff cares about the most and expand the perks and benefits of your organization.
Conclusion:
Presently, there is quite a revolution in the healthcare industry; in the face of innumerable challenges, organizations must hire skilled employees. To achieve this goal, healthcare enterprises must implement the multifaceted healthcare recruitment tips mentioned above. Only then it will have a resilient and adaptive healthcare team that can provide significant healthcare services in an ever-evolving medical field over time.
