The New Rules of Healthcare Recruiting: Best Practices

In the not too distant past, healthcare recruiting involved “posting and praying;” recruiters listed jobs and waited for candidates to respond. Today, massive industry disruption is empowering HR and talent management leaders to create sophisticated recruiting processes to attract and engage the right candidates. Finding and hiring the right people in healthcare has never been more important in this age of radical reform, innovation, and consumerism. By 2022 about 5 million jobs will be added to the healthcare sector. Each of those jobs represents many hours of work from recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. Moreover, for the first time in modern history, America’s workforce spans five generations, including Generation Z, Millennial, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and Traditionalists.

Recruiting a top-of-the-line healthcare workforce is critically important to any healthcare organizations future effectiveness. In fact in a recent HealthStream HR Executive Survey, 75% of healthcare organizations say having a talent acquisition strategy is more important today than even a year ago. More than half admit that the efficacy of their current strategy is middle of the road, and 78% say attracting quality candidates is more difficult this year than last. To these points, the healthcare talent industry is rolling out a new roadmap aimed at improving the entire recruiting life cycle, including time-to-hire, quality-of-hire, and process improvement. HR and talent leaders are eschewing traditional recruiting models and zeroing in on targeted networking strategies that bring in qualified job candidates. What’s more, they are integrating technology, analytics, standardized selection processes, and tactical engagement practices into the hiring process. The ultimate goal: Recruit a high performing, culturally astute workforce that is prepared to handle the ever-changing world of healthcare delivery.

Adhering to the following four rules will help you reach that goal:

1. Understand a new workforce

   Not only does the new workforce span multiple generations, it also is sharply influenced by Generation Z and Millennials, the youngest and fastest growing cohorts. These younger workers are ushering in new ideas and practices when it comes to choosing careers and employers and how they approach their roles and responsibilities. These younger generations are tech-savvy, inquisitive, and constantly sharing and digesting information. They have an open concept of communication and expect to interact and communicate with prospective employers in the same way they do everywhere else, using all forms of media, including texting, messaging, apps, video, and social media. This also applies to the way they learn, beaing especially prepared to make the most of Healthcare Learning Management Software and Health Care Compliance Software.

2. Become an expert

   Recruiters are taking on a more strategic marketing role covering a wide range of disciplines. These leaders must think and act more like marketers and use tactics more commonly found in marketing than in HR. As a result, they are doing things like writing copy and SEO. They are blogging, going on social media, and developing strategies that incorporate career microsites, apps, and video interviewing technology to name a few.

3. Get down to the basics

   Pay attention to all the parts needed to build an intelligent, effective healthcare recruiting strategy. Your goal is do everything necessary to attract high-performing candidates. High performers have a strong impact on performance and culture. Given the right opportunities for growth, these employees can become organizational catalysts, inspiring and influencing others to become top performers and make a real difference in your organization.

4. Stay up to date with trends

   The HR and talent industry has become much more strategic and creative in recent years in order to keep up with demand and to attract a high-quality, high-performing workforce. They are doing everything from mobile-friendly recruiting processes to building innovative career sites and using video technology to pre-screen candidates.