This article discusses 4 helpful tips to recruiting successfully in Healthcare.

1. No matter what business you are in, there are times when
the laws of supply and demand are simply not working
in your favor. Rather than throwing in the towel, those are the
times when you have to become more resourceful and creative
so you can stay competitive. This is a reality that healthcare
recruiters know far too well. Couple strong and continuous
demand for high-quality talent with limited supply, and you can
see why healthcare recruitment has never been tougher.
To further complicate the situation, the healthcare market
is growing at a record pace with new organizations and
business lines developing daily. In this competitive arena,
retaining and attracting top talent requires strategic planning
and out-of-the-box thinking. Recruiters have to be willing to go
the extra mile to build relationships with their current staff and
partner with local organizations to maintain the pipeline of
talent their hiring managers require.
Here are four ways to nurture strong relationships within the
healthcare field to ensure on-going access to top talent:
Establish an employee referral program. Nurses
are a very well-networked group of professionals, and they
care deeply about working with people they like and respect.
As a result, they are likely to recommend candidates who have
the skills and experience that will fit the unique culture of your
work environment. Provide enticing incentives such as trips or
electronics for successful referrals. Then, publicly recognize
those that provide successful referrals (and the referees) on a
regular basis in your newsletters or email communications.
Don’t forget to garner executive sponsorship for the program;
buy-in from the leadership will go a long way towards
successful adoption of your referral program.
Build social media campaigns. Use social media
tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to
build and nurture your online community of followers. This
strategy appeals to the communal nature of the people in the
healthcare field and will lead you to like-minded candidates.
Try these ideas for your next campaign:
• Start a photo campaign of the most unusual uniforms;
we know nurses enjoy this creative outlet.
• Share smart phone apps that make life easier for
busy nurses.
• Provide healthy recipes with pictures. Nurses generally like
to bake and share recipes, so to get their attention, start a
“What’s Cooking at XXXX Facility?” campaign.
• Tweet your favorite encouraging words of the day or funny
things patients say that made your day.
Four Tips for Beating the Odds
in Healthcare Recruiting
Tresina Lockhart, Director of Talent Acquisition, Agile•1

2. Showcase existing talent. Identify some of your top
nurses and engage them in strategies that will promote your
employer brand and lead you to high-caliber candidates who
follow them. For example, ask your top talent to write articles
and recommendations on www.Glassdoor.com to support the
organization on the web. You might also ask them to:
• Write white papers for your website and third-party
social media sites
• Speak at events and local colleges
• Appear at job fairs
Partner with local schools. This is a critical component
to building a sustainable pipeline of high-demand talent. Begin
by developing relationships with professors to help engage
the top talent in their schools. Invite professors to speak at your
events and encourage them to invite students and alumni to
attend. Create a structured program to precept new grads and
give them with valuable externship experience. Provide CEU
partnerships with local colleges and universities so you can
build relationships with their students.
The balance of supply and demand for top healthcare
talent shows no indication of changing any time soon. In
the meantime, it is up to recruiters to search for new ways
to find the talent they need, before their competitors do.
The best strategies for overcoming these market challenges
begins with having a firm understanding and appreciation
of the candidates you seek. By finding out what matters to
them—their interests, their lives, their values—you can create
programs that will appeal to their deepest values. Given the
care and attention these dedicated professionals provide to
their patients every day, it makes sense to recruit them in a
way that honors the important role they play in serving our
community and those we love.
www.agile-1.com | 855.924.4531
article.RPO2.US.ENG.062014
FOUR TIPS FOR BEATING THE ODDS IN HEALTHCARE RECRUITING
Four Tips for
Beating the Odds
in Healthcare
Recruiting
Establish an
employee referral
program
Build social
media campaigns
Showcase
existing talent
Partner with
local schools
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