Top Healthcare Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid

Healthcare recruiting is a challenging job that requires strategy and persistence. To successfully place a candidate you must employ a variety of techniques to get the job done as quickly as possible. Time is money, and no one has time to use strategies that aren't effective.‌ To increase your chances of recruiting success it is important to avoid these common recruiting mistakes:

Forcing a Match

Don't gloss over a candidate's inadequacies, attitudes or expectations regarding their placement. You may want to make things work but it is important to remain objective. If you know the job requirements involve travel and the candidate is telling you they want to stay home, take it into consideration. Listen carefully to a candidates expectations regarding hours, practice autonomy, travel and salary as these are frequently cited sticking points.

Calling Candidates at Work

You've tried calling them at home with no avail. So the next logical step is to call them at work right? Maybe not. Many candidates look for new employment opportunities confidentially and frequently cite workplace recruiter calls as annoying. Most workplaces frown on personal calls or employee job hunting while on the clock. Recruiting calls are difficult to address in the workplace due to the nature of the responses a candidate must give you. People don't have the time to stop work and duck out into a private area to address these calls. Instead of risking hard feelings, try instead to call during their off hours, email or text them on their cell.

Not Understanding a Candidates Skill Sets or Background

While you don't need to be fully versed in medicine, it is important that you are familiar with the scope of what a candidate can offer. Misunderstanding a candidates background increases the odds of placement failure. To decrease the likelihood of this, ask the candidate to thoroughly explain their skillsets and background in layman's terms. It is important to remember that not all professionals within a specialty provide the same medical procedures. Be sure to clarify any specific requirements with the candidate.

Insufficient Lead Time for Phone Interviews

Medical professionals are busy and run on tight schedules in the workplace. In order to amend these schedules, appropriate lead time is necessary. Be sure to ask your candidate ahead of time what kind of lead time they require for interviews. Patient schedules must be adjusted so think ahead about time requirements when setting up the interview.

Not Understanding a Company's Culture

Each company has a unique culture and inherent set of expectations in regards to its employees. This culture reflects company values and attitudes that can heavily influence whether a candidate chooses an employer. Therefore, it is important that you understand a company's culture in order to effectively convey this information to the candidate. For example, does the company have a laid back atmosphere where autonomy is key or is it a high turnover clinic with strict guidelines to follow. Be sure to dig deeper to get a sense of the company so that you don't end up wasting time and money on an ineffective candidate match.