Best Practice Software

Medical Recruitment in 2021 – 3 Ways to Improve Your Hit Rate

There’s little doubt that times have been trying in the employment market – and medical recruitment is no exception – as the pandemic that we’ve all come to know so well continues to wreak havoc on multiple aspects of our lives.

While the recovery process is certainly under way, there have been some unique challenges now facing businesses relating to attracting talent. While the economic recovery means that businesses are now ramping back up into growth mode, competition between companies is heating up to hire the best people on the market.

Specifically, healthcare has been identified as one of the three sectors that will experience the most significant increase in demand for critical role vacancies in 2021; this means it is more important than ever for medical Practices to deploy a clear and concise recruitment strategy that will give you the best chance possible to sell your business as a great place to work, help keep prospective candidates engaged in the recruitment process, and giving you the best chance possible to hire an in-demand candidate!

Recruitment Tips for Attracting Top Talent Amongst Stiff Competition

Recruitment Tips for Attracting Top Talent Amongst Stiff Competition

 

In this blog post, we’ll provide some key medical recruitment tips for Practices that can help ensure the hiring process is one that is efficient, candidate-friendly, and thorough.

Tip One: Set Out a Clear Understanding of the Role, Starting With the Job Description & Advertisement

This step sets the foundation for the entire recruitment process, and it is crucial that both are linked.  Conducting a thorough job-scoping process that involves all relevant stakeholders involved in the role will ensure that all the current gaps are identified which the new hire will need to fill. Conversely, if the role is replacing an incumbent employee, review their initial job description and make sure any changes are made if needed. The Fair Work Australia website has job description templates available to use, which cover key requirements to consider when crafting a description.

Once this is complete, and there is a plan to source the candidate from the open market, an engaging job advertisement should be written. This should closely replicate the job description, which will ensure that the right candidates are drawn to the role as well as set clear expectations for those that do apply. Attracting the wrong candidates not only means more work for your recruitment and hiring team sorting through unsuitable applications, but also detracts job seekers from exploring roles more suited to their skills.

Tip Two: Communicate with Applicants at Every Step of the Recruitment Process

Communication is pivotal – it not only enhances the overall candidate experience, but it also helps to build trust between the organisation and prospective employee. It means that there is less likelihood for the hiring party to be ‘blindsided’ by a candidate taking another offer without warning. For those who progress to interview but aren’t successful, an open and honest interview process can resonate with them, and a LinkedIn study found that 87% of respondents who experienced a positive interview experience, irrespective of the outcome, would recommend that company to other job seekers.

The communication process should begin at the shortlisting stage, clearly stating to each applicant what to expect at every stage of the interview process. This can be done whilst phone shortlisting, or even sending an automated email to each applicant detailing what the usual application process entails. Once a candidate is engaged in the interview process with other members of the business, your HR team should be in touch after every stage to field any questions, and gauge any thoughts or feelings they are having towards the role or the medical recruitment process in general.

Tip Three: Don’t Just Rely on Job Boards for Applicants

In markets where there are ‘candidate shortages’ – which means a shortage of qualified candidates actively seeking employment, as is the case in healthcare – companies need to be proactive in the ways that they find suitable applicants. With roughly 75% of job seekers qualifying as ‘passive candidates’ , which simply refers to those open to moving jobs but aren’t actively applying to roles, relying solely on avenues such as SEEK to find candidates will drastically reduce your pool of potential new hires.

Two ways companies can proactively source talent and find these hidden candidates, is by using LinkedIn and offering incentives for referrals from existing employees. Referral programs are often underutilised, and current employees not only know the business and culture already but can assist HR and Hiring Managers in selling the role and getting an applicant over the line.

These tips are straightforward ways that you, as a Medical Practice, can ensure you get ahead of the curve in 2021 and be prepared for what looks to be a vastly competitive market for medical recruitment this year!

Authored by:

Bp Blog Author Image Jordan Keays

Jordan Keays
People, Culture and Capability Partner at Best Practice Software

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