News of labor shortages have been spreading like wildfire, but the healthcare field has been feeling the crunch long before 2021: as COVID-19 raged on in 2020, one in five healthcare workers walked away from the workplace. This has placed a larger than usual emphasis on healthcare recruitment strategies for medical practices.
And if this wasn’t enough, one in four nurses say they plan to leave the field in the next two years, while half say they are considering an exit. Ironically, one of the biggest factors in the decision to leave their stations is the labor shortage itself, creating a domino effect of more resignations. Despite these challenges, there are tools healthcare providers can use to cope with the labor shortage.
Job seeker survey results suggest that a strong online presence is an integral part of an effective healthcare recruitment strategy. The same digital tools you use to attract new patients can be used to attract those who will provide the best care and fit well into your medical practice culture. If staffing is a top priority, then it’s time to consider the point of view of the candidates you seek.
What is e-Recruiting for Healthcare?
BusinessJargon.com defines e-recruitment (or online recruitment) as “the process of hiring the potential candidates for the vacant job positions, using the electronic resources, particularly the internet.” One aspect of online healthcare recruitment is how professionals are likely to perceive your medical practice online.
To attract the right people at the right time, a medical practice should send a clear message about their values, and why prospective employees can expect a better-than-average experience. What a candidate knows about your practice is your employer brand.
What is Employer Brand and How It Is at the Core of Healthcare Recruitment Strategies?
Harvard Business Review defines the employer brand as an employer’s reputation as a place of work, as opposed to a general brand reputation established with customers. So, when you communicate what’s exceptional about your practice, it should appeal to potential candidates in addition to potential patients.
LinkedIn reports that 75% of candidates are likely to apply when the employer proactively manages its brand, and that 72 % of recruiting leaders affirm that employer brand has a significant impact on hiring. As a healthcare provider, your employer brand is what employees can expect when they come to work for you and how your practice compares to other opportunities.
Questions That Mold Recruitment Strategies in Healthcare
- Do my website and social media clearly articulate our mission and what we do for our patients? Is there enough content out there to educate candidates about what it’s like to work here?
- Do my website, LinkedIn, and job listings clearly state the incentives that would make professionals want to apply? Do job posts articulate our culture and values?
- Does my social media inform candidates about our work culture? Do we spend enough time featuring and lauding our employees and culture on social media?
- What do current staff members have to say about their work experience? How can we communicate those positives to the public through online channels?
When there is a labor shortage, would-be employees have more room to be selective about which positions they apply for. Your medical practice brand is an asset that helps you stand out from other potential job opportunities they will choose from. If you asked, “what made you decide to apply?,” what do you suppose a candidate would say?
7 Stunning Stats on Employer Branding
Survey data strongly indicates that employer branding both impacts candidate decisions and helps employers connect with those who will be the best fit for the role. Here are some of the most convincing findings from LinkedIn and Glassdoor respectively.
- Not having an idea of what it’s like to work for an organization is the number one obstacle candidates experience when job hunting.
- 75% of candidates will consider the employer brand before they decide to apply.
- Hiring time is up to two times faster when an employer has a strong brand.
- Employer branding can reduce the new hire acquisition costs by 50% and attract 50% more qualified candidates.
- Branding efforts can reduce turnover at around 28%, and 30% of workers who left a job in the first 90 days cited a misalignment between themselves and the employer brand.
- A negative reputation can raise hiring costs by as much as 10% per new hire.
- 80% of Millennials (the generation with the most representation in the healthcare field) say they prioritize people and culture fit above career potential when choosing a place to work.
The most desirable candidates are likely to look for reputable employers with values that align with theirs. Without clearly communicating your mission and values, workers who would be the best fit won’t be aware of what you have to offer. Ultimately, this impacts the quality of care you deliver to patients – after all, effective healthcare recruitment strategies are crucial to recruiting the best employees, and the having high-quality employees is crucial to providing the best care.
What Candidates Look at Online
It’s common practice for a candidate to look up an employer online to study for interview prep, but survey data shows that the research process begins before even applying. 64% of job seekers look up a company after finding a job listing, and 37% won’t apply if information about the employer cannot be found.
To better illustrate job seeker behavior, The Good Jobs shares these insights from a survey on where candidates go to learn about what an employer has to offer.
- 83% company career page.
- 59% Google search
- 56% LinkedIn profile
- 51% Glassdoor
- 42% Conferring with current or former employees.
- 37% job board posts.
- 30% employer profiles on job boards.
- 30% Facebook page of the company.
- 9% Twitter page of the company.
This survey reveals that the website is the go-to for job seekers, so it pays to have your medical website optimized for e-recruitment with everything a potential candidate needs to learn about your practice.
Successful E-Recruitment Action Steps
Investing in your medical practice brand online not only attracts new patients, but it also helps you recruit the right people for your team. Consistency and clear messaging are essential to establishing your medical practice employer brand.
Candidates who are committed to professionalism will also be looking for clues that your medical practice is an environment that pursues excellence in patient care and equips the staff with everything they need to succeed.
The clearer you are about what sets your practice apart, the more likely you are to stand out to employees and be a beacon for those who are the right fit for your practice. What do you have to offer that most in your market do not, and how can you communicate this in your online channels?
1. Communicate Your Company Culture
Clearly communicating your medical practice culture is an essential part of recruitment strategies for healthcare. Online channels (including your website and social media accounts) will broadcast your practice culture.
Your medical practice website is sure to be a resource for interview prep. What you communicate there will open the conversations that will determine if the candidate is the best fit for your team.
Flesh out the sections of your website that inform the candidate about what to expect, and schedule social media posts that reveal team culture.
2. Showcase Your Work Environment
While your website may feature images and videos of a day-in-the-life of working at your practice, social media is an even better channel to showcase what being a staff member is about. While minding patient privacy and heeding HIPPA laws, post photos or videos of the staff in action.
3. Nurture Your Employer Brand Through Social Media
CareerArc reports that all generations engage in social media to form an opinion about the employer’s brand – to the tune of 68% of Millennials, 54% of Gen-Xers, and 48% of Boomers (as mentioned earlier, Millennials are currently the most prevalent in healthcare professions). From a quick scan of your social media pages, what impression would they gather about your practice?
68 % of talent acquisition experts consider professional networks to be one of the best tools to spread awareness about the employer brand. Moreover, new hires recruited through LinkedIn are 40% less likely to resign within the first six months of employment.
A social media presence can effectively affirm the following candidate-attraction factors:
- Patient satisfaction – reviews and engagement from your patients.
- Employee appreciation – praising employees, highlighting achievements, fun group photos.
- Community involvement and compassion – What does your social media page say about your investment in improving the lives of those around you?
Posting job openings to social media makes it easier for your account followers to share these opportunities on their own feed. So, if you have a decent following on your social accounts, consider leveraging it to spread the word about open positions.
4. Make Job Postings Easy to Find and Streamline the Application Process
So, a candidate likes what they’ve seen and heard about your medical practice and is now eager to apply. How easy is it for them to find your job listings? For best visibility, have a careers page on your website dedicated to e-recruiting that includes all current openings while cross-posting these to other platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc.).
Optimize your careers page for a candidate-friendly recruiting process. Make it easy to sort through job openings and minimize steps in the application process.
5. Manage Your Online Reputation
Make no mistake, online reputation greatly influences a candidate’s decision to apply (as well as consumer behavior). Here are some stats that make this reality quite clear.
- 86% of job seekers refer to ratings and reviews to choose where to apply for a job. [Source: Glassdoor]
- 67% of men and 86% of women avoid companies with a bad reputation. [Source: Glassdoor]
- 69% say they would not apply to companies with bad reviews even if they were unemployed. [Source: Inc.com]
- 64% of consumers will avoid doing business with brands that are known to mistreat workers. [Source: CareerArc]
- Job seekers will read at least six reviews before forming an opinion of an employer, and 7 out of 10 would change their mind about a brand depending on the company’s public reply to a review. [Source: Glassdoor]
Online reputation management is crucial to protecting your employer brand and serves a crucial role in healthcare recruitment strategies. Be proactive in monitoring platforms that capture employee feedback and ask current employees to leave an honest review.
6. Seek Buy-In from Current Staff
The whole staff can join the effort to recruit new faces. Offering employee incentives motivates your current staff to blast job postings through channels such as social media accounts or reach out to connections who would be interested in the position.
Current employees can also help with e-recruiting by being mindful about how they represent the practice on social media. Drafting an employee social media policy sets clear expectations about how the staff is expected to behave on online platforms. For example, don’t share privileged information about the practice, don’t be disparaging to co-workers or patients, include disclaimers about controversial topics, and more.
Cultivate an Online Presence that Attracts Talent with iHealthSpot
Patient care is negatively impacted by a strained staff, or by hiring candidates that are not a good fit. iHealthSpot helps you craft your brand image and messaging in a way that resonates with the staff your practice needs most.
Over 4,000 providers trust iHealthSpot to build a practice brand that attracts not only the right patients, but also the right candidates. We build engaging medical practice websites, manage social media, and provide online reputation management. Get in touch with our practice marketing experts to discuss e-recruiting solutions. Call (877) 709-0999 or schedule a consultation online today.
