How to Recruit Healthcare Professionals: 7 Essential Tips

Hiring processes have changed drastically from 5-10 years ago — and the same goes for candidate expectations. Modern technology, the pandemic, and an increased focus on employee well-being have changed the game, and healthcare employers need to keep up.

If you want to recruit and retain the best healthcare workers, you’ll need a strategy that accounts for the current challenges and prioritizes what matters most.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to recruit healthcare professionals effectively and competitively.

1. Build Strong Branding to Stand Out from the Competition

Companies often underestimate the importance of branding. One might think, “why should I spend time and money on a company brand when I can focus on recruitment efforts instead?”

But employer branding and recruitment are intertwined in significant ways.

For example, Glassdoor reports that 61% of candidates read company reviews before deciding if they should apply for a position. In addition, 90% of Glassdoor users are engaged in finding a new job, meaning they are ready to find their new professional home. How those candidates perceive your brand will influence their ultimate decision.

So, don’t neglect your branding. Well-branded companies make better impressions (and have better conversions). If you need help, consider working with a marketing or branding agency to take the best steps toward upgrading your brand.

2. Plan for Flexibility in Your Hiring Process

Nurses and other healthcare professionals are busy people. Many of them are considering your opportunity while still working somewhere else.

You can make things easy on all sides by offering flexible application and interview options.

Allow candidates to apply straight from your website, and offer after-hours interview times. Virtual interviews through platforms like Google Meet are often ideal for busy individuals.

3. Ask Candidates About Their Soft Skills

Soft skills are about how someone interacts with others. The seven essential soft skills, according to Hubspot, are:

Emotional intelligence
Knowing how to be a team player
Having a growth mindset
Openness to feedback
Adaptability
Active listening skills
Positive work ethic

Since most healthcare professionals interact with patients and other humans all day, soft skills are crucial to success. Focusing on them also helps you attract and retain high-quality employees.

During interviews, you can screen for these skills by asking specific questions about person-to-person situations, such as how the candidate handled a work conflict or high-stress moment.

4. Keep Your Compensation and Benefits Competitive

If you want to recruit the best healthcare professionals, you need to offer competitive benefits. So, you might need to update current policies or compensation packages to better resonate with your target candidates.

The best candidates want to feel that you have their best interests in mind. That includes caring about things like work-life balance.

5. Prioritize Work Culture and Diversity

Inclusive, diverse work cultures are important to many candidates, especially younger talent. Take a good look at your organization:

Do you currently represent diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?
Does your company have a culture that helps nurses who are experiencing burnout?
Is your work environment supportive to all employees?

Consider these questions and how you can work towards improving the answers during your healthcare recruitment efforts.

6. Have a Multifaceted Approach to Healthcare Recruiting

Anyone can post their job openings on a free job board. But that won’t cut it if you want to recruit quality healthcare candidates.

You need a comprehensive approach to your recruiting and hiring process. That includes combining job board postings with targeted ads, social media strategy, targeting local and regional markets, getting in front of nursing students, and more.

One method alone won’t be enough to reach the best candidates, so think outside the box and consider all avenues.

7. Combine Active and Passive Recruiting

Your ideal healthcare worker might not be looking for your opportunity right now — but they could be soon.

Passive recruiting ensures you’re first on candidates’ minds when they decide to move to greener pastures. That’s why, at Alabama Media Group, we combine active and passive recruiting measures to reach the highest-quality pools of candidates at any given time.