Healthcare Staffing – Hiring Top Talent

By Kevin M. San Juan, CPC

The heat is on and you have a multitude things to do. The patients are filling up the waiting rooms, the doctors have constant needs both clinical and administrative and your 10 a.m. interview has just arrived. Whether you are interviewing a front desk person or an executive, you must be prepared.

Interview preparation starts long before the candidate walks in. It begins when something happens leading to a decision to hire. At every level there requires a profile or description of the duties and responsibilities along with three traits the ideal candidate should have.

Once you have determined the job requirements, you must then attract the potential candidates. There are many ways in which to do this ranging from an internal candidate (always look inside first), employee referral, networking, word of mouth, advertising and using a niched healthcare search firm. If searching for a temporary employee or pool nurse, be sure to only use a company that has experience in staffing the titles you are looking for. 

Lets take a look at the options - Choosing the right tool(s).

1. Always look inside first. Is there someone qualified within your organization that can step into the role?
   
   
2. Employee Referrals. You should ask them who they know, which is where the networking begins. Bonuses for referrals is a great idea.
   
   
3. Networking. Who do you know that may know someone else? Ask questions, reach out, you never know where you may fiond your next hire.
   
   
4. Advertising. There are several tools to use from public job boards to association specific job boards (local and national). Which media option will work best depends on whom you want to attract. Newspaper and job boards go out to the masses. The cost benefit risk is who is reading or has the time to read the ads. Is the ideal candidate actually searching for a new opportunity or does it take a direct contact to reach them?
   
   
5. Experienced Healthcare Recruiters. Only work with the most experienced, (large network) credentialed firms that have a reputation for integrity, ethics and success. It is critical that you find the correct one that meets the following criteria:
   
   
   1. Years of experience in your niche.
      
      
   2. A large national database and network (reaching all candidates).
      
      
   3. Highly credentialed – Belongs to state and national associations and their employees are certified consultants. This reflects commitment to the industry and to continuing education.
      
      
   4. Reputation for integrity, ethics, success, and hardworking attitude.

 
Once you have received the resumes of potential employees, you must screen them. First, go through the resumes, find the best suited two or three and then interview them. You can pre-screen over the phone or bring them in for a face-to-face interview. Only bring in the most qualified candidates, saving yourself time and money.

How well are you prepared for the interview? Here are some questions you can ask yourself: How long will the interview last? How many others will be involved? What are the expectations? When will you have a second or third round interview? When do you want the new employee to start? Is everyone involved in the process available and on board with the schedule? 

When you hire, how much time do you devote to the hiring process? Do you have a pre-screening component? After all, how much can you learn in a 30-50 minute interview? How well do you check references? Do you check all of them?

Hiring top candidates is essential, but having the time to find the ideal person is too often not the case. Executives and managers are even busier today, trying to keep up with the ever-changing healthcare industry. In the competitive healthcare environment where top candidates are hard to find, you must also think about how you will attract them once you identify them. Ask yourself why one would want to work for you and/or your organization? What is the attraction and what separates you from the competition? Very often, the top reasons people change jobs is because of the culture and environment. 

The next time you need to hire a top candidate be sure to have a plan and process that will yield high results.

Kevin M. San Juan, CPC is the President of Advanced Medical Resources, LLC and
Advanced Staffing Associates, LLC. He can be contacted at 860-793-6040, ext. 227,
or by email at kevinsj@advmr.net.