And Get Your Position Filled With The Best Professional Possible
If you’re looking to hire a medical professional, you want to do it right the first time around. Your facility’s patients expect and deserve the best care possible, so that means that every member of your medical staff must have both the hard and soft skills that this quality care requires.
Whether you need someone temporarily to fill a gap in staffing or you’re looking for a temp to hire to supplement your existing staff, there are certain things you need to do to ensure that this professional has the skills your facility’s patients need.
1. OUTLINE YOUR NEEDS
Before you start the search, you have to know what you’re searching for. Outline your ideal medical professional -- the one with the expert medical skills, the passion for compassion and the best fit with your team and facility’s culture. Write down the job skills, experience, and hard and soft skills that make up this candidate. That perfect medical professional you’ve outlined is out there, and doesn’t just exist on paper!
2. GET THE WORD OUT
Brainstorm the how and where facets of your recruiting strategy. How will you get the word out about your employment opportunity? What locations and forums will you target to increase your chances of finding that perfect candidate?
Put yourself in your perfect candidate’s shoes. Where do they hang out? Where would they look for job listings? Internet cafes, community centers and fitness facilities usually have bulletin boards that get a fair amount of traffic, so take advantage of them. And it’s crucial to post the opportunity online -- on job boards, special interest groups and established network groups. Attend industry employment events, get referrals and even ask friends and family who may know someone for the job.
3. SET UP A SYSTEM
Be organized! You’ll be glad you took a few extra steps to set up a system, especially if an influx of resumes comes in. Use a database to catalog and rank each resume as soon as you read it. This way, you avoid forgetting important details, or even worse, confusing two resumes and following up with the wrong candidate.
4. PICK YOUR INTERVIEW TEAM
Who will be involved in the interviewing process? This is a very time-consuming job, so make sure those who express interest are truly willing to commit. You know your team! Only consider the most patient and dedicated members to help you with recruitment.
Also, brainstorm with this team the types of questions you’ll ask. Make sure to get a sense of each candidate’s personality as well as his or her medical expertise and experience. Will there be any test or project that the candidates have to complete? This is a highly recommended part of the interviewing process because it allows you to observe the candidates’ skills and work ethics in a live setting instead of just on paper.
4.5 EVALUATE TIME & RESOURCES: SHOULD YOU OUTSOURCE?
How much time and resources were needed to keep the search internal? If the cost of recruiting and hiring cut into your medical facility’s profitability or productivity, consider outsourcing to a medical staffing agency. Not only will you save time and resources, but you’ll also tap into the expertise of healthcare recruiters.
Remember, medical staffing is a healthcare recruiter’s job -- and in most cases, it’s best to leave it up to the experts if you want the job done right. Your patients deserve that, and they’ll be appreciative of the expedient, quality care that temporary staffing agencies provide.