Finding great employees for a healthcare organization, whether it is a small private practice or a multi-location hospital system, can be challenging. There’s so much that simply can’t be put on a resume, but you can’t possibly interview every single candidate who puts in an application, which is why it’s important that you attract the right potential employees right off the bat.
Specialty job boards like practicematch.com can help you find amazing candidates, as they are entirely focused on healthcare specialties; this makes it easier to avoid irrelevant applications. However, placing your listing on such a laser-focused site also puts greater pressure on crafting a great job listing so that you really sell your organization, ensuring that it stands out amongst a sea of other worthy opportunities for job hunters. Consider these guidelines when creating a job listing on a specialty board, and you’ll be sure to get great matches right away.
Keep the Organization Profile Brief and Candidate-Focused
You definitely want to say plenty about your organization in your listing, as it’s important that applicants see all the benefits of working for you. However, it’s easy to get distracted and forget that you want to sell your organization to the candidate rather than simply boast about how great your team is.
To create a great profile, try to step out of your organization and look at it as a job seeker. What would you want to know about a potential employer? Some things you’d likely want to know are how it ranks on employee satisfaction, diversity and inclusion, and standards of care. If you’re developing a listing for a specific specialty, be sure to shout out the good qualities of that particular practice area, as different departments within hospital systems can vary greatly in their rankings.
Think About the Big Picture for a Candidate
Many job listings, particularly in healthcare, will have a large list of hard skills and soft skills; resumes are run through an algorithm, and perfectly qualified candidates may be dismissed because they do not have one particular skill. While it’s important to ensure that your employees are well qualified, think about what could be easily learned on the job, such as using a particular charting program.
Separate your skill and experience list into “must have” and “would like to have;” your “must have” should contain the only most basic things, such as credentials, years of experience, and educational requirements. Ensure that your algorithm focuses primarily on things that are absolutely essential for the job. You can then take a manual look at those candidates whose resumes have all the essential components and decide for yourself whether they have enough of the “would like to have” elements to bring them in for an interview.
Be Explicit About Perks and Benefits
Candidates want to work in your practice for two reasons: they want to be able to provide for their families, and they want to do what they love, which is caring for patients. As such, the job listing is a two-way street: you are selling your practice to potential employees as much as they are selling themselves to you. This is especially true in healthcare, where a major worker shortage means that a lot of hospital systems are upping the ante and providing incredible benefits to entice workers.
Once you’ve gone over the skill requirements, get detailed about what employees can expect, with concrete things such as student loan repayment help, relocation assistance, sign-on bonuses, health insurance, and family leave. Work-life balance is incredibly important to healthcare workers, so make sure that you show how you work to prevent worker burnout with flexible scheduling or guaranteed time off.
Don’t forget to include information about diversity and inclusion initiatives or opportunities for additional training; healthcare workers are bright and motivated, and they will be eager to sharpen their skills so that they can better serve their patients.
Ask Your Employees to Check Over the Listing
While you can be assured that your HR team has done a great job in crafting the job listing, you also want to get the input of current employees who hold similar positions. They may be able to provide helpful advice, such as what skills a candidate absolutely must have as soon as they walk in the door.
You can also rely on them to tailor the job profile with adjectives that best describe the work environment, like “fast-paced,” “supportive,” or “collaborative,” which can give potential employees a better idea of what to expect when they arrive.
Matching applicant needs is a crucial part of ensuring great organizational fit, and the first step is creating a comprehensive, transparent job listing. When you post on a specialist job board with a carefully crafted listing that balances benefits and expectations, you’ll find yourself with a full interview list – and, soon enough, a full employee roster.