How to Stay Competitive When Recruiting for the Best Healthcare Jobs

Well folks, it’s January and you know what that means! It means the launching of many notable ranking lists including the U.S. News’ 100 Best Jobs. U.S. News defines “good jobs” as, “those that pay well, challenge us, are a good match for our talents and skills, aren't too stressful, offer room to advance and provide a satisfying work-life balance.” They craft their list based on those factors in conjunction with industries who are hiring.

Unsurprisingly, healthcare has a sizable number of jobs on the list. In fact, the top three are healthcare industry jobs! Here are some of the healthcare jobs that made the top 20 and their respective rankings:

#1 Dentist, 23,300 Projected Jobs, $152,700 Median Salary, 0.1% Unemployment Rate

#2 Nurse Practitioner, 44,700 Projected Jobs, $98,190 Median Salary, 0.7% Unemployment Rate

#3 Physician Assistant, 28,700 Projected Jobs, $98,180 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#5 Orthodontist, 1,500 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 0.1% Unemployment Rate

#6 Nurse Anesthetist, 7,400 Projected Jobs, $157,140 Median Salary, 0.7% Unemployment Rate

#7 Pediatrician, 3,600 Projected Jobs, $170,300 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#9 Obstetrician and Gynecologist, 4,300 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#10 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, 1,200 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#11 Optometrist, 11,000 Projected Jobs, $103,900 Median Salary, 1.6% Unemployment Rate

#12 Occupational Therapy Assistant, 14,1000 Projected Jobs, $57,870 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#14 Surgeon, 9,100 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#15 Nurse Midwife, 1,300 Projected Jobs, $92,510 Median Salary, 0.7% Unemployment Rate

#16 Physical Therapist, 71,800 Projected Jobs, $84,020 Median Salary, 1.1% Unemployment Rate

#17 Anesthesiologist, 7,100 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 1.7% Unemployment Rate

#18 Physician, 5,100 Projected Jobs, $187,200 Median Salary, 0.6% Unemployment Rate

#19 Psychiatrist, 4,200 Projected Jobs, $187,200, Median Salary, 1.2% Unemployment Rate

16 out of 20 of these highly rated jobs were in the healthcare industry! That’s a whopping 80%! And, on top of that all of these jobs have less than a 2% Unemployment Rate – that’s crazy! With those sorts of numbers, you know as a recruiter you have a tough road ahead of you in 2017.

Healthcare candidates are going to be choosey because they can be. Most importantly, they are going to be doing their research and that means you have to adapt to be successful at landing them. Here are some ways that will help you stay competitive when you are tasked with recruiting for the best healthcare jobs.

Access Your Salaries and Benefits

At minimum when you are competing in a tight market, you need to make sure your salaries and benefits are in line with the industry. Honestly, some candidates won’t continue very far in your recruitment process unless you hit the market average.

Today, healthcare candidates are swimming in career choices and, thanks to the digital age they are acutely aware of what they’re worth. Sites like Glassdoor, HealtheCareers, Medscape and Indeed routinely study salary and benefits so you need to know that the information is out there and is being searched. Make sure yours isn’t driving candidates into the arms of another healthcare competitor.

Increase Your Staff Engagement

They say in order to solve a problem you need to look inside first. That is a good way to look at recruitment. Are your existing healthcare staff members engaged? If not, do you know why they aren’t?

According to HRO Today you can engage (or re-engage) your healthcare staff in the following ways:

  • Make sure leaders have a strong vision and strategy
  • Source internally for candidates
  • Encourage career development
  • Utilize social media
  • Promote your employer brand

Recruitment Branding

As noted in the section above, Increase Your Staff Engagement, you just have to promote your employer brand. Recruitment branding is different from company branding. While they are both important, they reach different audiences. If you want to promote careers, you need to be pushing different content than the sort of items patients might like. Recipes for Diabetes patients might be perfect for patient engagement and recruitment, but a Physician or Physical Therapist is going to completely pass on by it.

HRO Today reported that, “Healthcare leaders named brand/culture as the top factor in recruitment as opposed to more predictable factors such as compensation and benefits. Another 28 percent indicated that this facet was the most impactful for retention as well. A strong brand and company culture that instill pride in the workforce should also be incorporated into recruiting and internal communications materials.” 

Here are some quick ideas to start on the path toward successful recruitment branding:

  • Set up Social Media Career Pages that are separate from your corporate brand
  • Develop an internal advancement program and promote it
  • Consider a referral program and make sure employees know about it
  • Create a feedback system where employees can tell you what’s working and what isn’t
  • Reward innovative staff for their hard work

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