Besides a shortage of qualified talent, recruiting healthcare professionals—including physical therapists, registered nurses, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners and medical assistants—in today’s highly competitive recruiting environment can be one of the toughest assignments for recruiters and hiring managers at hospitals, healthcare facilities and affiliated companies.
To aid talent acquisition pros in their hiring, Glassdoor surveyed healthcare workers how they prefer to be recruited, what might motivate them to leave their current company and what they really value on the job.
Prognosis and prescription
“The U.S. Is Running Out of Nurses,” screamed a recent headline in the Atlantic.
“The U.S. has been dealing with a nursing deficit of varying degrees for decades, but today—due to an aging population, the rising incidence of chronic disease, an aging nursing workforce, and the limited capacity of nursing schools—this shortage is on the cusp of becoming a crisis, one with worrying implications for patients and health-care providers alike.”
“Beyond a good salary, strong cultural fit, flexible hours, and manageable expectations… nurses also want to work in places where they can practice to the full scope of their license.”
Within this landscape, Glassdoor research found that four in 10 healthcare professionals plan to look for work in the next three months, six in 10 during the next 12 months.1
That’s good news for recruiters, hiring managers and other talent acquisition professionals prepping their hiring plans for the upcoming fiscal year start.
Attracting healthcare
As you might fathom, compensation and career growth aren’t the only motivators for working professionals who make their living taking care of people.
Sixty-six percent told us they would likely accept less money to work at a company or hospital with a “great culture.”
Meanwhile, fifty-six percent would accept less money to work at a company or hospital that “values helping people above all else.”
But similar to other professions, nine out of 10 healthcare workers read reviews about a company before accepting an offer and insist on insight into an organization’s culture—especially from recruiters who reach out.
In fact, 70% value when a recruiter is transparent about the pros and cons of different companies/hospitals.
Tips for recruiters
Personal anecdotes confirm those results. A sampling of direct comments we fielded from healthcare workers include:
“Be honest about the position, including the downsides and its challenges.”
“Be realistic about job duties and compensation… same goes for company goals and culture. Don’t just tell me how you’re exceeding expectations, show me.”
“Don’t leave me hanging and wondering. Once I interview, give me feedback on whether or not I’m getting hired.”
An Rx for recruiters
For guidance on recruiting healthcare, including workplace factors that can give you a talent retention advantage and channels healthcare workers rely for job searches, read and share our free Resourceful Recruiter’s Guide to Recruiting Healthcare.
You’ll find with eye-opening metrics, lessons and prescriptions for attracting those physical therapists, registered nurses, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners and medical assistants—as it turns out, the top five searched healthcare-related job titles on Glassdoor.
Source: 1 Glassdoor survey conducted between April 9 and May 19, 2014. Results based on answers provided by nearly 500 healthcare professionals.
