Healthcare recruiting is a business and an important one for that matter. Not only does the enterprise fund a highly-productive industry of recruiters and staffing agencies, but it also ensures that hospitals, nursing facilities and other practices secure desperately-needed care providers. However, it’s important that recruiters never lose sight of the “human touch.”
Healthcare staffers who work toward building genuine relationships with nurses and other candidates fulfill a moral imperative while also ensuring business success. Here are ways recruiters can turn conversations from transactional to conversational.
Focus on candidate goals and advancement
Most healthcare recruiters do great work for their clients and candidates. Unfortunately, the occasional bad apple sometimes tarnishes the reputation of other staffing professionals. Recruiters who demonstrate genuine interest in their candidates’ well-being and career objectives exhibit good faith and earn trust.
These professionals regularly ask healthcare jobseekers about their long-term goals and preferred positions. They also strive to identify opportunities that may lead to career advancement and share any growth-oriented job openings with their candidates. In the end, life-long relationships are formed when recruiters engage in sincere dialogue and work to help people achieve their dreams.
Follow industry trends and how they affect candidates
Sometimes nursing candidates and medical professionals are unaware of dramatic changes affecting the industry. Understandably, they are often focused on their day-to-day work and providing great care to people in need. This narrow focus can sometimes leave them vulnerable to big-picture issues that may later impact their careers.
Great healthcare recruiters regard candidate conversations as an opportunity to provide critical industry updates and guidance. A phone call may be intended to pitch a specific job opportunity, and that’s fine. However, the staffing professional should also use the time to educate her valued prospect. Some things are more important than just making a quick placement, and candidates are sure to take note of a recruiter’s good will.
Always work to add value
People tend to think of job opportunities in terms of pay, benefits and vacation time. However, some positions provide other forms of value for prospective candidates. Recruiters who only view staffing as “transactional” are sure to miss the nuance.
Perhaps a hospital position affords continuing education opportunities. That may prove a considerable selling-point to certain candidates, but a recruiter won’t know unless he’s had prior in-depth conversations with those prospects. Engaging candidate dialogue empowers recruiters to better match jobseekers with appropriate opportunities.
Allocate 20% of each phone call to informal talk
As consummate professionals, most healthcare recruiters focus on hard work and efficiency. Those are great objectives and are necessary for success. However, there is a place for “shooting the breeze” and building rapport.
A good rule of thumb is to open and close every conversation on a personal note. Topics may range from discussions on the weather and pop culture to updates on the family and vacation plans. Ultimately, it pays to invest some time into building personal relationships, and doing so helps recruiters stand-out from the competition.
Summary
Healthcare recruiting is a fast-paced business, and successful folks always find time to maximize their time. However, it’s important that staffing professionals also remember the human side of their work. The United States employs thousands of medical recruiters, and those who can make their discussions a bit more conversational will stand out from the crowd.
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