Henry Ford is famous for having invented the assembly line. By creating systems that were simple yet efficient, he proved that quality cars could be mass-produced. Effective healthcare staffing agencies follow a similar methodology. Although they’re not working with steel components and heavy equipment, they do implement an “assembly-line”-type strategy to their recruiting and hiring processes.
We live in an age when volume-hiring is necessary within the nursing and healthcare sectors. Recruiting firms must embrace the following tools to ensure quality standards are not compromised:
Simplicity – Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Many smart people have echoed similar sentiments. When it comes to recruiting, simplicity is your friend. Ensure that your team begins the vetting process at first contact with a candidate. It’s simpler to take a pass on an unqualified applicant early in the recruiting cycle than it is to find out after a job offer is extended.
Technology solutions can assist in early candidate screening and help to prevent further complications later down the road. No recruiter wants to have to pull an offer to a candidate last-minute. Neither does a recruiter wish to control the fallout from an angry client for careless oversights.
This need for accuracy AND speed presents a conundrum in high-volume staffing if recruiters are held responsible for all administrative tasks. Oversights are bound to happen, and the risk of human error increases dramatically. Technology will help to carry much of this burden, allowing for thorough screening of applicants. This way quality is ensured even during the busiest of times.
“Touch” – An old carpenter’s saying goes, “Measure twice; cut once.” Staffers who are detail-oriented throughout the recruiting cycle ultimately save time and energy. This sort of efficiency is desperately needed during times of volume-hiring.
Part of being thorough is maintaining strong communication with candidates. Recruiters must stay in close contact with their nurse or healthcare-worker applicant throughout the process. Otherwise, they may find out after-the-fact that their “star” candidate took another job. Just imagine how much time and energy was wasted on continuing the hiring process with an applicant who had accepted another position weeks’ past! A simple check-in phone call could have prevented this situation.
Experienced nursing and healthcare recruiters know that simplicity and “touch” are two of the most important techniques of effective staffing. Technology can help employment agencies maximize both. Recruiting firms looking to volume-hire effectively should look into the best software and VMS solutions.
