Surviving vs. Succeeding as a Healthcare Recruiter
Posted on Wed, Jan 19, 2011
By Erin Arkin
I recently read an article titled Three Recruiting Strategies to go from Survival to Success in 2011 via Monster.com that hit home. I have been doing Healthcare recruitment for a while but every so often I come across something that reminds me of some of the key responsibilities I have as a recruiter.
As a healthcare recruiter, I often hear from nurse managers that they understand the market. They know that there are a lot of nurses out there looking for jobs and they want to know why it takes so long to fill a position when other hospitals are having cut backs and closing units. While I agree that this is true, those same nurses that are actively looking for work could also not be the best fit for the position or organization for any number of reasons (salary, location, hours, etc.). Educating managers that more "inventory" means you spend more time finding the perfect fit, not less, is important. We, as recruiters, need to help managers understand we are looking for a long-term fit and not a short-term solution.
Becoming a trusted advisor to your nurse managers is also key. Quite often they see the recruiter doing administrative tasks which, don't get me wrong, is a large part of the job (resume review, phone interviewing, scheduling, etc.) but by including some additional information to give the manager more insight into the candidate's background and the market, a recruiter can begin to develop a level of credibility and trust. Do the research on the competitors and degree programs and make sure you share the information with your Manager. They will appreciate it and you will become an invaluable resource.
With an ever changing market place and economy, education is always going to be important. This article not only serves as a good reminder but states it will keep recruiters from "going crazy as a recession-time recruiter" which I feel (some days) is the bigger value. I want to be successful, not only for me but for the healthcare system I recruit for and these are just some of the ways I am evaluating my success to the organization.
How do you measure your success and what strategies are you implementing for 2011?
