Hiring in healthcare is becoming increasingly difficult. On top of a hiring crisis that’s plaguing nearly every industry, the COVID-19 delta variant has caused increased job market uncertainty.
The issue that is especially troublesome for healthcare is that when hiring becomes difficult and retention drops, it’s not only the business that suffers — it’s the patients and their families as well.
So solving the hiring issue at your agency has more urgency than ever. But what if you’ve already tried everything to attract healthcare professionals? Reaching more candidates and increasing applicant flow might require connecting with folks who have not worked in the healthcare space before.
According to our 2021 State of Hiring report, 53% of respondents viewed working in the healthcare industry favorably. Additionally, 86% of respondents said they were open to changing industries. This indicates that the healthcare industry has great potential of attracting talent from outside of the industry — it just may take a shift in your recruitment marketing focus.
Here are a few pointers to help you attract nontraditional talent to your organization.
Change role requirements and advertise it
In order to let professionals from outside of the healthcare industry know you’re open to talent without direct experience, you first need to change the requirements of your open roles and use your recruitment marketing platforms to advertise this decision. Add a blurb at the top of each job description that says “no healthcare experience necessary” so it’s the first thing job seekers see when viewing the role.
You can also use your social channels and career site to let potential applicants know that your organization will pay for necessary training and certifications in order to attract an even broader pool of talent looking to switch careers.
Nearly 80% of applicants look for mention of career growth opportunities on an organization’s website when deciding to apply for open positions, so offering to pay for certifications and training will let top talent know you’re serious about their career development.
Diversify your sources
You’ll need to change up your applicant sourcing a bit if you plan to market your roles outside of the industry. Employee referrals can be a great way to get great talent, so ask your employees to refer people who might be a good fit but don’t quite have the experience. You can set up an employee referral program to incentivize them as well.
Other great sourcing options include different job boards and Jobs on Facebook. And applicants found LinkedIn to be the second most helpful application tool, so make sure all of your roles are posted on the platform.
Be flexible
This has been the mantra of many organizations as of late, because flexibility is a huge driver for job seekers. In fact, it was the third biggest reason for healthcare applicants starting their job search — behind searching for better pay and losing their last role due to the pandemic. Amidst the current resurgence of COVID and a new wave of mandates, work from home flexibility continues to be of interest to applicants. But, in the healthcare field, remote work isn’t really an option, so you have to offer flexibility through other avenues, like flexible scheduling, paid time off, and paid sick days.
Highlight the benefits
This encompasses both monetary and societal benefits. Post about your benefit offerings on your career site and individual job descriptions, but don’t forget to also share the less tangible rewards as well, like the fulfilling aspects of working in the healthcare field that many other careers don’t offer.
Proudly display photos of your caregivers with patients, highlight testimonials of the rewarding experiences your team members have had, and share images of workplace outings and team get togethers on your career site. This will help correct any preconceived notions about the toll of working in healthcare and drive more applicants your way, and 50% of survey respondents said it’s something they look for when deciding to apply for jobs.
Make it easy to apply
In a competitive labor market, the ball is in the applicant’s court, so you have to think of ways to make your application process as easy as possible. That means creating mobile friendly applications that are simple and straightforward. Don’t require your applicants to fill out pages upon pages of background information. Keep the application process under two minutes so that you can cast a wider net.
And when it comes to your hiring process, invest in software that keeps the process moving, or you’ll lose candidates to your competition. 95% of respondents said they applied to more than one job, while nearly 70% of respondents applied to five or more jobs. So if you’re not moving applicants through your hiring process quickly and keeping engagement high with consistent communication, you don’t stand a chance.
Hireology helps you streamline your recruitment and hiring process while maintaining a people-first approach, making sure that you hire the right people quickly, so if your process is in need of an overhaul, we can help — reach out to us to schedule a one-on-one consultation.
And for more hiring tips and information on what applicants are looking for, read our 2021 State of Hiring report.
