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The Caring Support Blog

Top 6 Hiring Tips for Healthcare Organizations

January 25, 2023

Finding the perfect candidate for your open healthcare job is not easy. There are many strategies that your organization can implement to recruit new candidates. Sorting through those strategies and recommendations can be tedious and very time-consuming. Caring Support has put together a list of the top six healthcare recruiting tips to get those resumes in your inbox and fill your essential roles.


Tip #1 – Post your job ads on niche job boards.

After you have posted your job ad on popular job boards like indeed.com and Caring Support, it’s time to do some more targeted outreach by using healthcare job boards on other social media platforms and websites like HealthCareCAN and RNCareers. Don’t forget to reach out to local colleges and universities about posting on their job boards and even to local high schools if you are looking for volunteers.

The more attention you can get to your job posting, the better. Make sure to keep track of where you posted the job so that when the position is filled you remember to take it down or if you need to repost it you will know when that needs to be done.

Tip #2 – Invest in recruiting software.

An effective applicant tracking system will assist you in overcoming recruiting challenges such as high cost per hire or time-to-hire, as well as limited access to varied prospects. Applicant Tracking Systems, like Oracle, make it easy and convenient for businesses of any size to filter, manage and analyze candidates. 78% of organizations that use applicant tracking systems report that it has improved the quality of candidates that they hire (McCandless, 2017).

Tip #3 – Boost your employer branding.

If you don’t have a website, you need one. If you are not on social media, you need to be. If you haven’t claimed your Google Business information, do that now. All of this will boost your employer branding and make it easier for potential candidates to do their own research before applying. By making sure that you are the one putting information out there about your organization you control the narrative and what potential candidates may see.

Try adding pictures of your employees doing their jobs to your career pages. Posting testimonials from employees and clients is also helpful for your brand image.

Tip #4 – Assess candidate’s soft skills.

Health practitioners must have a people-centred attitude and place a high emphasis on assisting others to truly flourish in their careers. Prepare interview questions to ensure that candidates possess these traits. You may want to add questions such as these to your list:

  1. What are the biggest challenges you face when starting a new job? (This will help you determine their adaptability)
  2. Tell me about an instance where you had to work with a colleague that you didn’t get along with. (This will help you determine their collaboration skills)
  3. How have you handled upset/angry family members or patients/clients in the past? (This will help you determine their communication skills)
  4. How do you handle firing or letting go of an employee? (This will help you assess their leadership skills)
  5. Describe a time when you were over-scheduled or fell behind schedule and how did you handle that? (This will help you asses their time management skills)
healthcare organization

Tip #5 – Offer smart benefits.

Competitive benefits will help you to stand out amongst other organizations. Creating an appealing benefits package that will not only attract candidates but also motivate them to say is key.

The Canadian HR Reporter says that employees are more likely to apply for jobs, and remain loyal to their organization if they have the following in their benefits package:

Read More: Effective Employee Retention Strategies To Ease The Healthcare HR Crisis

Insurance

Employees want to know that you care about them in the event of an accident. Offering an insurance plan that provides coverage in the event of losses from accidents, disability, death, or dismemberment is really important.

Bonuses

Bonuses are given to reward longevity and/or performance to encourage retention

Increased Annual Leave – Time off is important. Burnt-out employees are employees that will not stick around long. Offering more annual leave is enticing to potential candidates. You can have “mental health days” alongside vacation days so that employees do not have to use their sick days when they just need a break to recharge.

Pension Plans

Employees now more than ever want to know how they are going to afford their retirement. Offering a solution to this worry will set you apart from other organizations.

Work-Life Balance

Offering benefits such as child care, paid sick leave, and flex hours show that you know that life happens and that you are there to help.

Mobility

Parking spaces, carpooling, free bike parking, transit passes etc., these are all benefits that will have potential employees flocking to submit their resumes.

Healthcare Benefits

Health and wellness are important. Offering benefits such as wellness programs that cover or subsidize gym memberships, yoga classes, health screenings etc., shows that you support the health and well-being of your employees.

Read More: How Health Care Agencies Provide An Invaluable Service To Families And The Community

Stock Options

Employees that are invested in the company are loyal to the company and care more about their work environment and the work they do

Employee Training

Making sure to have a quality and thorough onboarding program is key to the success of new employees. Keeping employees can be as easy as offering further education or job training that will provide professional development and advancement.

Remote/Hybrid Working

If the position can be done partially from home or fully from home it is worth considering. There is a very large untapped workforce in at-home workers. People like stay-at-home parents and people with disabilities can be great additions to your organization if you let them.

Paid Parental Leave

Canadians do get parental and maternity leave through government insurance plans, however, companies that offer top-ups to ensure that employees are getting their full pay while on leave will reduce the financial stress on their employees and reinforce that you care about your employees.

Tip #6 – Be aware of the skills gap.

Strict job requirements dissuade job searchers from applying for opportunities above entry level. To help with this, employers are encouraged to raise their minimum wage, make access to on-the-job training easier, and decrease the “must-have” section of the job posting. Noting that you are willing to train the right candidate can also help people apply that may feel they are underqualified, even when they are not.

Pro Tip – Have your organization join Caring Support

Caring Support is your all-in-one healthcare employment platform. We strive to provide quality connections between healthcare workers, employers and educators to streamline and improve the hiring process.

Your organization will have access to thousands of employees and be able to post your jobs, receive applications, search for employees yourself and connect with employees using our built-in messaging tool. Join Caring Support and start benefiting from our unique features that will help you find the right candidates for your jobs.

Contact us today for more information!

About The Author
Cali Wiersma
Social Media & Content Specialist

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