by Allison McCarthy, Principal
As recruiters, we have a natural tendency to jump into action as soon as we receive a search request. While hired for our “can do” spirit, that tendency at times needs to be tamed in order to think and plan. To ensure we are spending the organization’s limited resources wisely – by maximizing the return on investment we are getting from our sourcing resources – we need to take the time to consider the unique offerings of each practice opportunity and which target prospects would be most suitable for the opening. Then by considering the reach potential of each sourcing tool, we can identify those that will most likely yield the best results and build those into our tactical plan for that search.
“When you’re prepared, you’re more confident. When you have a strategy, you’re more comfortable.”
– Fred Couples
Defining the Practice Opportunity
A tactical sourcing strategy begins with the “who,” “what” and “why,” as a precursor to the sourcing tool selection, or the “how”. It requires a clear picture of the opportunity so as to determine the right sourcing path. That means uncovering all of the relevant details through input sessions with key internal stakeholders as well as market research to understand what desired physician targets will require.
Yes, it might delay the search launch and create some internal angst about responsiveness. But changing the process should yield better results. Knowing who you are going after, why you are going after them, and what you have to offer means:
• the target pool is tighter,
• marketing messages are more distinct,
• offerings are more aligned with who we want to attract,
• the sourcing plan is more focused,
• the selection process is more clear, and
• the entire search effort is more effective.
Needs and Offerings Alignment
Often during that period of input gathering, reflection and research we will uncover some alignment gaps. That means the practice offering and the candidate criteria are not well matched. We may need to either enhance the practice features to more effectively attract the desired physician candidate, or we may have to modify the candidate criteria to better fit the search offerings. Either way, we are now ready to outline the sourcing strategy.
Prioritizing Sourcing Options
Some sourcing resources reach certain groups of physicians better than others – such as a recruitment database’s ability to reach residents/fellows. Then there are resources that are more proactive (telephone calls) than reactive (direct mail). A good sourcing approach incorporates both proactive (push) and reactive (pull) resources. While push/pull tools both solicit leads, the proactive approaches add the extra benefit of market testing the opportunity with desired targets.
No tool is categorically good or bad. Rather, it is more a sense of which ones would be more likely to achieve both “reach” and “push/pull” balance. For each unique search, rank order the sourcing tactics – from most likely to least likely “fit” with both reach and approach. With this rank ordering in place, select as many tools as possible within your budget parameters. Or, you can gradually roll out a few resources at a time to see if the initial tools generate enough that that the latter tools are not needed.
Summary
Good planning discipline shifts us away from “cookie cutter” approaches. When we set aside time to really learn the unique attributes of the practice opportunity and what the new physician is expected to deliver to the organization and the community, we bring a rationale and argument to our sourcing plan. Also, we further demonstrate respect for the organization’s limited funds by putting the right resources into the right efforts. And when this approach becomes the “way we work” – we gain greater confidence in ourselves and increased credibility with others.