By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
When record temperatures hit during the summer, everyone wants to shift gears, slow down, and take a break. In physician recruitment, this is the optimal time to look at where we might find additional candidates.
Summer is a disrupted time for recruiters and their workflows. But physician candidates have a different plan for high and low seasons and so should recruiters. During the high season, recruiters are near or at capacity for managing the candidate pile and flows, focusing on execution. During the low season, when we have spare capacity, the focus shifts to getting in a position to execute and keeping our recruitment funnel full. We often want to label this season as the “slow months” instead of looking at it as a time to retool our toolbox and revisit some of those items that get overlooked during the high season. Here are a few tips that may be helpful for the summer months:
- Review Email Templates. Ensure templates in your sourcing platforms are fresh. Update job titles and critical highlights that have not been featured before to get candidates interested in your postings.
- Keep Your Sourcing Stride. Though hiring may be slow, it is unlikely to stop altogether. Don’t let a seasonal shift impede time-to-fill. Work around your internal team’s vacation schedule to ensure that interviews happen so you stay on top of top candidates. If you can’t do face-to-face, there are many solutions to facilitate the discussion, including options like texting.
- Focus on Early Decisionmakers. Many residents and fellows want to finalize their practice decisions by year-end, giving them time to focus their remaining training months on pure learning. Don’t miss out on those ready to close the deal. Focus on sending specific email blasts to potential graduates, program directors, and medical directors about your upcoming positions.
- Recruitment Does Not End with Signing. Continuing to stay engaged with new candidates at 90, 180, and 1 year into their new roles can benefit you and them. During the summer months, check in with your most recent recruits. They have been with you long enough to offer a “testimonial” for a social post, or they may be willing to share advice on where to target, or to provide you with a couple of leads from their alma mater, or to assist in reviewing an email push campaign.
- Prepare for Strategic Planning. Many healthcare organizations begin preparing for strategic planning in summer months. Set up a meeting with your CEO and service line leaders to ask what plans are for the coming year. Then come prepared to the strategic planning meetings with two or three ways you can help as a physician recruiter for that particular strategy. It’s a great way to go from order-taker to strategic partner.
The summer season is the time to replenish your pipeline and tap new sources, but also to fix leaks and tend to some much-needed maintenance, just like our air conditioners need maintenance to be prepared for those hot summer days. Tuning up your recruitment strategy during this time will pay off when activity picks up again and you can’t afford a breakdown. You never know; you might just find that rockstar candidate tired of those hot summers who is looking to move to your cooler location.