You do not need to be told how tough it is to recruit nurses these days. You live the experience every day. With the demand for healthcare services not slowing down, your organization cannot afford to fall any further behind. You need to do everything you can to make sure your recruiting efforts payoff.
One thing we have learned in our drive to offer the most comprehensive and targeted nurses databases in the industry is that generic recruiting efforts no longer work. There are far too many jobs and not enough nurses to fill them. Therefore, organizations need to be a lot more targeted in their efforts.
Effective targeting starts with the right data. Our nurse’s database is comprised of qualified, first-person data voluntarily provided by the very nurses your organization wants to recruit. That makes our data the starting point. With that data in hand, here are three keys to effective nurse recruiting:
1. Crushing the Job Description
It is easy to fall to the temptation of creating a generic job description that can be cut and pasted whenever you have open positions to fill. Cutting and pasting takes a lot less work than writing individual job descriptions. But it doesn’t produce particularly good results. If you want action, you have to crush the job description every time you write one.
What do we mean by this? We mean creating detailed job descriptions specific to each job. Describe what the job entails on a daily basis; describe the working conditions; describe what candidates can expect from supervisors and co-workers. Lay it all on the line. That is the way you crush a job description.
2. Utilize the Right Sources
Next, do not settle on just any old job board you find. Don’t fall for the practice of throwing everything you have against the wall to see what sticks. Instead, use the right sources. Our parent company offers a number of targeted healthcare job boards populated by the very people you’re trying to recruit. In addition to those job boards, take advantage of sources that let you make direct contact with the people most likely to respond.
One of the most underutilized sources for new hires are your current employees. Have your nurse supervisors ask their team members for referrals. You might even offer bonus pay for every referral that turns into a hire. Employee referrals tend to be a goldmine of potential.
3. Create a Value Proposition
Today’s nurses understand they are in the driver’s seat. They know that there are more jobs than there are nurses, giving them the upper hand in choosing who they want a work for. You can make the most of this by creating a value proposition. What is it about your organization that makes it the best choice for the candidates you are recruiting?
Whatever that value proposition might be, go out of your way to promote it. Maybe your organization offers outstanding differential pay for weekend shifts. Trumpet that as a way to recruit nurses for weekend work. If it is not great differential pay, perhaps your organization helps nurses by assisting them with continuing education. Let that be known.
Targeted Data and Messages
What this all boils down to is starting with targeted data and leveraging it to communicate a targeted message to job candidates. Generic is out; targeting is in. Cut-and-paste job descriptions that don’t tell candidates what to expect are passe. Your recruits want detailed job descriptions so that they know exactly what they are applying for. Most of all, they want a value proposition that clearly explains why your organization is the best choice.