In-House Physician Recruiter Tips and Advice

“Bend” Current Trends to Your Advantage

2011-06-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Your recruitment efforts pay dividends when retention is high. As you hire physicians, allied health practitioners, and therapy professionals, Cejka Search can help you stay ahead of emerging recruitment and retention trends and “bend” them to your advantage.

Key Trend: Turnover Ticked Up in Line with Economic Recovery
According to the Cejka Search and AMGA 2010 Physician Retention Survey, medical groups are becoming more active in hiring.

Signaling that an already competitive physician market may become more so, the majority of medical groups (83 percent) will hire more or significantly more primary care physicians.

Nearly as many said they will be hiring more or significantly more specialists (79 percent) and advanced practitioners (78 percent).

A helpful resource on key trends can be found in the presentation called Trend Benders: Hire and Keep Star Physicians.

Five Steps to Successfully Close the Deal

2010-10-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

After spending a lot of time, energy and money, you are ready to make an offer and close the deal! Timing is crucial to the success of any step in the recruitment process but this is especially true when it comes to the offer/contract phase.

Consider the following pointers – they can mean the difference between making a successful hire and starting all over again.

1. Strike while the iron is hot!
Be ready to make a decision within 48 hours or less of a candidate’s interview. It is even better if the candidate can walk away from the interview with an offer in hand. A candidate’s level of interest and enthusiasm is always the highest during the interview. Making an offer quickly shows the candidate your level of interest. It is important you have an objective and timely manner to collect interview feedback from the panel. I recommend sending an interview evaluation form to the interview panel with the interview itinerary. The evaluation form should be easy to fill out and return to you.

2. Give the candidate a deadline for his decision
If you are prepared to make an offer in a timely manner, it is only fair to ask the candidate for a prompt reply too. It is best to place a two week deadline on your offer/contract. During this two week period the candidate is assured the offer is exclusive to him only. If the two week deadline passes, you are free to pursue other candidates and it’s a “first come, first serve” scenario. Enforce your deadlines. Often I see my clients extend deadlines over and over. Why use deadlines if you are just going to extend them!

3. Skip the offer letter and go with the contract
This one is tough! Many of my clients have a two step process. First an offer letter goes with all the details that will be included in the contract, start date, signing bonus, compensation, scheduled, etc. Once the signed offer letter is returned, the contract is sent.
I would strongly encourage you to skip the offer letter step and go straight to the contact phase. An offer letter is not legal binding and it just prolongs the process giving your candidate more time to consider other opportunities or to shop your offer around to see if he can get a better deal!

If your organization will not forgo the offer letter step, I strongly encourage you to have a contract ready to mail out as soon as the signed offer letter is returned. Many times, my clients wait until the signed offer letter is returned before the contract is even requested/prepared – again you are just prolonging the process. I have seen client take several weeks after the return of a signed offer letter to get a contract out. Trust me; this is not the best way to instill confidence in your candidate!!!

4. Keep the contract simple
If you have a contract that is more that 5-10 pages, it is time to go back to drawing board! Candidates are intimidated when they get lengthy contracts. The simpler your contract, the faster you will get it back.

5. Use overnight mailing services instead of regular mail
Now is not the time to save some money! When you are sending out offers/contract use overnight mail and be sure to include a return overnight envelope too. This makes the right impression with the candidate and reinforces the need for a prompt reply.

Time is your biggest enemy! I can’t stress this enough. Take a look at your current offer/contract process and see if you can apply any of the suggestions I just made. They can make a big difference.

Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Candidate Interviews

2010-09-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

By the time you are ready to schedule an interview, you’ve already spent time and money to identify a prospective candidate that is a good fit. You’ve scheduled the interview and now is the time to “roll out the red carpet”.

Often I work with clients that do not take the time to plan an interview properly. Candidate’s walk away without a good understanding of the practice opportunity, limited knowledge of the community and their spouses have not been included. Poor interview planning significantly increases your chances of loosing a candidates because he is no longer interested or ensure the need to schedule a second interview. Both mean you have to spend more money!!!

Every interview needs to be planned to meet the needs of the prospective candidate. Yes, you are interviewing the candidate BUT the candidate is also interviewing you. You only have one chance to make a first impression!

Consider the following when planning an interview:

1. Carefully review your notes from the candidate screening.

Try to anticipate what the candidate may have concerns about and be prepared to address the concerns during the interview.
Determine what will be most appealing to the candidate so you can highlight it during the interview (community and practice)

2. Invite the spouse:

Winning the support of the spouse is critical. You are kidding yourself if you think the spouse does not influence the decision making process. Your competitors are inviting spouses to the interview.
If you did not ask about the spouse's priorities during the candidate screening, call the spouse and find out what he/she is looking for: employment needs, community amenities, educational needs, etc.

3. Develop a detailed Itinerary:

Plan an itinerary that allows the candidate to meet with physician leaders, physicians the candidate will potentially practice with, administrative leadership, representative from nursing staff, etc. The candidate should have the opportunity to meet with a broad scope of organizational representatives.
Plan a separate itinerary for the spouse which reflects the needs of the spouse; tour of residential communities, visits to schools or day care facilities, community amenities, etc.
Make sure the candidate and spouse will have opportunities to take a break and use the rest room.
Incorporate a dinner to allow the candidate and spouse an opportunity to socialize.

4. On the day of the interview assign “tour guides” to stay with the candidate and spouse

It is important to have a point person who spends the day with candidate (and spouse) ensuring he gets where he needs to go and to answer questions about the organization as they may come up.
This is a great way to get to know the candidate and determine his fit. You can obtain a lot of information about the candidate that may not come-up during the interview meetings.
Often the spouse will share information that is critical to the candidate’s decision making process.

5. Follow-up with the candidate and spouse once the interview has concluded:

Make sure you contact the candidate within 48 hours of the interview to obtain interview feedback.
Keep the candidate informed in a timely manner about your decision making and the status of the opportunity.

By following these steps you ensure the candidate will have the most positive experience during his interview. Your goal is to send the candidate home excited about his experience and eager to receive an offer.

Screening Candidates

2010-09-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Screening a candidate for fit is a critical component of the recruitment process. Most of us complete a detailed review of the CV. Great start! But it is only the beginning of the candidate screening process.

Completing a detailed candidate screening ensures that you focus your recruitment budget on the right candidates . None us want to go through the expense and effort of interviewing a candidate that is not going to be a good fit, especially if if we can find out ahead of time!

Here are some pointers to consider when you are screening candidates:

Complete a detailed review of the candidate’s CV

Is the candidate’s training a good fit for your opportunity?
Are there any gaps in the candidates training?
Have practicing candidates moved around a lot?
Is the candidate certified in his specialty?
Where is the candidate licensed?

Complete an indepth telephone interview(approximately 30 to 45 minutes)

Address any questions that arise from review of the candidate’s CV.
Ask open ended questions about the candidate's current and past practice experience. Get detailed information about patient volumes, areas of expertise, etc.
What are the candidate’s career goals?
Confirm the status of the candidate certification and licensure status.
Find out what the candidate is looking for in a practice opportunity. The candidate is also interviewing you! This is an excellent opportunity to “sell” your opportunity.
Find out why the candidate is interested in your community. Does he have ties to the area? Also ask if he is considering other geographic locations.
What are the candidate’s compensation expectations. This is important! Try to get as much detail as possible . Knowing a candidate’s compensation requirements up front can save you a ton of time.
Ask the candidate when he is available to interview and start practice.
When does the candidate want to make a decision?
This is also a good opportunity to find out where the candidate is interviewing and if there are any offers on the table.

Review risk factors to ensure candidate has a “clean” background

A detailed review of risk factors with a candidate is important. The last thing you want to do is hire a candidate and find out he cannot get credentialed!
Have the candidate's privileges have been suspended or restricted?
Have any complaints have been filed with a state medical board or the National Practitioner Data Bank ?
Has the candidate had any malpractice suites filed against him, are there any pending suits ?
Has the candidate ever been convicted of a felony?
The best way to address these issues is by developing a list of questions. Make sure you have legal counsel review the questions.

A detailed candidate screening up front can save you time and hassle down the line. You can focus your recruitment dollars on the candidates that are a good fit for your practice/organization.

Recruiting to Fit Your Strategy – Part II

2010-08-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

So far, you’ve rolled out the red carpet and maximized the site visit experience for the candidate. Now you’ve got the close the deal!

Offers – The Package
1. Do not wait until you have interviewed a candidate to start talking about the package you plan to offer!! This happens more often than you think.

2. Before you even start recruitment, carefully evaluate what the package will look like. Consider the following aspects:
· Compensation
· Call Schedule
· Benefits
· Malpractice
· Will there be a buy-in? If so, what will be the amount?
· Will you offer partnership? If so, in what timeframe?
· Relocation Assistance
· Student Loan Assistance
· Signing Bonus

Timeframe
1. Your biggest enemy in recruitment is time! The longer it takes to schedule an interview, make a hiring decision, turn around a contract, respond to candidate questions, etc, the less your chances of hiring the candidate.

2. Keep in mind, you are not the only one recruiting and there plenty of hospitals and physician groups that will “beat you to the punch”.

3. The best way to show a candidate you level of interest is by responding promptly.

4. This is the most important factor in recruitment. You can do everything right but if your turnaround takes too long, you will loose the candidate. I can’t stress this enough!

I have a signed contract. Does that mean I am done!
1. Recruitment does not stop just because you have a signed contract. You’ve spent a lot of time and money to hire this physician. Keep him happy!

2. Stay in touch with candidate as his start date approaches. It is great when a physician leader can reach out to the candidate too.

3. Have an orientation plan for the new physician.

4. Assign the new physician a mentor to answer any questions as they come up and to check in to make sure everything is going well.

We are always recruiting! Plan ahead by anticipating the challenges of your recruitment strategy and you will be successful.

Recruiting to Fit Your Strategy – Part I

2010-08-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Even if you have a detailed, all-encompassing candidate acquisition plan, without the right recruitment strategy, you will not be successful. Ultimately our goal is to fill our search. A good candidate acquisition plan only gets you half way there.

What happens when you get responses??? Do you have a recruitment strategy? It is important to plan ahead. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve had clients to who wait until a candidate is interested in their opportunity and then they start talking about recruitment strategy.

Plan your recruitment strategy early…BEFORE YOU START RECRUITING! Here are some pointers:

Road Map to Success
1. Develop you recruitment strategy with the input of key decision makers in your organization including physicians and administrators.

Initial Candidate Screening
1. Complete an initial phone interview with candidates to determine whether or not the candidate is potentially a good fit and to sell your opportunity.

2. Get to know the candidate by finding out what he is looking for in a practice opportunity, why is he is looking, when is he available, etc.

Roll Out the Red Carpet
1. Maximize the site visit. This is your opportunity to show your opportunity, community and organization in the best light. Use the information you gathered in the initial screening to highlight those aspects you know will appeal to the candidate.

2. Try to limit the site visits to one. Use the initial candidate screening as the first interview.

3. Involve the spouse and family during the site visit. You are kidding yourself if you do not think the spouse will influence a decision.

4. Do not neglect the social aspect of a site visit.

5. Provide the candidate with a sample contract.

6. Encourage decision makers to make a hiring decision within 48 hours of the site visit.

7. Collect objective feedback from all members of the interview panel.

I will say it again, plan ahead. If you can anticipate challenges and prepare for what may come-up you are in a much better position to be successful!

Sending the Right Message - Part II

2010-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

So far, you have developed a detailed practice description and you have evaluated the opportunity for its benefits and drawbacks. It’s time to create content for your sourcing campaign.

As you start drafting content for your sourcing activities, here are some pointers:

1. Be upfront: Describe the opportunity in detail and highlight the most appealing aspects of the practice.

2. Make it easy for the reader: Don’t play guessing games with the candidate. Make it easy for the candidate to get the information he is looking for by including a detailed description of the opportunity, links to community information, links to the health system or hospital, etc.

3. Tell me more: Often I hear that it is better to be keep content general so the candidate is more inclined to contact you for more details. Exactly the opposite it true. CONTENT IS KING! The better you are able to describe the opportunity, the better your chances of getting responses. With Internet postings using key words throughout your description will also increase the visibility of your posting when a physician is searching the web.

4. What is the cool thing? Take advantage of the opportunity to highlight the best aspects of the practice (use the list of pros you developed when evaluating the opportunity). What is it that sets your opportunity above the others out there. Every opportunity has its positive aspects; life-style friendly call scheduled, call coverage at only one hospital, the perfect community to raise a family, nationally recognized colleagues, outstanding earning potential, etc. Be descriptive when highlighting the best aspects of the practice. Here are some examples:

• Practice with Drs. Barnes and Smith, nationally recognized in the field of…….
• Smithville, Indiana is conveniently located within two hours of Chicago and one hour from Indianapolis
• Home to one the best schools system in the state.
• You will benefit for a life-style friendly call schedule of 1:8

5. What’s in it for me? It is really important to talk about the benefits to the candidate. Look at the opportunity from a candidate’s point of view. Tell the candidate their life-style will benefit from the call schedule. Talk about all the amenities the community will offer.

The key to a candidate sourcing campaign’s success is effective writing. Sending the right message will result in a better response rate. Remember, CONTENT IS KING!

Sending the Right Message - Part I

2010-07-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks, I have talked a lot about different sourcing tools to reach prospective candidates. Some tools are new technology and others are tried and true strategies.

Implementing a detailed sourcing plan that includes a variety of sourcing activities such as website postings, print ads, email blasts, social networking and others is important. BUT if you are not sending the right message, you will not get a good return on your investment. I have said this before, “garbage in, garbage out”.

So how do we develop content for our sourcing activities that will trigger a response from prospective candidates? First, understand the practice opportunity you are marketing. I know this sounds very basic but it is critical. Take the time to meet with physicians and other staff in the practice. Here is the information you need to obtain:

• Reason for recruitment of new physician
• Typical week look like for the physicians in the practice
• Call schedule (weekends and weekdays)
• Compensation range/ benefits if any
• Anticipated volume of patients the new physician will see
• Type of candidate the practice is seeking
• Ideal timeframe for new physician to start
• Practice location details

I think it is also important to ask physicians in the practice why they joined. Also, ask them what they think is most appealing about their practice opportunity.

Once you have a good understanding the practice opportunity, prepare a practice profile. The practice profile will help develop you sourcing campaign and it is an excellent resource when you are speaking to prospective candidates. Using the practice profile evaluate the pros and cons. What are the best and the least attractive components of the opportunity. Physicians will look at three things to determine initial interest:

Geography – Where is the practice located?

Practice Setting - What type of practice is it – solo, single specialty, multi-specialty, etc?

Compensation - What is the initial compensation offered? What is the earning potential?

Now you are ready to start the sourcing campaign.

Reaching Residents and Fellows - Part II

2010-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Before I go on, let’s talk about timeframe. When is the best time to launch a resident outreach program? I think it is best to start contacting graduating residents/fellows about one year before they complete their training – July or August.

Now it is time to plan your resident reach campaign. Here is what I recommend:

First, develop a direct mail piece that is targeted to residency or fellowship program directors. The mailer should include a cover letter introducing yourself and the opportunity you are marketing. A color flyer with a detailed description of your opportunity should also be included. The cover letter should ask that the flyer be posted on their “job posting board”.

Second, develop an email blast (an HTML would be best) introducing yourself and the opportunity you are marketing. The text of the email should also mention that you will be calling to discuss the opportunity in more detail.

Once you have started cold calling candidates, you will need to send email blasts out every few weeks.

Third, start cold calling! This is probably one of the least attractive aspects about our jobs. But I think it is an essential component of reaching residents or fellow. Historically I have found the best way to reach residents or fellow is by calling the paging operator and have the resident/fellow paged. The resident or fellow will not necessarily know who is paging them and will be less likely to ignore the call (unless they are in surgery, with a patient, etc.) When the page is picked-up, please be respectful of their time. If the resident says he can’t talk because he is in the middle of something, ask for a cell phone number and find out when you can reach him. Keep in mind these physicians have a tremendous responsibility caring for their patients.

Keep a spreadsheet listing the names of the residents you are calling and make a note of their status (how many times you’ve tried paging the resident, interest level once your reach him, etc).

September to February will be the best months to cold call residents/fellows.

I think it is important to point out that we need to start developing a relationship with graduating residents/fellows early. If you have the time and manpower, start emailing first year residents and fellows – you can direct them to your Facebook page, website, Twitter, etc. By establishing a professional relationship earlier, we have a higher chance of the resident coming to us when the are ready to start looking.

Well, that’s it! Even though cold calling and direct mail may seem antiquated, they still have their place in the recruitment world.

Reaching Residents and Fellows – Part I

2010-06-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

It’s true, the best source of candidates for our practice opportunities are graduating residents or fellows. In fact, when I meet with a client that says they prefer a practicing candidate, I cringe!!!!

This is the time of year when we start put our “plan of attack” in motion for next round of graduating residents and fellows.

So, what is the best way to reach residents/fellows? There are three tried and true approaches:

1. Cold Calling
2. Email Blasting
3. Direct Mail

I know what you are thinking. “Been there, done that!” Those of us that have been recruiting for many years are no strangers to cold calling, email blasts and direct mail.

In this day and age of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so many others, is there a place for the traditional candidate sourcing activities? I think so!

The key to using these tried and true approaches is how you combine them. Rather than just sitting down one afternoon a week and cold calling out of the blue for three hours, develop a comprehensive resident outreach plan.

At the beginning of the year sit down with key decision makers and decide what specialties you want to target. Be realistic. There is only some much time and manpower you can dedicate to reaching residents/fellows. Also be sure to prioritize the specialties in order of importance according your recruitment needs.

Once you have identified the targeted specialties, resident and fellow name gathering comes into to play. The AMA is often a good source for residents, not for fellows. There are several organizations that do resident/fellow name gathering and often they will also collect contact information including address, phone and email. If your budget allows it, I recommend purchasing a list from a vendor. The expense can be quite reasonable and this will save you a ton of time!

HTML - Email Marketing

2010-06-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Most of us rely heavily on email blasts to market our practice opportunities. I found over the last two years that response rates to my email blasts were diminishing at an alarming rate! Why?

The majority of the emails I sent out were basic text emails with a link to a website posting. It would only be logical to assume that prospective candidates started to get tired of same text emails and started to block them or simply delete them without reading them. We do it ourselves with our personal emails!

Enter the HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) email. An HTML email is visually sophisticated and much more appealing electronically. If a basic text email was the equivalent of a Honda vehicle, then the HTML email is the equivalent of an Acura vehicle.

When I send an email blast out, I have two goals:

1.) Candidate response to the email indicating an interest in the opportunity
2.) Drive prospective candidates to our website

By presenting prospective candidates with a visually stimulating email, my chances of getting a response increase. Once Cejka Search started to use HTML emails as part of our comprehensive Candidate Acquisition process, we started to see better responses to our email campaigns.

As with any candidate sourcing activity, be sure to develop appealing text with persuasive information to encourage the candidate’s response. As with most of our sourcing efforts, “garbage in, garbage out” most definitely applies! It is important to look at your opportunity critically to identify what is most appealing about it. Location? Practice setting?

So far, all of my blogs have been about some the latest Internet technologies we can use as a recruitment tool. Email marketing may not seem as high tech but it is definitely a recruitment tool that can get information to large number of prospective candidates and can drive them to your website, Facebook page, Twitter, etc.

Podcasting as a Physician Recruitment Tool

2010-06-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Many organizations are turning to podcast technology to increase their brand recognition, improve public relations effectiveness, increase client base and retain current customers. Physicians download podcasts on a regular basis for purposes of continuing education, communication with colleagues and more.
We all use websites, newsletters and email marketing to communicate information about our practice opportunities. So why not use Podcasts to recruit physicians too? Podcasts are an excellent communication tool. What if we can make it easier for our target audience to access the information they are looking for?
In order to use their time efficiently, physicians must multi-task. A podcast allows a physician to stream the audio while performing another task at his computer. Physicians also prefer the value added audio content that is specific to their area of interest. Audio is also a far more effective communication medium than text for engaging and driving users to action. Podcasting has another unique feature: you can subscribe to a podcast station via RSS.

In my own experience, Cejka Search has a great Candidate Acquisition and Marketing team that has been instrumental in developing physician recruitment podcasts for our clients. We’ve launches several podcasts on behalf our clients. Typically, the podcast have included an audio description or the practice opportunity and organization highlighting the community and practice settings. Initial data indicates these podcasts have been very effective in driving candidates to our website or contacting us directly. Although podcasts require a little more leg work up front, the benefits are worth it.

Your podcast is only as good as the content it delivers to your target audience. The right podcast platform requires relevant content that will compel your target audience. With the amount of physicians going online to find the right practice opportunity, podcasting is becoming a very effective tool to widen our prospective candidate base. Can we afford to pass this opportunity up? I don’t think so…

LinkedIn: Networking with Passive Candidates

2010-06-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Our jobs would be a lot easier if it were only a matter of reaching candidates that are actively seeking the right practice opportunity. They usually find us!!

We are always trying to find new and better ways to reach the passive candidate. What and where do we advertise to entice the passive candidate? How do we reach the passive candidate that is just waiting to see or hear something that encourages him to investigate our opportunity?

We often hear from our colleagues that networking with the peers of such passive candidates is important. I find myself saying, “I wish I have more opportunities to network with the peers of potential candidates.”

LinkedIn is an excellent tool that you can use to network with passive candidates. Physicians in general are technology savy and more than 70% will use the Internet when looking for a practice opportunity (New England Journal of Medicine, 2008). Like Facebook, LinkedIn is a social networking site and is a cost effective tool. But unlike Facebook, LinkedIn was created specifically for the business world as a professional networking site.

LinkedIn allows you to develop a network of professional contacts that can pass on any information you have to share and can get information out to your network 24/7. But be forewarned, this is not just a job posting site. You have to take the time to maintain your network, update information, etc. LinkedIn has the potential of keeping passive candidates engaged allowing you to develop a professional rapport—rule of “garbage in, garbage out” definitely applies.

Another benefit of LinkedIn is their convenience. Physicians are very busy and it can be a struggle to connect with them. Often, I find that when I do track a candidate down he/she does not have a lot of time to talk. LinkedIn allows prospective candidates access to practice information on their timeframe. In my opinion, this is a tremendous advantage giving us the opportunity to capture a candidate’s undivided attention when he is most receptive to our message.

Most of our clients that have turned to social networking activities have tried Facebook first and have had great success. LinkedIn is quickly gaining in popularity—membership grows by a new member approximately every second! Like Facebook, LinkedIn is a great, user-friendly, cost effective tool that can compliment your candidate acquisition plan. The initial feedback has been very positive!

Facebook – More than just a way to stay in touch with family and friends!

2010-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

It seems everywhere we turn, companies are directing us to check out their Facebook pages. It is definitely a vehicle to get the word out about their company or a certain message they want to convey.

In addition, companies are using Facebook for networking purposes and as a recruitment tool. As an online recruiting tool, Facebook has become increasingly more popular in the last two years. A factor contributing to its popularity—IT’S FREE!

It provides an excellent opportunity to brand your organization on a cost-free scale and is very user friendly—you don’t need to have a degree in IT to use it! So, you may ask— why use Facebook to recruit physicians?

Everyone is always talking about networking with physicians and communicating with prospective candidates earlier in the process. Facebook is an excellent online tool to engage with prospective candidates and ensure a constant exchange of information. Our biggest enemy is timing—getting persuasive and relevant information about our opportunity to the right candidate at the right time.

How often do we speak to a candidate that just signed a contract or is two years away from making a move? Facebook can network for you 24/7 and it is a great way to keep passive prospects engaged on a long term bases. You can stay in touch with a physician in training that still has three years of training left.

Many of my clients are using Facebook to highlight their practice opportunities and are generating leads. We should not stop using the traditional candidate acquisition methods such as print ads, direct mail and job postings. However, I believe that Facebook is an excellent cost-free compliment to a strong candidate acquisition plan which has been tested to generate results!

Social Networking – Can It Help Us Recruit Physicians?

2010-05-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

Remember the days when faxing and phone calls where the primary modes of communication with prospective candidates? Today, if I get a fax from a candidate, I think to myself, “This is a red flag! Why didn’t the candidate send this electronically?”

Traditionally, when I start a new search, I do print ads, website postings and email blasts. After great expense and effort, I often do not get the responses I am looking for. Is it time to consider a new strategy?

Communicating with prospective candidates in a cost effective way is certainly a challenge. We are always trying to position our candidate acquisition efforts to try and reach physicians in training sooner! The market place has transitioned to technology savy, young physicians and we need to find a better way to reach them! HOW? Many of us are turning toward social networking.

In 2008 the New England Journal of Medicine completed a study in which 71% of respondents indicated they use the Internet to look for the right practice opportunity.

Social networking activities like Facebook, Twitter and You Tube are not just social opportunities for our teenagers; they are also cost-effective vehicles to reach and inform prospective candidates about the opportunities we have available for them. I am not an internet expert and fortunately I don’t have to be! Cejka Search has a great Candidate Acquisition and Marketing Team (CAM) that is always ready to jump with assistance and training on the latest social networking tools.

With the support of our CAM Team, I’ve been able to help many of our clients launch Facebook pages as well as You Tube videos. The great thing about Facebook and You Tube is the practice description you can provide including videos and photos of the medical campus and community. As they say ”A picture is worth a thousand words!” You Tube videos can also have a recorded message from your Chief Medical Director or the Chief Executive Officer. Now a candidate can download your You Tube video see where he will practice, view the community he will live in and receive a message of welcome from one of your administrators!

Social networking campaigns are definitely a cost effective way to market your practice opportunities in their best light. I have found that candidate responding to social media activities are also a better fit for the practice opportunity.

My prediction, social networking activities will only get more popular. We will have to jump on the wagon sooner or later!