5 Ways to Boost Your Physician Recruiting in December

It’s beginning to look a lot like … slow season coming up. December is looming, which is often a quiet month in offices across the country—especially if you’re a physician recruiter. There are plenty of distractions that will be pulling at you: employees taking time off, people calling in sick, and everyone distracted by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Your candidates are equally busy, too, so your phone calls and emails may go unanswered.

But that doesn’t mean you should call it quits and coast till the new year! In fact, believe it or not, December could be one of your most productive—and successful—months of the year. Here are 5 ways to make that happen.

1. Reach out to the right candidates

While it may be true that the majority of your prospects will be preoccupied in December, some of them will be happy to hear from you. As you know, many residents start planning their future employment as much as 12 months out. That means December could be the perfect time to approach residents who will be completing contracts.

And then there are the stragglers—residents who will finish their contracts in the summer and actually haven’t started looking yet. Or perhaps they had something lined up and it fell through. In any case, they’re quite likely exploring new opportunities now, so be sure to get yours in front of them.

According to “The Physician Recruitment Cycle,” published by MDR Healthcare Search, “32% of residents begin their job search 6 months before graduation, meaning this is the ideal time to reach candidates off to a slow start in their search. Also, many off-cycle candidates will begin their search 12 months prior to completing their residency the following December.”

2. Review your year

This may seem obvious, but it’s an often-overlooked aspect of many physician recruiters’ annual marketing plans. No doubt you’ve used a mix of approaches this year—both new ones and the tried and tested. Which worked for you? Which didn’t?

Now’s the time to take stock and build a stronger campaign going forward. If you’ve found career fairs helpful, make note of that and plan to make an even bigger impression next year. If you found that online ads reaped greater rewards than print materials (we’re willing to wager they did :), you can plan to favor digital media in the months ahead. In short: focus on what works and cut back on what doesn’t.

3. Strengthen your employment brand

If things are quiet at the office, that means you have time to invest in your employment brand. Now, more than ever, prospective candidates will research your organization online—whether you’re a healthcare employer or a recruiting firm.

Is your website fresh, current, and inviting? Is it responsive? How are your social media profiles? Is it time to implement a career site for your organization or invest in recruiting videos? A slow hiring season is a great time to ensure that your online presence reflects the quality of your brand.

4. Research and strategize

Has your organization done data collection and analysis over the past year? If so, now’s the time to look at that data and identify trends. Did you see more action in the first quarter versus the third? If so, you’ll want to be sure you’re ready when the first quarter rolls around next year.

If your company doesn’t have the resources for data, don’t despair. Plenty of healthcare organizations, recruiting firms, and job boards are compiling and sharing data in their blogs. Do a little research, and put your competitors’ and colleagues’ data to work for you.

5. Set goals for the new year

Now that you’ve taken stock, it’s time to get started on your plan for next year. Write out your new physician recruiting objectives and the steps you’ll need to take to implement them. Create a spreadsheet and fill in target dates and action steps. Or use project management software, or a notepad, or whatever works for you. The important thing is getting it all down and creating a roadmap for next year’s success.

With these tips in mind, we wish you a productive and happy holiday season!

Ready to start connecting with physicians? Have questions? Contact PhysEmp today for a free demo.

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