25 To Do’s – The Most Comprehensive Checklist for Medical Recruiters

A guide for recruiters, including best practices for ad writing, management, outreach, interviewing, database use, and more. From expert insights to practical advice, this article has you covered!

1. First, look internally

Why not? If you work directly in a hospital or a healthcare organization, look first to current staff to fill open positions. Is the perfect candidate in plain sight? Post the job on the company intranet or in a common area such as a meeting room or breakroom. Consider sending a company-wide email to make the announcement. If you are the hiring manager, be sure to touch base with the supervisor of any potential candidates.

2. Advertise the job online, but note that not all job boards are created equal

You can find many sites on which to post physician job ads. Some job boards offer two services: ad posting and access to a database of physician candidates. Note that the quality of data can vary widely; some sites offer a very large database of candidates (say, 20K records), though it can include many records that contain old or obsolete information (physicians no longer looking, the wrong contact info, etc.). Choose a service that offers a fresh, accurate database of docs looking for jobs now, such as that offered by PhysEmp.

3. Write an enticing ad

Don’t just dash off job ads. Ads must create a picture in the reader’s mind. Be sure to include salary, benefits, location, hours, certifications required, lifestyle info, technology and COVID requirements. If you are affiliated with a hospital or a health center, use your HR department to help you write the ad. Don’t write a lackluster ad that will not create enthusiasm! Write a great one.

4. Avoid ‘no-no’s’ in your ads

Write your ad to professional standards. That means no sloppy language that can reflect poorly on you or the organization. Avoid misspelled words, poor grammar, excessive wordiness, etc. Make sure the ad reads smoothly and easily. Use an online service such as Grammerly to check spelling, usage, and grammar, if necessary. Most offer a free level of service.

5. If you require the candidate to fill out an online application, be sure it looks and runs great

Have you made it easy for prospective employees to apply for jobs? Are your online forms well-presented or do they have glitches that can lose applicants along the way? Many candidates will abandon an application if they run into technical problems, errors, or, say, if you ask for an upload of a CV early on and then make the same request later on in a form. Troubleshoot your forms to ensure that candidates can apply with ease.

6. Don’t use too passive of a recruiting style

Are you guilty of the post-and-pray approach, where you post jobs on sites such as neuvoo, jobs2careers, adzuna, nexxt, or reach, and expect an avalanche of CVs to roll in? While ads are an important part of a recruiting campaign, they shouldn’t be your only tactic. Use both passive and active tactics. Physician databases, for instance, allow you to proactively search for and reach out to candidates and make notes about all your actions for reference.

7. Don’t have ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’

Just as too many cooks can spoil a soup, too many parties involved in the hiring process can spoil a nice opportunity. Naturally, it’s crucial to include key stakeholders in the interviewing process, but it’s equally important to keep things streamlined. It can be challenging to include multiple parties in making a decision, based on everyone’s preferences. Do your best to ensure that interviews are held by key decision-makers only.

8. Recognize and focus on your strengths

Review your own practices once in a while. Do an assessment of what has worked in your recruiting effort and what was less effective. Though this can feel like nonproductive busy-work, it can be tremendously helpful to refine and improve your strategy. For example, if you’ve been spending 20% of your recruiting hours doing something that hasn’t paid off, take time to understand why and then redirect those hours where they can yield better results.

9. Be candidate-centric to get the best results

Reach out to candidates using language that can best sell your opportunity. One of the ways to do that is by making sure you are fully focused on the candidate. Instead of “We’re looking for” and “Our hospital or clinic offers,” work in statements like, “If you’re the kind of candidate who…” and “I think you’ll really like the fact that we have…” Linguistically, bring the physician “into the hospital” to get one step closer to bringing them inside for real!

10. Get to know young doctors and what they want in a job

Millennials are a diverse group. In fact, more than one quarter of the millennial population belong to a minority group. Understandably, these future employees expect fair, equal treatment in their work environment. Be sure to come from a place of openness to build trust. Millennials crave to understand the views and opinions of others, whether in casual conversation with colleagues or by reviewing new research in a field. It’s in your best interest to nurture and promote an inclusive style.

11. Maximize the use of social media

Millennial Physicians tend to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms often. Post your ads, opportunities, and company information on these platforms, being sure to include helpful links back to your site. Posts on social media can help candidates get to know you and your organization. Personal content works to humanize you, which aids in sealing a close connection with job searchers.

12. Ensure that what you post is accurate

Before you even begin accepting CVs, make sure the job description clearly identifies the requirements. If you’re looking for a pathologist, for example, but are really looking for a pathologist with 15 years of experience to lead a team, be sure to state that specification clearly. Don’t waste your time or that of the physician by not being clear about what you’re looking for.

13. Learn to read and review CVs fast

Scan a CV rapidly to get an overall first impression, and then read it carefully. As you search for promising candidates, ask yourself: Does the CV strike the right tone? Does it contain the key values you are seeking? Is the most recent physician position excellent and of interest? Did the physician progress in his or her their roles, assuming more responsibilities or pursuing leadership roles? Settle on the candidates that is the most tailored fit.

14. Sell the lifestyle

Candidates aren’t just considering a new place of employment; they may be choosing a new community, lifestyle, and perhaps a new home. Fully understand the city or town’s benefits, options, school choices, community factors, and cost of living. Include the candidate’s spouse in the hiring process (or speak with the applicant about how to involve the spouse). Don’t just sell your group as an attractive career, but sell the lifestyle that will come about as a result of joining the practice or hospital.

15. Don’t traffic in stereotypes

Millennial physicians are often progressive thinkers, so be sure to leave any outdated stereotypes behind. One of the steadiest trends in medicine has been the increase in the number of female physicians entering the workforce. Tailor your strategy to recruit them, as well as male physicians. If you are with a multi-recruiter company, consider involving women recruiters in the process. Be flexible with personal needs such as accommodating for pregnancy, daycare, bathrooms, meeting times, part-time options, and so on.

16. Power your search by subscribing to use a database of candidates

To widen the range of potential choices, sign up or subscribe to use a service that vets and presents candidates. The PhysEmp service, for example, gives you access to thousands of physicians who are currently looking for jobs. You can filter your search, get email alerts for matches, get reports, make logs of notes of contacts, and much more. PhysEmp deletes candidates that have been in the system for over a year, which results in more accurate, more recent info.

17. Strengthen your brand

Fully understand what your organization offers, how it is different from competitors, and how best to articulate it. Be bold about the benefits you offer and build them around your mission statement and core values. Rally your brand ambassadors by asking employees to share their reviews and stories online. Get your tech straight and connect with candidates via social media and mobile-friendly platforms and services.

18. The first interview

The first interview should determine whether a physician will fit in with the other physicians in the practice and whether the physician will stay long-term to build the practice. So it’s important to know what connection she or he (or the spouse) has to that community. Did they go to school here? Does one of them have family in the area? And so on. If there is no connection, then the physician may have to convince the practice why this is their number one choice.

19. Ask great questions in the interview

Strategically work in questions that will bring out the candidate’s character and skills. Here are a few examples: Specifically, what past experiences have prepared you for this job? Have you had an experience in which you didn’t receive a positive response or promotion that you thought you were going to? How did you react to that? Prepare for the interview by looking over several excellent interview questions in this article.

20. The second interview

This interview is generally done on location. For physicians, this means possibly being flown in if they live elsewhere. If there is a partner (wife/husband) they may also come to evaluate their desire to move there. Here, the interviewer asks the deeper questions. After the top candidates have been confirmed, the HR department should do a background check, reviewing and confirming credentials, references, documents, and statements. Throughout the process, hiring managers should remain in touch with candidates by email and/or phone.

21. Negotiate and prepare the offer

Once the HR and the hiring manager agree on a candidate, make the offer. Work with the candidate to arrive at an agreement. Prepare a written offer letter from the manager, including salary, supervisor relationship, reporting relationships, etc. The candidate will need to sign the letter and the confidentiality (and/or non-compete agreement). If the candidate declines, go back to your pool of candidates and begin setting up interviews again.

22. Onboarding

After an offer is accepted, send a welcome email to the new hire. Include things-to-be-done prior to the first day. Organize your new employee’s physical and digital workspaces, arrange for a greeter and a tour of the workspace, meet with HR, and spend ample time with employee and manager to begin relationship building.

23. During slow times, stay productive

During work slowdowns such as the December holiday season, do housekeeping tasks. For one, review your year. No doubt you’ve tried strategies, both new ones and the tried and tested. Which worked? Which didn’t? Take stock and adjust accordingly. If you’ve found career fairs helpful, plan to make an even bigger impression next year. If you’ve found that online ads reaped rewards, favor digital media in the months ahead. In short, focus on what works and cut back on what doesn’t.

24. Set goals going forward

Write out your recruiting objectives going forward for the next year and the steps you’ll need to take to implement them. Create a spreadsheet and fill in the target dates and action steps. Or use project management software, a document, or whatever works for you. The important thing is getting it all down and creating a roadmap to follow for success.

25. Continue to manage your brand

When things are quiet in the office, invest in further brand building. Prospective candidates will research your organization online, whether you’re a healthcare employer or a recruiting firm. Is your website well-designed, easy to use, and inviting? Is it responsive? How is your social media presence? Is it time to invest in recruiting videos? Ensure that your online presence reflects the quality of your organization.

We hope you’ve benefited from reading this list!

For over 25 years, PhysEmp has worked hard to develop a network of healthcare professionals and recruitment agencies and hospitals to make finding a new job stress-free. It’s the perfect way to see specialized jobs, save interesting positions, directly contact employers, and apply to jobs, all while getting the support you need.

If you’re having a hard time finding a job as a physician, PhysEmp is happy to help! Contact us today to get one step closer to achieving your career goals.