Tag Archive for: physician recruiting tips

5 Ways to Boost Your Physician Recruiting in December

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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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5 Ways to Stress-Proof Your Office Over the Holidays

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There are plenty of reasons to get stressed out during the holiday season: the gifts you haven’t bought, the whirlwind of social engagements, visits with family, and of course, mounting tensions at the office. It can be challenging to accomplish anything when team members are out more often than they’re in—whether taking vacation days or calling in sick. On top of that, the seasonal blahs can strike for no apparent reason.

Stress Proof Office

Have a little fun at the office this December. (Photo from Team PhysEmp’s archives.)

Stress is inconvenient, but it has concerning implications. Consider this quote from a WebMD article:

“Stress doesn’t only make us feel awful emotionally,” says Jay Winner, MD, author of Take the Stress Out of Your Life and director of the Stress Management Program for Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, Calif. “It can also exacerbate just about any health condition you can think of.”

A compelling reason to prevent and manage stress levels around the office this December. But fear not. Here are a few suggestions for keeping spirits bright at your workplace during the holiday season.

1. Adjust Your Team’s Deadlines

Let’s face it: it can be hard to maintain focus in the office in the face of so many parties and celebrations. For that reason, it really is better to schedule those big end-of-year deadlines for November and early December, rather than smack in the middle of the holidays. Your team has worked hard this year! You can cut them some slack in December by scheduling deadlines earlier (or pushing them into the new year, if possible). You’ll save yourself the stress of micromanaging and cracking the whip, too.

2. Get Holiday Schedules Ahead of Time

If at all possible, ask your team to book their vacation time well in advance, rather than at the last minute. This will help ensure your employees don’t have those stressful meltdowns that can arise from trying to complete projects with missing (and crucial) team members.

3. Show Appreciation for Staff

Have your employees or colleagues knocked it out of the park this year? Let them know their efforts are appreciated. The end of year is an ideal time to be liberal with praise, and even rewards, for employee excellence. A recent article in Entrepreneur shows that rewarding employees for a job well done really pays off. A little goes a long way towards making employees feel appreciated. It’s good for employee motivation and morale, and it also helps you in the long run with retention, recruiting, and your company reputation. If nothing else, host an Ugly Sweater Day and hand out some awards!

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DeAnna and Theresa really took the (fruit) cake at last year’s Holiday Office Party. Here they are claiming their Ugly Sweater Awards. All in good fun!

4. Put Up Some Decorations

C’mon, don’t be a Scrooge! Whatever your religious or cultural affiliation, or that of your staff, you can only gain from putting up a few decorations and making the office more festive. Happy employees tend to be productive employees. Cheerful touches around the office can help lighten the mood during a hectic season.

“Getting into the holiday spirit can be easy and simple—a couple strands of white lights, a few holiday treats in the break room, a low-key company party with Secret Santas or White Elephant gifts,” says PhysEmp Marketing Assistant (our resident party planner).

We’re looking forward to seeing what Melinda and Elizabeth come up with for our office this year!

5. Be Easy on Employees—and Yourself

The holidays are a great time to break projects into “bite-sized” tasks, both for yourself and your employees, so none of you feel overwhelmed. Chances are, you might miss a few targets at this time of year—but try to be forgiving. Everyone has worked hard all year! Try to keep the big picture in mind rather than dwelling on a few small slip-ups. Keep this advice in mind personally as well as professionally.

We hope you found those suggestions helpful! Please feel free to share your own tips for staying stress-free at the office by leaving a comment below.

Summer Must-Reads for Every Physician Recruiter

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Heading to the beach this summer? If you want to improve your recruiting game while you bask in the sun, here are a few must-read suggestions from Team PhysEmp. Read more