The problem isn't the MARKET, it's the TACTICS

I speak to hospital/healthcare recruiters every day who say the same thing: "I am not getting any response to my recruiting efforts (e.g. advertisements, resume mining) so I guess there just aren't any local candidates in my market..." This is very flawed thinking. Let's take registered nurses as an example. Most people don't realize that there are almost 3 million registered nurses in the United States, and major metro areas have anywhere from 15,000 - 50,000 registered nurses all residing within a commutable distance. So how is it possible that a healthcare recruiter could think that there are not any local candidates to source from? And with such an enormous pool to source from, why does it take so long to fill open positions? As the title of this discussion states: The problem isn't the MARKET, it's the TACTICS. If you're sourcing from a pool of potential nurses that literally has thousands of candidates in it, then you need to find a way to communicate with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Most recruiters rely on placing advertisements or scouring resume databases, which, in healthcare, may only reach 2% of the total population of nurses in your market. It's no wonder you're not getting any response, considering that you are fighting over the same 2% of job-seekers that every other healthcare employer/recruiter is going after! You need to change your tactics. Be proactive in reaching the other 98% of the candidate pool that is not looking for a career opportunity. Even though they are not looking, they are still very receptive to learning about career opportunities.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kelly Thomas on March 4, 2009 at 2:10pm

I know there are 126,000+ RNs in Michigan alone. I couldn't agree more Anthony. Thank you for the reminder.

Permalink Reply by Jim Canto on March 5, 2009 at 12:25am

OK... I agree... now... quit holding out and share some of those TACTICS. :-)

Great topic, Anthony. Can't wait to hear the collaborative effort of the group regarding the "how" to reach the other 98%.

Permalink Reply by Regina Farr on March 5, 2009 at 9:55am

I completely agree; but maybe we need to speak on what some of those tactics are. I know I'm one who would welcome some discussion around what others are doing to be effective in the healthcare arena.

Permalink Reply by Regina Farr on March 5, 2009 at 9:55am

Permalink Reply by Anthony Gentile on March 5, 2009 at 10:05am

Best way to be proactive is to employ the "we find you method" over the "you find us method." Placing an advertisement is like throwing darts at a board. There are literally thousands of job boards, newspapers, and trade journals; it's become so terribly fractionalized.

So what can you do to "find them?" There are several strategies that may company uses to find local passive candidates: direct mail, cold calling, e-mail blasts, voicemail broadcasts. The trick is to mix the strategies based upon how dense the pool is and what their proximity is to the facility you are trying to recruit them for. This way you can maximize your spend.

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