Van Allen, the owner of
The Hire Connection has spent many years
recruiting physicians for hospitals and clinics all over the country. He attributes his huge
success in that arena to helping hospitals understand some basic steps
to ensuring you getting the right candidate for the position and do
everything in your power to retain that candidate.
The first mistake in limiting the ability to retain an employee is
made at the beginning of the recruiting process, and that mistake is
settling for a candidate who truly doesn't fit into the organizational
culture and doesn't have the ability to buy into the direction of the
leadership.
There is a place for mavericks and cowboys but it’s
probably not YOUR place. Van is convinced most recruitment efforts are
won or lost before you speak to your first rock star candidate.
The steps for successfully recruiting and retaining staff, who will
become part of the fabric of your organization, are spelled out with the
word RETAIN. Good luck and happy Recruiting and more importantly –
Retaining.
(R) RECOGNIZE
...the type of person who can benefit to your organization. Most
recruitment efforts are won or lost before you speak to your first
candidate. Develop skills that enable you to evaluate candidates and
determine whether they will be assets or a liabilities to your
organization. Too many times, a candidate looks great on paper and was
engaging over dinner, but their profile was not a good fit for the
position. I have made a living finding those chunks of coal or diamonds
in the rough that not one gave a second glance and turned them into my
star producers. Out of understandable desperation, warning signs are
overlooked or ignored, resulting in non-optimal hires when, with a
little more effort, a better fit could have been found. Use the
interview process to find the qualified candidate who wants and has what
it takes to be a part of your organization.
We took everyone from the
receptionist to support staff to a potential high-producing position
through the same process. We started with phone interviews. I always
wanted to hear the person’s voice. I wanted to hear the conviction and
passion in their answers without being misguided or confused with the
body language. If the candidate passed that test it was on to the
face-to-face. We conducted a minimum of three one-on-one interviews.
We also did at least one Social Interview. This was an opportunity for
us to see how the candidates handled themselves with a cocktail in their
hand. We took note of their social graces, their humor, and their
ability to interact with potential colleagues.
(E) ENLIGHTEN
...your candidate. Make a strong, honest case for what your
organization has to offer and how the candidate fits into the picture.
Outline your vision and mission and make the candidate feel like he or
she will be an integral part of the plan. In order to connect with the
right candidate, enlighten, educate, and enter into a trust with the
candidate. If candidate only feels your wallet, it will be hard to
convince them they are valued for anything more than financial gain. By
leading with your heart, the candidate is more likely to be motivated
by ambition and a sense that they bring intrinsic value to the
organization.
(T) TAKE TIME
...to understand the needs of the candidate as well as the family. Do
your best to ask the right questions by drilling down a few levels. You
want to make sure that your organization will not only provide personal
gratification but also meet the financial needs of the candidate’s
family obligations. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If the spouse is
not happy, they will make their voice heard and that influence will
quickly damage your employee.
Be sure to spend time evaluating the
family. Do they seem interested? Supportive? Genuine? It is hard to
ignore clear signs from a family that is not supportive or enthusiastic
about your candidate’s decision. If your organization is truly
concerned about having an environment that not only supports the
employee but the family as well, then it is critical to cover all bases.
(A) ASSIGN
...one person from the organization who caters to the candidate during
their first six months of their employment . Anyone in management is
probably going to be too busy to monitor the candidate on a daily basis,
but someone who is responsible for occasionally checking in with the
new candidate to make sure everything is available to them to ensure
their success would be extremely helpful. Let that person do your
legwork and then report back to you on a monthly basis. By having
someone assigned to the new candidate to monitor his or her progress
during the first year, you will be able to catch anything that is not
going according to plan.
(I) INTRODUCE
...the candidate to the key people within the organization. Do this
through orientation, but not through name only — make sure the key
people are introduced during the orientation or perhaps a reception
event for the new staff. The position may be great and satisfy the
candidate professionally, but if they never integrate fully into your
culture they will never truly feel as if they are a part of it.
Find
out about the individual’s interests and help them to make connections
with people in your organization that share likenesses. Your job is not
to nurture those relationships, but making the introductions
demonstrates a level of care for the individual’s transitional needs
(or, need to find his/her niche). Never forget, they are moving into a
new set of surroundings that is awkward and foreign and anything you can
do to ease that transition.
(N) NEVER
...leave anything to chance. Make a plan and work the plan. When a
new recruit works out, it doesn't happen by chance. It happened because
you understood going in what it would take to experience a successful
recruitment. You also understood you would never retain this candidate
without doing the little things to insure they are a long-term player.
It always amazes me when I hear we will buy life insurance for yourself,
insurance for the car, the house, the boat but we never put in place an
insurance plan that ensures you are going to keep your candidate around
for more than 2 years.
Unless you simply enjoy the recruitment process
I would strongly encourage you to put the mechanisms in place that
protect your assets. I tend to lean toward the fact that someone who
generates revenue or provides tremendous support for your producers are
an asset to your organization. They certainly aren't a liability.
The Hire Connection offers its clients the industry's most comprehensive range of
healthcare recruitment services. Coupling technology, expertise and accountability, The Hire Connection services are designed to source, screen, qualify, present and place the RIGHT providers to satisfy recruitment goals and improve provider retention. Give us a call today!
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