Tips and Tricks to Targeting Active and Passive Candidates
Recruiting the right talent for any industry can be challenging, but in healthcare, it can be incredibly complex. Recruiting medical staff requires a deep understanding of the industry, which includes knowledge of medical regulations and licensure requirements.
Additionally, research has shown that when employees mirror the communities they serve, their organizations see meaningful and measurable benefits. In the medical field, patients feel more comfortable with providers who share their life experiences, and employees with diverse backgrounds can provide organizations with a holistic view of the market, identifying needs within communities and even opportunities for businesses to scale and grow.
When you hire qualified and diverse medical professionals, your hospital or practice will be better equipped to meet the needs and demands of various patients. Finding candidates with similar backgrounds and beliefs as your patients is an asset, and to be successful in this space, recruiters need to develop a strategic approach to targeting both active and passive candidates.
Active Candidates
Active candidates are those who are actively seeking new job opportunities. They may be scouring job boards or working with recruiters to find their next career move. While these candidates are easier to find, it’s paramount to remember that they are also being actively pursued by other recruiters and companies.
Understand the Candidate’s Motivation
To effectively target active candidates, it’s important to understand their motivations for seeking a new role. Consider whether candidates are looking for a better work-life balance, a higher salary or an opportunity for career growth. By understanding their motivations, you can tailor your messaging to better align with what they are looking for in their next position.
Offer Competitive Benefits
One of the best ways to attract active candidates is to offer competitive benefits. Healthcare professionals are in high demand, and they are looking for employers who offer attractive benefits packages, which may include health insurance, retirement plans, medical education allowances and flexible work arrangements. By offering competitive benefits, you can stand out from other employers and attract the attention of top talent.
Passive Candidates
Passive candidates are those who are not actively seeking new job opportunities. They may be satisfied with their current role or not actively looking for a change. However, these candidates can still be valuable additions to your team, as they may have the skills and experience you are looking for.
Develop a Strong Employer Brand
To attract passive candidates, it’s crucial to develop a strong employer brand. This includes creating a positive reputation in the healthcare industry and offering a work environment that is attractive to healthcare professionals. By developing a strong employer brand, you can attract the attention of passive candidates who may not have considered your organization in the past.
Leverage Employee Referrals
Employee referrals can be a powerful tool for targeting passive candidates. Your current employees may know other healthcare professionals who would be a good fit for your organization. By offering incentives for employee referrals, you can encourage your current employees to refer their contacts to your organization.
Use Advanced Search Techniques
Advanced search techniques can help you identify potential passive candidates. For example, you can search on LinkedIn for healthcare professionals who work in a specific geographic area or have certain skills and experience. By using advanced search techniques, you can identify potential passive candidates and reach out to them with personalized messaging.
Be Personal and Genuine
When targeting passive candidates, it’s valuable to be personal and genuine in your messaging. These candidates are not actively seeking new job opportunities, so they may be hesitant to engage with recruiters. By crafting personalized messaging that speaks to their unique skills and experience, you can pique their interest in your organization.
Targeting Candidates via Email
With any email program, it’s important to send the right messaging to each individual, but with candidate recruitment, knowing your audience members and crafting language that will attract and engage them is imperative. Identifying candidates can be augmented by researching past affiliations such as undergraduate degrees, medical school, board certifications or licensure.
Sourcing campaigns offer the ability to build your brand, grow a referral program and target physicians who are qualified candidates.
A/B subject line testing and content testing are key, as is a rigorous resend program. Understanding how candidates use email and finding the right balance with the message and frequency of your emails can determine your success. Working with experienced recruitment professionals who are skilled in testing and finessing your email program to maximize your ROI can make all the difference.
Conclusion
Medical recruitment requires a strategic approach to targeting both active and passive candidates. When you work with MMS, we give you access to databases of healthcare providers across healthcare specialties — those who are looking for new opportunities and, more importantly, those who are not actively searching for work but are qualified for your open positions. Our AMA database is updated weekly and in real time, and we have exclusive partnerships with leading medical associations. Most importantly, we have 300 million sends under our belt that have helped us fine-tune our medical email recruitment program. If you’re looking to up the quality and quantity of your candidate pool, get in touch today.