Social media and job recruitment have something in common: they’re both about establishing relationships. It makes sense, then, that those looking to recruit doctors for medical practices and hospitals are turning to social media to target prospective candidates.
A 2012 survey by online recruitment site Jobvite found that 92 percent of U.S. companies were using social networks and media to find talent, up from 78 percent five years prior. And we know that a growing number of doctors are using social media, including online medical communities, for professional reasons. One of the largest physician communities, Doximity, has now entered the career-services market, launching a new tool that lets doctors see what other physicians are earning, by specialty and geographic location.
Social media is creating new ways for job candidates to find, research, and evaluate opportunities. And medical practices can recruit job candidates in unique ways online. So how do you best go about it?
Start with LinkedIn
With its focus on business networking, it’s no surprise that LinkedIn is the first place employers think of when it comes to recruitment. The Jobvite survey found that of the 73 percent of respondents who made a hire using social media, 89 percent were through LinkedIn.
If you’re not on LinkedIn already and you want to try recruiting candidates there, you should create a personal profile and start establishing a network of connections. You should also ensure that your practice has a complete company profile. “The personal profile serves as a way of reaching out to others, while the company profile allows potential candidates to research the facility itself and get a glimpse of who is already working there,” explains an article on NEJM CareerCenter. Also, join as many appropriate LinkedIn groups as possible and participate in the conversation.
Don’t dismiss other channels
While it’s true that other social networking platforms don’t have the same concentration of professional users that LinkedIn does, it’s important to cast a wide net. You never know where or when a potential candidate might come across your job posting.
Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and blogs are all avenues to reach job candidates. The NEJM CareerCenter points out that “a number of established medical organizations have also incorporated social media into their recruitment and staffing program,” notably:
- Kaiser Permanente (Facebook)
- Maryland Medical System (Twitter)
- Tenet Healthcare (Facebook)
- Hardin Memorial Hospital (YouTube)
While Facebook users predominantly use it for personal reasons, it is the fastest growing social media network in the world. According to the Pew Research Internet Project, 71 percent of online adults are Facebook users.
Sending a friend request to a potential candidate that you don’t know isn’t the appropriate way to go about recruiting, however. Instead, set up a business fan page for your practice where candidates can connect with you. “Targeted Facebook ads might also help get your message in front of your audience,” suggests health care recruitment company KontactIntelligence (Ki). And Facebook’s analytics can give you valuable information about your page’s users and your posts’ reach.
Personalize your efforts with video
Don’t forget the “personal” and “social” aspects of online networking, even when it comes to recruitment. Use these platforms not just as a place to post job openings, but as a way to showcase your practice, boast about the quality of life in your area, talk about fun things your employees do outside of work, and highlight events and causes your practice is involved in. After all, you want to appeal not only to job candidates, but potentially their spouses and families as well.
Video can be a great way to personalize your recruitment efforts. You can post your videos on YouTube, Facebook, or your own practice web page. Data shows that people love to watch videos, and that video content has higher click-through and share rates than other types of content.
The key is not just to create video content worth watching, but content worth sharing, recommends Ki. “This is how you influence others to follow you, increasing your audience and the chances your next recruit will discover you.”
Consider making your videos humorous, inspirational, creative, and/or newsworthy. You can use a short video to showcase your facility or specific departments, introduce physicians and their success stories, and talk about what makes your area of the country a great place to live, suggests Ki. “You might even get a little creative by introducing your recruiters to potential candidates through video, which is a bit more personal than a dry Meet the Team page, or a LinkedIn profile.”
However you go about it, using social media to recruit doctors for your practice is a smart idea.
For more information about using technology to help recruit the right patient care team, contact us today.