Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Hiring in Healthcare: Meeting an Urgent Demand

Despite the large number of people graduating with associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in key fields of the healthcare industry, many employers are still finding themselves struggling to keep up with an urgent hiring demand for allied health professionals.

You may not realize it but, the healthcare industry is one of only a few industries where the demand for skilled professionals like Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists continues to steadily rise. In fact, jobs in the healthcare sector are rising at a much faster rate than the average for other occupations and fields. So, even with all these new professionals attaining degrees, numerous positions remain vacant. In addition, many of the healthcare professionals who have years of experience and extensive training will be approaching retirement age in the not-to-distant future. These positions, as soon as they become available, will also need to be filled.

So, how can you meet the urgent demand for experienced, skilled allied health professionals? How can you find the perfect fit for your clinic, office or medical facility? How can you replace an intrinsic part of your team without missing a beat?

What to Look for in a Healthcare Applicant

Not all applicants are alike, even when they have the same degrees and level of training. What you see on paper isn’t necessarily what you see in real life. For this reason, it is important you know what you are looking for in a healthcare applicant. Keeping these qualities in mind when conducting interviews can help you narrow your search and meet your demand:

  • Consider the long-term. Does this person strive for advancement opportunities? Is he or she interested in furthering skills through continued learning? Is professional growth important? Does the person have a strong commitment to his or her profession?
  • Is the applicant passionate about the job and ambitious? Does he or she have a real drive to help improve patient wellness, injury prevention and overall health promotion? Those who are passionate about their job and the company they work for tend to stay longer.
  • Is the individual a self-starter? How is the person’s confidence? Can he or she perform basic tasks required of the potential for which you are hiring? Not all people can put their knowledge into action. Does the person demonstrate problem-solving skills? Ideally you want someone who can work well under pressure as well as strive to succeed.
  • Does the person work well within a group? Most healthcare offices must function as a closely-knit team to achieve the high-quality of service to which their patients have become accustomed. While individual initiative is a positive trait, being able to follow instructions and operate as part of a team is essential too.
  • Never disregard your first impression of an applicant. While an individual’s resume and interview will weigh heavily on your hiring decision, a first impression goes a long way. How did the person dress? How were his or her communication skills? Did the individual have a positive attitude? Was he or she on time? Each of these gives you an insight into the person and how or she may act in the future, so don’t ignore your first impression.

Healthcare Hiring Made Easy

Healthcare hiring does not have to be as complex as it is often made out to be. As long as you know what you are looking for in an applicant (which I recommend you take some time to figure out ahead of time or you could be missing out on excellent candidates), you know what mistakes to avoid in your hiring practices and you have a source of qualified applicants, you should have no problem meeting your urgent demand.

The People Link is a professional recruitment service specializing in finding and placing qualified healthcare candidates and allied healthcare professionals in positions throughout the United States. To learn more about our services please visit The People Link or call Mya at 888-773-0014 to obtain your free, no-obligation consultation.