MGMA In Practice blog

By Vincent Lynn, Account Executive, Health System Relations
MGMA Business Development

With new social networking sites launching every few months, it's easy to feel overwhelmed when searching for new talent to staff your medical group or hospital system. Web sites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Craigslist are now "old" ways of finding jobs online. Today, it's all about Web 2.0, with professionals from all career fields finding jobs through Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and even Twitter.

According to a Feb. 2009 study by CareerXroads, 27 percent of hires in 2008 were made through networking, thanks to the popularity and accessibility of online social networks. Most experts agree that this percentage will continue to climb in the coming years.

As a healthcare recruiter, what's your strategy? Social media recruiting can be daunting to tackle by yourself, making a high-priced recruiter or ad agency seem like the best option. Before you pay them 15 percent of every media buy, follow these six tips for successful in-house recruitment in the Web 2.0 world:

1. Polish your organization's Web presence.
   Web reviews are no longer for restaurants and movies – just take a look at any physician grading site. Search for negative information and news related to your organization. Savvy candidates will, and might form a negative opinion of your company before you even approach them about a job position. Awareness is the first step; your second is to formulate a plan to combat the negative presence. This could range from responding to blog entries to bringing legal action for libel if applicable.
   
2. Don't chum the water.
   As a former media salesman for an online job board, I can tell you that endless amounts of recruitment budgets go toward saturating job boards, with little success. You will not find a doctor from trolling CareerBuilder.com or Monster.com, so don't post all your staff openings on one job board.
    
   Still, according to the Career Xroads study, 12.3 percent of all external hires in 2008 were found using a job board, so don't discount that model. Use your budget wisely and follow the golden rule for job boards: the more specialized the job, the more specialized the job board.
   
   For a wide variety of healthcare administration jobs, post to MGMA's medical job board. For doctors and nurses, check out specialty societies, such as the American College of Nurse Midwives and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, two great places to look for physicians, allied health professionals and specialty nurses.
   
3. Stay consistent.
   Recruiters usually know the importance of consistent messaging, but still may fall short. Fortunately, it's easy to get back on track. First, be sure to use consistent logos, fonts and styles across all platforms. Next, keep in mind that a consistent message goes further than the words you are saying. If your Facebook page and LinkedIn group convey a progressive work environment, the work environment better live up to that message. 
   
4. Never underestimate the power of referrals.
   Remember that you don't have to do all the work. Encourage co-workers to post status updates on their personal social networks for job openings, in addition to using good old word of mouth. Reward employees who refer successful candidates via the Internet. 
   
5. Don't use social media profiles solely for recruiting.
   Because the last thing you want to do is to appear desperate, avoid using social media profiles just for recruiting. What a candidate really wants to see is your company's personality. Build several social networks for your organization. Use LinkedIn groups and Facebook pages, but also build your brand on medical-specific social networks, such as MGMA's Member Community, a member-only benefit. Post fresh and relevant content regularly to avoid "recruitment fatigue" for members of these networks.
   
6. Don't judge your success by the number of applications received.
   It's hard to quantify the success of most marketing campaigns in the short term because the goal is to build long-term brand equity. Think of recruitment strategies the same way.
   
   As mentioned before, post fresh and relevant content that will appeal to candidates who are not seeking employment. Before posting, ask yourself if you would be interested in the information if you were not a current employee or candidate seeking employment with your organization. While these efforts may not land any candidates, they are part of a wider effort to show that your organization is fun, progressive and a great place to work. This leads to increased recruitment and retention.

What strategies are working for you? Share them in the comments.