In my younger years, I had a bit of a reputation among my friends for being a Facebook stalker. (Personally, I liked to think of myself more as an investigative researcher, but call it what you will.)

I’ve mostly put my stalking ways behind me, but when the need arises, I’m still good at finding people—and finding stuff out about people—without their knowledge. I navigate the Facebook search features like a librarian navigates the archives—deftly and quietly, making use of even the most obscure tools. You think it’s creepy. I think it’s an invaluable skill—and one to consider when you're trying to reach physician job-seekers who would rather maintain their anonymity.

Back in the day when Facebook was taking off, they made a brilliant business decision not to let their users see which other users were viewing their profiles. Facebook understood that people on the internet want the ability to gain information and still maintain their privacy. This is true for a variety of reasons that range from keeping embarrassing social media stalking habits a secret to protecting sensitive data or personal information.

For this reason, it’s also smart for job banks to allow candidates to browse jobs anonymously—to give candidates the option to put on their invisible cloaks and research opportunities without fear of discovery. 

There are a number of reasons why physicians would want to read about your jobs and still maintain their anonymity. Some don’t want their current employers to find out they have their eyes peeled for new opportunities. Others don’t want to receive phone calls or emails from recruiters just yet—especially if they’re just interested in what’s out there, not actively looking.

But those already-employed job-seekers are some of the most attractive (and most difficult to reach) candidates for physician recruiters. And you want to make it possible for those candidates to find your jobs—even when they're in stealth mode. Here's how:

1. Have a presence

No matter how good of a Facebook stalker I am, I can’t find your profile if you don’t have a Facebook account. It’s an impossibility.

Similarly, confidential candidates won’t see your jobs if you don’t post them. An active candidate may reach out to your organization to learn about unposted positions, but it might be too risky for a confidential candidate to do that much outreach. If you want your jobs to be seen, you must post all of them.

2. Include thorough information

A key step in successful Facebook sleuthing is establishing the facts that you already know. These are your search criteria. If the person doesn’t have much information about himself on his profile, however—perhaps he has a common name and no workplace or college listed, or worse yet, no profile picture—then the interested searcher may be out of luck.

It works the same way with job postings. If you don’t provide thorough information full of details and search terms, confidential searchers and passive candidates are less likely to come across your jobs. If you leave out pictures, they’ll be that much less inclined to spend time perusing. And if you leave out your contact information, you will never know they were there.

Contact information or a built-out job, facility and recruiter profile is crucial for attracting confidential candidates. If they’re browsing anonymously, they want the option to contact you directly, and to do as much research as possible before reaching out.

3. Link, link, link

Links are often the breadcrumbs that lead covert searchers home. Someone has hidden her profile from search on Facebook? Find someone who would know her and search that person’s friend list. Then click on her.

In the same way, passive and anonymous candidates are more likely to find your jobs if you use links generously. If your physician job bank offers organization, facility and recruiter profile pages, make sure each one links to all of your opportunities. Additionally, make sure that your own organization website includes links for every open job. It’s all about making your information easily accessible.

In case I’ve thoroughly creeped you out, I’ll offer some related tips in closing. If you want to protect your Facebook profile (not your jobs) from stalkers, just work your way backward with these tips. Take all the links and information off your Facebook profile so that no one can find you. Better yet, remove your profile completely. Now your jobs are easy to find, and your Facebook is ne’er to be found.

I’ll just put on my trench coat and detective hat and disappear into the night; I think my work here is done.