Where do our talents and tendencies come from, nature or nurture? It’s a question that’s been debated for all areas of life, and it applies to physician recruitment skills as well. Are good recruiters born with their skills, or have they learned them? Perhaps the answer lies in a third option.
Most us do not grow up dreaming about being recruiters; however, it’s the industry we’re in now. For example, I have a master’s degree in exercise physiology. The job I had before becoming a recruiter was director of health and wellness at a community hospital. I assume many of you have journeyed a similar path to your current position. Some have come from nursing, business, marketing, communications, etc. Some may have master’s degrees whereas others may not have any degrees. To my knowledge you cannot major in recruiting.
This leads me to the conclusion that being a good recruiter is a choice. Some may be born with the propensity to recruit, but they still had to learn the best ways to utilize those skills. There are good certification programs that can help you learn about the industry—ASPR’s Fellowship Program and the AAMM Physician Recruitment Intensive Training, for instance. These programs will give you the “head knowledge” you need to be successful. Regardless of your background, you can learn the industry and be knowledgeable about the how-tos of recruiting.
What separates a recruiter from a good recruiter—and what separates a good recruiter from a great recruiter—is choice.
For example,
- We choose to continually learn.
- We choose to be available to candidates after hours.
- We choose to create an enticing job posting.
- We choose to write an elegant email/text.
- We choose to learn to the true needs of a candidate.
These are examples of choosing not just to do something but choosing how to do something. You may be part of a larger recruiting department—that does not make everyone equal. The fact that Sally is a good recruiter does not automatically make her coworker Billy a good recruiter. We each must choose, individually, how we will approach our jobs.
Working at PracticeLink I see numerous job postings and emails. It is easy to see that certain recruiters make the extra effort to help these stand out while others hastily create something that works. Candidates can see this as well. Job postings, journal advertisements, emails, text messages, etc., may be the first thing a candidate sees about your opportunity or organization. The easiest way to make these enticing is to put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. If you were a candidate, would you want to work where the effort is subpar? If you were looking for a new job, what would you want to know? Would you apply to an incomplete posting?
To view things as a candidate would, have a provider you recently onboarded read your message before you post or send it. Having that extra set of eyes can make a difference—candidates look at posts and information differently than recruiters do.
Sometimes taking these extra steps can take longer, but they can save you time in the long run. These extra steps can lead to quicker—and more—responses. The question isn’t whether being a good recruiter is innate or learned—the real question is, will you choose to be a good recruiter?
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