PracticeLink’s Broadcast Email tool puts you in direct contact with the candidates who interest you the most. But to make the most of both your time and candidates’ time, it’s important to be a good email steward.

Here are 5 tips that can help you build relationships through email—instead of turning candidates off.

1. Don’t be a spammer! It may seem like you’d save time by blasting a large group of physicians with the same message, but that’s not the case. Instead, by blasting candidates at random, you may be encouraging physicians to ignore your messages and your organization—which in return makes your job harder. The broadcast emails you send should be targeted and personalized. Think about it, would you open an email that doesn’t speak directly to you or is too generic?
2. Respond to all candidates who email you. Create a “Thanks, but no thanks” message that lets a candidate know you received their email, but you’ve chosen another candidate. This helps keep an eager candidate from emailing you multiple times. Candidates also appreciate hearing a “no” more than receiving no response at all. It keeps your interaction positive, in case they’re a good fit for a future opportunity.
3. Use merge tags to personalize your emails. Whenever possible, use “Dear Dr. <lastName>” instead of simply “Dear Doctor.” Candidates are more likely to respond to personalized messages instead of emails appearing to be spam.
4. Be clear about why you’re emailing them. A PracticeLink broadcast email is sent from your professional email account, so unless you tell a candidate you found them on PracticeLink, they won’t know. The best thing you can do is tell the physician why you’ve chosen to contact them. Refer to information in their profile — especially if their preferred geographic area falls in your region. For example: “I saw on PracticeLink that you enjoy skiing, which is one reason I’m writing to tell you about a position in my community.”
5. Get your name out there. The organizations that candidates are the most responsive to are those they are most familiar with. Make sure your organization’s name is one they know. Consider featuring or highlighting a job or advertising in PracticeLink Magazine to brand and promote your organization so candidates are familiar with you as they begin their job search.