The healthcare industry in the UK has seen a widespread shortage of staff in recent years which has caused healthcare recruitment to become increasingly competitive.
According to a survey conducted by Statista with 570,000 healthcare professionals taking part, over 61% of respondents either disagreed, strongly disagreed and neither agreed or disagreed with the following statement; ‘There are enough staff at this organisation for me to do my job properly’.
Whilst the shortage of healthcare professionals is not a new issue, the Covid 19 pandemic and the backlog of minor treatments it caused has increased the need for healthcare staff now more than ever. In turn, this has led to increased and fierce competition for healthcare talent amongst private and public sector healthcare organisations.
Here at crooton, we work with several healthcare organisations, including the NHS, and know the importance of effective recruitment marketing more than most, which is why we have compiled a list of some of the core elements of a healthcare recruitment marketing strategy.
1. Advertise your simple screening process
In today’s technological advanced age, people want instant gratification in all parts of their lives, including when searching for a new job.
As the demand for healthcare workers is so high, candidates are often considering multiple employment opportunities simultaneously. Healthcare organisations with complicated and extended onboarding processes often risk missing out on candidates and see a rise in applicant drop-off rates.
Working with a recruitment agency who are attentive and good at communicating with candidates to continually update them of where they are in the onboarding process will almost certainly reduce applicant drop-off rates and increase the chances of healthcare organisations fulfilling their staffing requirements.
Organisations who choose not to work with recruitment agencies or do their recruitment in-house should consider implementing a candidate tracking system – essentially, software that enables the digital handling of recruitment and hiring processes – to streamline the management process.
2. Inform job seekers of the perks of working in your organisation
Typically, healthcare organisations who pay most recruit the best talent. Healthcare organisations on a tighter budget and the insufficiency to compete with those who are offering higher salaries may often lose out on talent simply because they don’t have the financial resources available. This is where an effective healthcare recruitment marketing strategy can increase their chances of competing with organisations offering higher salaries.
Believe it or not, salary isn’t a sole focus for everyone; work life balance and other employee perks are becoming increasingly important when choosing where to work. This is why it is essential to effectively market the non-monetary benefits of working for your healthcare organisation. These can include opportunities for career progression, flexible working hours, saving plans, unique company culture, opportunities for personal development through company-funded education, employee discount schemes and many more.
3. Managing candidate relationships
Employers should start building and establishing relationships at the beginning of the hiring process to portray their employer brand image to potential candidates; this could provide an edge over the competition when candidates choose who they want to work for.
It is essential for employers to form and maintain relationships with job seekers, even if the candidate declines an initial job offer. These candidates can often provide leads to equally qualified people seeking employment.
Social media is a great way to establish relationships with potential candidates. According to a survey by Pew Research, 79% of candidates used social media during their last job search. So why not use this as an opportunity to build relationships and increase your employer brand image?
Another great way to increase your employer brand is to use our pioneering recruitment marketing software, ‘Employer Fencing’ which allows you to send employer branded digital display adverts to pre-defined geographical locations worldwide; you could even target your competitor’s premises.
4. Optimise your online presence
In an ever increasing digital landscape, the visibility of your online presence has never been more crucial. The first thing a potential candidate will see when searching your company name is your website.
Having a great-looking website that portrays your employer brand, has excellent user experience with a structure that makes it easy for people to find their desired information at the click of a button is a must. Every aspect of your website needs to be carefully thought out. Font, colour, menu categories, external and internal links all need to be used strategically to enhance the user experience. Don’t forget to include web pages such ‘About Us’, ‘Mission Statement’ and ‘Company Culture’ to articulate your employer brand and help your website visitors understand what your company values are.
Optimising your company’s website online visibility using various digital marketing methods such as SEO, PPC, social media and display advertising will lead to an increase in visibility among your desired audience.
Here at crooton, we can help effectively market your vacancies and attract the best talent for your organisation, contact one of our friendly recruitment consultants today
To find out more on effective recruitment methods, the following articles have plenty more useful information:
- Our 4 top tips for effective recruitment
- How employers can target the best talent
- Global recruitment with crooton