What solutions exist then to improve the nursing shortage? (continued)
Let’s look at Group 2’s hiring and retention practices. If you want to fill more positions, get better quality candidates, and reduce your time to hire, there’s more than great recruiting software. Here are some of the best recruiting strategies to use (I’ll cover contingent workforces in the next post, and end with a discussion of retention):
- Improve the language your institution uses to attract candidates. You can attract a wide range of diverse candidates… or you can’t. In a market with a large deficit, the options must be wide.
- Work on your institution’s brand. Branding is perhaps the most important element in attracting, hiring, and retaining great nurses.
- Create a “refer a nurse” program. Employee referral programs should be given the credit they deserve. This underused recruiting tool is the secret weapon of some hospital recruiters. Setting up a quality employee referral program doesn’t cost a lot and you can get results fast.
- Simplify and delegate: Top talent typically disappears from the job market in less than a week. That means your institution needs to know how to recruit quickly and make the right offer quickly.
- Opt for passive candidates: There is no shortage of passive candidates. Our research shows that more than 1/3 of the nursing workforce would gladly change their job for a better opportunity. Note that passive candidates will not be as motivated to apply and will definitely not be put through a cumbersome process!
- Improve your job interviews: Nurses being interviewed need to sell themselves on the institution and the role. This is where many recruiters and managers fail miserably.
- Contact past applicants. Those candidates who weren’t hired or didn’t commit could be your best hiring asset.
- Contact previous employees. Hiring nurses who have worked for your institution before may not sound like a great idea, but if they left on good terms, they may be the perfect candidate for their old position, a different position, or a new position further up the ladder.
- Make internal mobility a priority: while creating an internal mobility program might not be the first thing that comes to mind it helps in attracting and retaining nurses looking for institutions that help them develop their skills and fulfill their professional aspirations.
