5 Reasons to Optimize your Physician Recruitment Process for Mobile

In today’s physician recruitment landscape, having a robust mobile recruitment strategy is becoming a requirement. Now more than ever, candidates are moving their job search from the desktop to their smart phones and tablets as they rely on these devices on a day to day basis. While few can argue that mobile devices have become an integral part of nearly every American’s life, few healthcare organizations have thought about what failing to be mobile friendly can do to their recruitment prospects.

With competition for top physician talent fiercer than ever, physician recruiters can’t afford to fall behind the curve when pursuing candidates – especially in mobile recruitment. Below are five major reasons to optimize your physician recruitment process for mobile devices.

1. Physicians Live Online

Nearly all physicians spend more than three hours each day online, with 85% of those spending those hours on a mobile device like a tablet or a phone. These same candidates also use their mobile devices most during their job search, making it even more important for organizations to have a robust mobile recruitment strategy. Once a candidate comes across an interesting position online or through their network, two-thirds will go to the hiring organization’s website using the same device – often a phone or tablet.

2. Friction Costs You Candidates

The experience candidates have online is critical to whether or not they choose to consider joining your organization. For candidates, the entire physician recruitment process should be simple regardless of what device they use to research, apply to, or express interest in your organization. Whenever candidates find that a site is not mobile optimized or they’re unable to upload a CV from their mobile device, it creates friction in the recruitment process. This friction costs you candidates, with 40% of mobile candidates abandoning an non-mobile friendly application process or career site. Furthermore, removing this friction can improve your employer brand, as the majority of candidates will have an improved impression of your organization after positive mobile experience.

3. Candidates Are On the Go

The need to optimize your physician recruitment process for mobile isn’t constrained to the early stages of the process, but also once they’re in the pipeline. Whether it’s using email, text, or apps, the way you communicate with candidates throughout the process needs to be tailored to the devices they use most often. Whether it’s using Facetime for a video interview, using SMS messages to schedule site visits, or email to follow up, all forms of candidate communication need to be mobile-friendly as the vast majority of candidates will be responding from their mobile devices while they’re on the go.

4. SMS Messages Are the Future

Physician candidates are constantly bombarded by phone calls and emails from recruiters, leaving them overwhelmed. This constant flow of physician recruitment marketing can cause your message to get lost among the others, possibly even causing candidates to lose track of interview requests that may come in. This has made it crucial for recruiters to utilize SMS messages, or text messages, throughout the recruitment process. Candidates may not respond to (or even see) an email you send, but they are significantly more likely to respond to a text message.

5. Recruitment Has Gone Social

In addition to searching for jobs and responding to recruitment marketing on their phones and tablets, physician candidates are also using them to engage with prospective employers on social media. The vast majority of physicians have at least one social media account, with many younger physicians having a presence on all of the major sites. Candidates that interact with your organization’s social media accounts want to enjoy a seamless process, where they can access a mobile-optimized career site directly from your profile or recruitment advertisement.

Key take Aways:

• Physicians today live their lives on their phones and tablets, making it crucial for recruiters to ensure that they have an excellent experience interacting with their organization on them.
• Friction caused during the candidate experience can result in a loss of nearly half of prospective candidates. Avoid this with a great mobile strategy.
• Candidates want to be able to apply to positions, take interviews, or schedule travel regardless of where they are. A good mobile strategy will help them do it – and help keep them engaged!