6 Reasons The Holidays Are A Great Time For Physician Recruitment

Most physician recruitment departments start to slow down as the holidays approach, bu this is a lost opportunity. The holiday season is a great time for physician recruitment as many candidates begin to jump start their job searches, become more open to new opportunities, and start to wish for the opportunity to relocate to a different area. Add that to the “new year, new job” mindset that others have, and you have a high chance of finding the right candidate to join your team, just in time for the new year.

Below are some of the biggest reasons candidates are easier to find during the holidays, and why recruiting physician candidates during the holidays is such a fantastic idea.

1. Graduating Physician Timelines

While many graduating physicians start their job search the summer before they complete their training, others wait until the end of the year. These candidates are actively looking during the holidays, posting their CVs, and looking over recruitment marketing materials. The holiday season is a great time to reach these candidates just as they start looking.

Additionally, there is the rare, off-cycle graduating physicians who find themselves approaching the end of their training in December. In some cases, contracts may have fallen through, or the physicians chose to wait until the end of their training to begin their job search in earnest.

2. End of Year Reflection

With the end of the year fast approaching, many physicians will find themselves reflecting on their personal and professional lives. During this time, these physicians become more open to new opportunities as they begin to question whether or not they are truly happy in their current positions. Reaching out to these candidates just as they’re beginning to have doubts about staying at their current practice can give you a leg up on the competition.

3. Changing Family Situations

Whether it is a family member becoming ill, a new child, or a spouse taking a new position, the end of the year tends to present candidates with changing family situations that can influence their decision to find a new position and/or relocate. For many physicians with a non-physician spouse, this is the ideal time to begin a job search as it would be easier for their spouse to find a position at the start of a new year. Additionally, candidates spending increased time with their families during the holidays can lead them to want to relocate closer.

4. Physician downtime

Physicians are extremely busy and often find little time to dedicate to a job search. The same usually can’t be said during the holidays. Like the rest of us, many physicians take time off during the holidays to be with family and friends. This increased downtime gives them more opportunities to update their CVs, scan job boards, and look over any recruitment marketing they may have tossed aside earlier.

5. Less Competition

Because so many people take time off for the holidays, including recruiters, you’re likely to have less competition for the candidates who have just started looking. Between recruiters being out of office and lead physicians being unable to conduct phone interviews due to being out of town, candidates who are actively looking at this time can get frustrated and will be more open to opportunities from organizations that are making time to connect with them while they have time off.

6. Weather Issues

During the winter months, the weather can be unpredictable. Large snow storms, unseasonably warm weather, or even a desire to go skiing nearby when there isn’t enough snow, can subtly affect a physician’s decision to relocate. Many physicians will be more open to relocating after a big storm, while still others will spend their holidays in warmer climates and miss snow during the holidays. This is the perfect time to target those living in climates very different from yours, especially if they have ties to the region.

Key Take Aways:

• Recruiters might not be on the hunt during the holidays, but physicians are! Jump start your recruitment marketing activities and try to have recruiters available for at least part of the holidays
• Take advantage of the changes that tend to crop up towards the end of the year, such as family situations, job availability for spouses, and a creeping dissatisfaction with the current position by reaching out to these candidates now
• Take advantage of the physician recruitment cycle to recruit graduating physicians and off cycle candidates when there is little competition to be found