Breakdowns in Communication Pose a Challenge to Physician Recruitment

It is not uncommon during the physician recruitment process for employers to lose out on what seemed to be the perfect candidate. While in some cases it seems as if there is little an employer can do to avoid this situation, there are many times when lack of communication has directly contributed to the loss of a candidate. Open lines of communication, timely feedback, and accuracy of information provided are all key factors to not only hiring the right physician for the job, but ensuring that they stay with your organization long term.

Lack of Communication Among and From Management

One of the earliest – and easiest to rectify – issues in a recruitment process is the lack of communication among management regarding the specifics of the position. In many cases a recruiter is simply told that a physician of a specific specialty and experience level is needed, but the full scope of the opportunity is not covered, and previously unmentioned candidate requirements may surface during the interview process. It is important than when beginning a new physician recruitment effort that all decision makers involved complete a New Search Questionnaire (preferably together) in order to clearly delineate the needs of the position and what their ideal candidate looks like. The right candidate can’t be found if no one can agree on what that candidate looks like. Once this has been done, the lines of communication between management, the recruiter, and any candidates will be wide open.

Delayed Feedback

One of the most common complaints from candidates interested in a position is the amount of time between when they indicate interest in a position and when they hear back from the employer. The longer it takes for a candidate to hear back from an employer, the less engaged they become – at all stages of the recruitment process. In addition to this, the average physician candidate receives calls and emails from recruiters every single day. If at any point they feel that they are not being valued as a provider or that you are not particularly interested in their candidacy, they can choose to pursue an opportunity with any of the dozens of recruiters knocking down their door.

However, giving timely feedback shouldn’t just be for your top tier candidates. Even candidates that you are not interested in pursuing should be told so early in the process. Telling candidates early on that they are not the right fit for an opportunity maintains your company’s good reputation. It might even result in the physician referring a friend.

Inaccurate Information

One of the biggest mistakes recruiters and employers make during the recruitment process is over promising and under delivering. While it is tempting to do anything and everything to get the right candidate to join your organization, if you can’t deliver on the experience and opportunity that you are selling them, the candidate will not be likely to choose to join your organization. If they do in fact decide to join your organization because they were sold on a fantastic opportunity, they are not likely to stay on long when that promise fails to become a reality. In order to improve the talent acquisition process and employee retention, it is important for recruiters and management to present an accurate picture of the situation to any potential employees. 

In recruitment, like in many areas of life, good communication is key to building successful and lasting relationships with candidates. By ensuring that they are presented with a transparent view of the opportunity, giving them timely feedback, and making sure that all decision makers are on the same page, the right candidate can be sourced and hired by any organization.