Healthcare Hiring: Be Careful How You Sell Work-Life Balance to Candidates

As a healthcare recruiter, I get the following question quite a bit from my clients: “What are the best candidates looking for?” The question is a tough one to answer, as, of course, no two candidates are the same. What a physician or nurse is looking for to switch to a new organization is quite a bit different than a c-suite candidate or an IT manager. There are certainly some of the top drivers that are pretty consistent across the board. Compensation and benefits are always going to have a big impact. Candidates today want organizations to invest in them, and there are few better ways to demonstrate an investment than with a strong compensation and benefits package. Work environment and organizational values are also significant factors. Candidates are attracted to the healthcare organizations that share in their mission and values. Then, of course, there is a work-life balance.

Be Straightforward with Candidates

One of the big motivators for candidates switching jobs is to improve their work-life balance. But, in an industry like healthcare where volume is tough to predict, and where the action is 24/7/365, organizations need to be very careful about the work-life balance they’re promising to candidates during the recruitment process. Anyone that has been in the industry for a while knows about the up-and-down element to healthcare. The hours one works this week may be very different than next week. Even the younger talent that may lack the experience will quickly understand how it goes. Instead of fluffing up your organization by telling candidates that they’ll enjoy a harmonious work-life balance, be straightforward with them by admitting that they work-life balance they’ll experience all depends on volume. One way to approach it is to discuss the work-life balance during both the busy periods and the slower ones. When it gets crazy and hectic, what does your organization do? What steps do you take to make sure being aren’t burning out? What about when it’s slow? If you don’t have a process for the two situations, that’s fine, present that to your candidates. It’s better to admit you have no answer, then to answer incorrectly. By being transparent when you sell your organization to talent, you might not have the same wooing power as those that lay on the fluff and stuff, but you will gain the trust of the candidates you interview.  The organizations that embellish how their organization operates are usually the ones that lose talent once it becomes painfully evident that the grass isn’t as green as advertised. By building trust with candidates, you’re going to be high on their list if they end up realizing they made a mistake accepting another position.

Healthcare Recruiting From HCRI

The talent shortage is making hiring difficult, and it’s only going to get worse in the future. If you’re struggling to find the right candidates, consider partnering with HCRI. We’re experts in finding the perfect fit for healthcare talent and healthcare organizations. Learn more about the benefit of having us recruit for you.