When it comes to the role of recruiting there is no question that with the invention of the iphone and then Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Skype, etc., that society has seen many huge changes in technology and it has also affected the way we attract talent. 

The statistics are staggering. For example, did you know that there are over 618 million users on Facebook daily and over 680 million users access Facebook using a mobile app a month?  What does this mean for you as a medical staffing recruiter? Most likely the talent you are recruiting is using Facebook so you need to be recruiting on Facebook.

You may be thinking, “Okay Facebook is old news. What are the three hottest trends in medical staffing recruiting?” Great. Then I have the answer for you. Here it goes!

1.  Blogging

Believe it or not I think blogging is the most under-utilized marketing tool in medical staffing recruiting. A blog is important because every time you post a blog you have a better chance of being found by a potential recruit in a search engine. It is also a crucial foundation for all social media activities.  Having a blog gives you something to anchor your social media to.

Blogging also gives you, as a medical staffing recruiter, the ability to show potential recruits that you are an expert in the medical staffing industry - ultimately establishing your brand as an industry leader. Share tips on what it means to work in the healthcare industry such as, “How to deal with working the night shift,” or “What are the best locations to travel to as a physical therapist.”

Blogging also allows you to keep your website up to date. Sign a new healthcare facility as a client in an exotic location?  Then blog about what life is like as a travel healthcare professional there.  Be creative with your blog but be informational as well.  Have fun with it and your blog will give invaluable returns as a recruiter and as a brand.

2.  Video interviews

Travel medical staffing has seeing huge growth in the last 18 months and it is virtually impossible unless you are a HUGE corporation to have an office in every major city in the United States. Many staffing agencies still feel it is very important to have a face-to-face interview with the candidates they will be placing with their clients.  The problem is what if your agency is in Tennessee and your healthcare provider is currently in Washington State.  How do you get that face-to-face interview? The answer is simple - Skype. 

Skype is an online text, voice and video technology.  It is so important in the market place that Microsoft purchased Skype in 2011 for $8.5 BILLION in cash and is now integrated as a standard application on all Windows 7 & 8 computers. Believe it or not, over 35% of businesses are using Skype as their primary way to communicate. 

As a medical staffing recruiter you can use Skype for either free or very cheap to interview new healthcare providers.  All you need is a webcam and a microphone on your computer and you are set.  With over 35 million people on Skype, chances are your healthcare provider probably has a Skype account.

3  Online Assessments

Clinical competency exams are something that medical staffing recruiters know all to well.  My guess is that as a recruiter you look at clinical competency exams as a “necessary evil.”  But the good news is the days of paper testing and quickly disappearing. 

Not only is it time consuming to “grade” the exams and technically the person needs to be in your office to take the exam (which can be a feat unto itself) but the use of employment testing has a legitimate legal concerns as well.  The biggest issue facing pre-employment testing is that the standards for fairness and diversity.   This means as a recruiter you need to be aware of these testing implications as well as use the fairest and most valid test possible to protect yourselves from a potential lawsuit or run in with the Department of Labor. 

So how do you get online valid and fair exams in the healthcare industry?  Our partners at Prophecy Healthcare are the leaders in online healthcare competency exams.  They have a large assessment library all of which are validated exams including the Joint Commission Mandatories.  So throw out your paper and your red ink and move to a more reliable, lawful way to test your healthcare providers.

With The question as a recruiter is, are you using any of the three hottest recruiting trends or are you going to be left in the dark ages?