Nurse recruitment is a competitive business for healthcare organizations. It’s easy for managers to focus only on filling immediate job openings. However, this is folly and ultimately hurts staffing efforts. Instead, wise managers should remember that nurses and healthcare workers inevitably move from job to job over the years. Companies that work to build lifelong relationships will always be rewarded in the long run.

Here are some helpful recruiting tips that will help your company keep great nursing applicants interested and “on the radar” over longer periods of time. 

Stay Professional

The candidate application cycle has three possible outcomes. One is a job offer that results in hiring. In the other two scenarios, the applicant either declines a job offer or is passed over by the company. These latter possibilities are inherently more volatile for both the company and candidate.

True professionalism is displayed when a company stays friendly and helpful even when their candidate declines a job offer. Instead of displaying frustration, hiring managers should show genuine happiness for their applicant’s new opportunity. Similarly, companies should be gracious when passing over an applicant. Managers are well-served to provide positive feedback to candidates who don’t receive a job offer and offer advice to help them in their careers.

In either of these non-hiring scenarios, the “end of the road” is not really the end. That same candidate will likely grow as a nurse or healthcare worker and may ultimately have a second chance at employment. Companies that work to establish a positive relationship may later hire that same candidate for a perfect new role!

Continuous Engagement

Most healthcare organizations constantly recruit qualified nurses. Therefore, overwhelmed candidates will usually reach out to companies that stay top-of-mind. Organizations that are caught flat-footed risk missing out on great applicants when those rare opportunities surface.

Continuous engagement ensures that companies secure the attention of great nurses and healthcare professionals before they seek other market opportunities. There are many ways a healthcare organization can engage candidates (and potential candidates). Periodic emails and texts work well, as do newsletters. However, passive forms of generalized marketing via social networking are also very effective and less intrusive. 

While there are many creative ways to recruit nurses and healthcare workers, most successful companies will find that it’s always critical to establish long-term relationships. The bottom line is candidates are less inclined to take phone calls from unrecognized companies. Those that maintain professionalism throughout the recruitment cycle and encourage continuous engagement will attract the best applicants over time.

Healthcare companies seeking nurses and other professionals may also benefit from technological solutions!