Conventional thinking dictates that healthcare recruiters want access to the largest possible candidate pool. The larger the pool, the greater the chances of finding potential hires. But is that always true? Is having a large candidate pool always in the best interests of healthcare recruiters? Maybe not.
We are all familiar with the concept of having too much of a good thing. If you know anything about big data, you know that it is possible for systems to be so overwhelmed with data that performance is actually hindered. Healthcare recruiters might run into a similar situation if their candidate pools are too large.
Thinking Outside the Box
Forbes Council Member and contributor Thomas DeRosa put forth an interesting concept in a recent post discussing how healthcare providers can increase the pool of candidates for physician jobs. He recommended that providers be willing to look at fully trained physicians who are licensed but not board-certified.
His reasoning is quite simple. Board certification is not necessarily a requirement for practicing medicine. Most states require the completion of one’s education along with passing a licensing exam. With a degree and license in hand, a doctor can practice.
Giving serious consideration to non-certified physicians certainly qualifies as thinking outside the box. But such a strategy could go a long way toward alleviating the physician shortage, especially in primary care. Here’s the thing: non-certified physicians are just as capable of providing quality care as their certified counterparts.
Narrowing the Search
Thinking outside the box in order to expand the pool of available candidates is one way to enhance healthcare recruiting efforts. But there is another way. It involves the opposite approach of narrowing the candidate pool. Narrow the search for candidates in a particular way and a recruiter may stand a better chance of identifying ideal candidates.
Think of it in terms of fishing. You might cast a wide net in order to catch as many fish as possible. But if your goal is to catch only one type of fish, using a net might end up being counterproductive. You might spend more time sorting out the fish you don’t want than actually catching the fish you do want.
Employing strategies to broaden the pool of potential job candidates is very similar. You are trying to bring in as many candidates as you can, then sort through them to find the ones you want to pursue. Wouldn’t it be better to narrow your search so that you are only looking at targeted candidates?
Targeted Recruiting Is More Efficient
If a recruiter is after volume, casting a wide net works. But when the recruiter is looking for candidates to fill a limited number of specialized jobs, targeted recruiting ends up being more efficient. It’s also more productive. The question is one of how to target the right candidates.
A technology company known as iMedical Data has a solution: proprietary databases built around first-party data. They offer both physician and nurse databases for targeted recruiting. What makes their databases so productive is that they contain personal information offered by job candidates themselves.
By combining the targeted data with qualified insights supported by strong data analysis, recruiters can zero-in on those candidates most likely to want the positions being offered. They spend less time weeding out undesirable candidates and more time filling jobs.
There are times when recruiters want the largest pool of candidates that they can get their hands on. But there are other times when a narrower, more targeted candidate pool is better. When that’s the case, recruiters need the right data to target the best candidates.
