By: Fayeann Hauer, CPRP
AAPPR Board Member

AAPPR will launch a new course geared towards new recruitment professionals in a few weeks. If you are new to the provider recruitment world, welcome! You have taken the absolute best first step by joining AAPPR to further your professional growth and development. Below are several tips for new and seasoned recruitment professionals. After all, a seasoned recruiter knows our landscape is ever-changing, so our recruitment tactics must also continuously evolve.

Five Atypical Recruitment Tactics

Speak less and listen more

We’re all familiar with the adage, “Speak less, listen more.” While it may appear as a fundamental principle, it is sometimes underestimated. After all, as recruiters, we thrive on conversations! After all, we’re recruiters- we love to chat! We are in this position for a reason: to sell our organization. Listening more actually helps us better connect with and understand our candidates better. Listening more allows us time to craft our responses while we navigate the conversation eloquently.

Set expectations

Know what you’re up against. Setting expectations within your organization is key. Research the competing offers, know how many physicians are available for the specialty needed, and provide average days to fill data. Every organization’s recruitment processes look different, and if you’re recruiting a resident/fellow, this may be their first time interviewing. Setting expectations for the candidate is also critical so they can be prepared for the next steps, and your department can show how organized and efficient it is.

Understand your candidates’ motivators

Understanding your candidate’s motivators relates to my initial tip of active listening. It’s a crucial aspect, which is why I prioritize it by making it one of my first questions during our conversation. Understanding what is important to the candidate professionally and personally should be the hub of the conversation. Knowing their interests allows you to connect and sell your community, the position, and the health system.

Customize the recruitment experience

Quality is better than quantity. Be selective as to who you invite in for a site visit. Our 2022 AAPPR Benchmarking Report shows that 85% of provider recruiters are female, so you will appreciate my following sentiment. While shopping, you should only buy the item if it will bring you joy. Only host candidates you believe will be an excellent fit for the practice and community. Once that candidate is identified, go all out on customizing the visit based on their interests and motivators.

Continue and build upon the momentum

Once the site visit is complete, you are exhausted, and let’s face it, you’ve been away from your computer all day, and the emails have added up. Be sure to close the loop and extend an offer in a timely fashion. Furthermore, after the recruited provider has signed the contract and is preparing to relocate, maintain ongoing communication to keep them informed about the health system and the community. This commitment to communication contributes to successful physician retention. Physician retention is important, and it starts once they execute their contract.

Happy Recruiting!