09 Nov COMMUNICATION IN RECRUIMENT FOR ATC-WEST HEALTHCARE
By Noela Toywa
The healthcare industry in the Unites States has been undergoing widespread transformation for quite some time even before COVID-19 pandemic accelerated. This is due to technology which has significantly changed the way health organizations operate, especially in the communication aspect.
Communication at ATC-West Healthcare is a crucial component in all steps of the recruitment process. Whether it be in the initial recruiting stages, while facilities accurately share patient information with another facility, or a group of nurses, specialists, and other staff at a hospital discussing how to treat current and incoming patients, the need for concise, effective communication is always present in the health field.
Developing effective communication in recruitment at ATC-West Healthcare means working on understanding. It means no more hiring on the fly. It also means being prepared and aiming to understand the behaviors, motivators, driving forces, acumen and competencies of everybody you’re working with – including the colleagues, candidates and clients.
Organizations with strong communication policies can enrich their patients’ health, while those that don’t have effective procedures in place can negatively impact patient well-being.
“Health care professionals and institutions need to recognize the importance of communication in health care in order to thrive.” John Mamboleo, President, ATC-West Healthcare stated.
He also added that communication has become far more important within the digital workspace. And it will become even more relevant in how it will change interpersonal relationships. In addition, Empathy is being more described than being experienced.
According to the article by The Covey IQ Team: Effective communication to candidates should comprise of a few factors – each of which make candidates feel included and appreciated while interviewing.
Strong candidate communication should:
1. USE FAMILIAR MEANS
Communicating with candidates should feel comfortable and convenient for them. In 2017, 77% of Americans owned a smartphone, with rising numbers amongst adults over the age of 50 and low-income individuals.
Use this to your advantage! Get into the hands (literally) of your candidates through mobile-friendly means. Email and text messages are all accessible from a smartphone, along with social media and targeted ads.
That being said, it’s important to take a look at your audience and create strategies that make sense for you. Teams heavily hiring entry-level roles who are millennials or younger will thrive with a focus on smartphone strategies, like texting. If most of your hires are more mature job candidates, offer other means of communications like email or phone calls.
2. BE CONSISTENT AND PERSONAL
Candidates are pretty used to receiving the automated ATS email after applying to a job. “Thank you so much for applying! We’ll get back to you soon if we feel you’re a fit!”
That’s great, but all candidates know this isn’t personal in any way, shape or form. Typically that’s one of the last messages a candidate ever receives from a company.
Make a habit of communicating upon application, during the waiting periods and at status updates so candidates are well-informed and thinking of your organization consistently. Messages coming directly from a recruiter or hiring manager will also help candidates feel like you actually want them on your team!
3. SHARE RELEVANT INFORMATION
The content of your messages definitely depends on where your candidates are in the hiring process, if they are active or passive candidates and if they are even candidates yet.
Initially attracting someone to a position – whether through a personalized LinkedIn message or on your careers page – should be focused on sharing why the organization will benefit them. Candidates at the last stage of the interview process, on the other hand, want interview preparation information and insights into the team they’ll potentially be joining.
Take a step back and look at this larger picture before diving into template, static messaging that gets sent to everyone. Not all candidates are alike or have the same needs, so change the content of your communications accordingly.
4. GO BOTH WAYS
Consistently communicating with candidates is awesome, but if your candidates can’t communicate back with you, it’s only a one-sided conversation. Recruiting teams and hiring managers should be resources and open-ears to their candidates since one of the top skills for effective communication is listening.
Sending messages from no-reply email addresses should always include alternative means for candidates to reach out. Leave a recruiter’s email address or phone number on job descriptions so applicants can reach out with questions.
Be a strong communicator by being available to speak with candidates, offering them opportunities to speak with you and sharing prompt feedback.
5. BE TRANSPARENT
Candidates of your open jobs are evaluating your team and organization just as much as you are evaluating their skills and culture. Recruiting teams seeking to improve their candidate experience should be extremely truthful and transparent about:
6. BE CLEAR ON JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Sure, job descriptions outline the job responsibilities to a certain extent. But, candidates want to know the nuts and bolts of a position. Even the not-so-glamorous aspects.
Setting clear expectations of what candidates will do day-in and day-out will help them envision if they are a good fit or even interested in the position. Not doing so can contribute to the high turnover rate that many employers are facing today.
Employees who are bored, doing a job they didn’t expect, stressed or underutilized in their new role will no doubt leave. In fact, boredom accounts for people leaving their jobs 33% of the time. You can change that by being super transparent during the hiring process of what the position actually entails.
In the healthcare space, the expectation has risen to a quicker and timely return in a response. For instance, after the lockdown, 80% of patients and 74% of GPs would like to continue remote consultations, and time saving has been mentioned as one of the most evident benefits for patients. This also explains the rise of digital online booking tools to find the right online medical consultation, such as Teladoc Health or Doctor on Demand.
Finally, one important factor is communication is the quality of virtual care relies heavily on effective communication – or so to say: conversational care delivery. This also includes the part of active listening, as an essential component of clinical data gathering and diagnosis and further strengthening the doctor-patient relationship.
ATC-West Healthcare believes that Positive candidate experience stretches from attracting and sharing information with applicants all the way to the point of hire which is a pretty large timeframe and a wide demographic of individuals. To really move the needle from a good experience to a great experience, though, candidates demand a lot, communication and transparency are so crucial to recruiting strategies.
No Comments