Recruiting talent for the healthcare industry?

Healthcare students and grads are a diverse, ambitious group of young professionals who are committed to and passionate about their profession.

For campus recruiters hoping to attract healthcare-focused millennials to their organization, knowing how to optimize your online recruitment efforts can help to differentiate your organization and help you be seen as an employer of choice within the talent pool.

People

Regardless of industry or profession, there is one workplace constant: the people you work with. Millennials place a great deal of value on being part of a cohesive team – they want to connect and collaborate with those around them and are naturally attracted to workplaces where staff work together and get along.

For healthcare employees, working in an effective and efficient team-based environment is paramount to success. Whether on the front-lines or behind-the-scenes, the demands of the healthcare system require an unparalleled level of cooperation and teamwork – it’s crucial that staff function as a unit to be able to provide patients with the highest level of care.

In order to attract top millennial talent to your organization, focus on the people who make up your workforce. One way to do so? Feature your staff in custom editorial content! Students and grads want to consume information they can connect with, and character-based content is an effective, organic way to engage talent with your employer brand. Encourage different representatives from your team to participate and share their stories – this will give millennials an opportunity to “meet” different members of your team and gain an inside look into the kind of environment they could be a part of.

Case study: The Scarborough Hospital’s focus on people can be seen throughout their TalentEgg employer profile. The organization works with TalentEgg to produce engaging editorials that introduce various members of their workforce – check out their profile to see their content library.

Community

The community an organization serves is a major motivating factor for many healthcare professionals who enter the profession to give back. For today’s healthcare students and grads, the need to create positive change is strong, and many are looking to build meaningful connections with the communities they work for.

You can facilitate their connection to the community by focusing your recruitment messaging on the unique aspects of your organization’s surrounding area. Doing so will enable prospective talent to learn more about the community at large and decide whether it’s the right fit for them.

Visual content is an effective way to showcase your locale, especially if your organization recruits talent from different parts of the country. Aspects to include in your video are:

    • Landscape shots (parks, attractions, beaches)
    • Overview of local amenities (restaurants, shopping, recreation facilities)
    • Interviews with various community members
    • Interviews with current staff about their experience in community

Case study: Northern Health understands the connection between staff and community and have done a remarkable job of incorporating this relationship into every part of their online presence. Take a look at their TalentEgg employer profile – targeted visual content is everywhere, which helps to educate millennials on the benefits and opportunities that come with living (and often relocating) to Northern BC.

Values

Company values are important in any industry or profession – they guide actions, unite efforts and drive outcomes. In healthcare, values are the heart of an organization and play an integral role in attracting quality candidates to a team.

Students and grads want to work with employers who share their values. They want to feel connected to an organization’s’ mission and be engaged in the work that they do. Focusing on your shared values can help attract top students and grads who are invested in helping achieve your goals.

Start by including your values in key online content – job descriptions and About Us pages are all examples of highly visible areas frequented by prospective talent. Your messaging should articulate who you are as an organization, what you do and why it matters – millennials want to bring a sense of purpose into their work and will be motivated to do so even more if they see your goals align with theirs.

Case study: Rexall communicates their values to prospective Pharmacy students and grads via their TalentEgg employer profile. As you can see from their “Careers That Fit” tab, Rexall clearly outlines how helping patients control and impact their health outcomes is a major company value.

Discussion: Do you incorporate these aspects into your recruitment efforts?

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