Six tips for attracting great candidates

We all know that managing a practice is more than a full-time job and finding spare time to dedicate to business improvement is not easy. One of the biggest improvement tasks you can focus on is getting your recruitment right. By investing a small amount of time, you will not only improve your success in hiring good people, you will free up time in the future with reduced turnover and improved customer service that comes with a more stable and engaged workforce.

When you need to fill a vacancy, it's easy to receive a resume and hire someone because you really need someone. By ensuring the recruitment process is conducted in the right way, you will increase your chance of the right person joining your team and not just anyone.

Here are our best tips that can make a difference when recruiting.

Embrace social media – paint an engaging picture for potential candidates

There are very few candidates now who wouldn’t jump on Google when they see your position advertised. Having your own website, Facebook page and practice domain for emails makes a world of difference. Candidates want to get a feel for what it would be like to work for you - showing how active you are in the community and how you make a difference with your patients will assist in creating interest.

Advertise as a marketer – your advertising must sell the position benefits

The power of an advertisement that clearly describes the role and sells your practice to candidates can’t be underestimated. Include the history of the practice, its location, a description of the team and most importantly the position duties in an honest and attractive way. Most people want to know their work will be challenging and rewarding.

Keep your advertisement to no more than one A4 page.

Focus on why you are different – stand out from the crowd

Often candidates are overwhelmed with potential positions, with most adverts looking pretty much the same. Organisations that attract the best talent stand out by also including videos in advertising, often from current employees. Focus on benefits or perks you offer like discounted gym membership, no weekend work, flexible start and finish times or paid training days.

Interviewing – be on time, value their time and ask the right questions

The key is to get to know the real person by asking well thought-out questions that ask for examples. You will not only be able to confirm the candidate has the skills they say they have, you will better understand their strengths and weaknesses. Remember they are also interviewing you, so be confident yet approachable, encourage them to ask questions and the more comfortable you make them feel, the more you will see them as they would be in the workplace.

Stay away from magical questions like “where do you see yourself in five years?”. Most candidates will feel awkward answering these types of questions and the answers are difficult to assess as relevant to the position they are interviewing for.

Remember there are specific questions you cannot ask in interview – it’s a good idea to keep anything personal out of the interview apart from general interest.

Contact RDN if you need advice on specific questions to ask at interview. 

Reference check and test – make sure they can do what they say they can

Always make sure the candidate is aware that you are going to call their referees. Some candidates may include a current employer who they haven’t told yet. If possible, encourage the candidates to let their referee know you will be calling to improve the chance of them taking your call.

Conduct two or three reference checks by phone – do not accept written references. Be prepared with the types of questions you want to ask a referee, tailor them to the job the candidate will perform and if the referee is vague in their answer, ask again. If you don’t get an answer to a question, make a note of this to ask another referee. If the same thing comes up again, depending on the question, this may be a reason not to proceed.

If the position has a particular skill that is required, create a small test or look for outsourced companies who can conduct the testing for you. Investing in a small cost to do this is better than the much larger cost of someone not performing at the level you need.

On-boarding – make all your hard work count

Once you have appointed the successful candidate, keep in touch with them before they start, have an organised plan for their first day and make them feel welcome. This will confirm they have made the right decision to join you. Cover the statutory induction items and have the relevant person run through a training plan for the coming days and weeks. Try to avoid the too common “chuck them in the deep end and see if they swim” approach.

When the recruitment process is well organised, detailed and as smooth as possible, you will increase the likelihood of selecting the right person.

RDN offers free recruitment and retention advice to those in NSW MMM 2-7 locations. Phone our Recruitment and Retention team on 02 4924 8000 or email recruit@nswrdn.com.au.