The Executive Suite: 5 things physician practices need to do when hiring during a pandemic

Thursday, June 18, 2020

5 things physician practices need to do when hiring during a pandemic

If you’re hiring or looking to hire amidst a pandemic, you will have to up your recruitment game. That’s because the nature of jobs, candidate preferences, and recruitment metrics are changing dramatically. You may be looking for candidates with multiple skills so that you can repurpose efforts when the needs present themselves, you may no longer be able to hire people already in your recruitment pipeline due to geographical constraints, or you may also be looking to hire on a freelance basis. In essence, recruitment metrics may change significantly, which will need to revisit your recruitment strategy.

To help you get started, here are five things you will need to do to hire top talent despite the limitations due to the pandemic. Read carefully.

Set SMART Goals

SMART goals for HR professionals are critical to creating strategic hiring objectivesthat are-

S: Specific –goals that are clearly defined with the reasons to accomplish it
M: Measurable –goals that allow measuring success at timely intervals; goals that can be quantified
A: Achievable –goals that are realistic and can be accomplished taking into account current organizational status
R: Reasonable –goals that produce end results worth your time
T: Time-bound –goals that havefixed timelines

Before creating recruitment goals, develop a plan of how they can be achieved. Create reports on how long the goal will take to be achieved, how the success will be measured, how the timeline will be decided, etc. This strategy will help you steer clear of recruitment mistakes that you can’t afford making during a pandemic.

Create Good Job Descriptions

To create good job descriptions, you will have to look at your recruitment goals and set requirements accordingly. You will have to communicate your expectations clearly so that the only people who apply to the role are actually fit for it. For example, if you would like to hire someone who is comfortable with working on a contractual basis for three months after joining, mention it in the job description.This way,unfit candidates will filter themselves out, and you will save the time of going through hundreds of irrelevant resumes.

Moreover, make sure that every line is to the point and there isn’t an overuse of fluff words such as organization, business, success, etc.

Create a New Candidate Pool

Due to the impact of pandemics, such as the need for social distancing during COVID19, you will have to remodel recruitment metrics. For example, if your company is only looking to hire locally, you will have to modify your geographic search accordingly.

As a recruitment expert, you can also come up with strategies for internal hiring or project-based hiring. See if you can repurpose your employees or make gig recruitments. The goal currently should be to save time and cost and maximize the safety of your people.

Learn New Remote Screening Tools

While telephonic interviews have been the first step of a recruitment processfor a long time, many organizations are now using video interviews as final interviews. Soon enough, face-to-face interviews may not even exist. So, adapt to the change while also keeping the comfort of your candidates and employees at the center. Make sure your recruitment staff members assist candidates, especially in blue-collar jobs, in using technology.Remember, extra efforts will only improve your brand reputation further.

Adapt to Remote Onboarding

Because of the new work-from-home culture due to social distancing norms, remote onboarding has also increased in popuarity. The employee will start working with you without a single office visit. But how is that possible when onboarding is more about meeting the team, knowing your workplace, and forming relationships thanlearning about your responsibilities? This is where the challenge lies, and your HR team should be prepared for it.

See if your team is equipped with remote onboarding tools such as video conferencing software, screen sharing software, VR technology to give office tours, and screen recording tools. Your team should also be able to make the new employee feel like a part of the business.

Instead of hiring in a rush, take time to create a strategy so that you do not make any hiring mistakes and hire top-quality candidates.