It should come as no surprise that businesses that fail to properly screen employees often wind up with unproductive, unqualified and outright dishonest hires. While unwise hiring practices can prove detrimental to any enterprise, they can be particularly devastating to healthcare facilities. In light of the vital services these facilities perform, failure to properly vet applicants can adversely impact patrons and land providers in serious legal trouble.
Healthcare facilities can hire smarter by adhering to the following tips:
- Use technology to their advantage. There are a number of technology tools available that can help healthcare facilities with the hiring process, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), video interviewing, and skills assessments.
- Be clear about the role and responsibilities. Make sure that the job description is clear and concise, and that it accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities of the position.
- Screen candidates carefully. Take the time to screen candidates carefully, and make sure that they have the skills and experience that are required for the position.
- Do background checks. Conduct background checks on all candidates, and make sure that they have a clean criminal record.
- Hire for culture fit. In addition to skills and experience, it is important to hire for culture fit. Make sure that the candidates you hire are a good fit for the organization’s culture.
- Provide training and development. Once you have hired the right people, make sure that you provide them with the training and development they need to be successful in their roles.
By following these tips, healthcare facilities can hire smarter and find the best candidates for their open positions. Healthcare facilities looking to refine their hiring practices even further should put the following tips to good use.
Thoroughly Check References
Checking references is important when recruiting for any job. Some applicants count on prospective employers writing this process off as too much trouble and hiring them based on their interview skills. While it’s true that the quality of one’s interview should play a role in determining whether they’re hired, it shouldn’t be the determinant factor in your decision. As any experienced recruiter can attest, giving a good interview doesn’t mean an applicant is the best person for the job.
Even if a candidate presents themselves well, it’s important to get a sense of how previous employers and work colleagues viewed them. With this in mind, make a point of contacting every reference listed on each applicant’s resume. There’s a good chance that the things they tell you will be consistent with an applicant’s claims, but if an applicant has been less than forthright, you may discover the extent of their dishonesty throughout this process. Furthermore, if you feel that an applicant’s list of references is too short or doesn’t include enough relevant individuals, feel free to ask them to provide additional references.
Confirm Work Experience
Confirming work experience often goes hand-in-hand with checking references. Depending on the position for which you’re recruiting, previous experience in the field may be absolutely essential. Again, regardless of how convincing someone is during their interview or how impressive their resume looks, make a point of confirming their claims.
Know That the Interview isn’t Everything
It’s easy to see why job interviews are a consistent source of stress for employment seekers. Since so much seemingly rides on them, there’s little wonder as to why so many people regard them as make-or-break moments in the hiring process. In many respects, this level of anxiety is understandable. Far too many employers place entirely too much importance on the interview process, often valuing solid interview skills over past work experience and general capability.
While being able to nail an interview is certainly a good skill for jobseekers to possess, it’s far from the best indicator of how well they’d perform in their desired roles. Some candidates are able to land jobs based on strong interviews but are unable to capably carry out the duties of their respective positions. Giving a solid interview is certainly a good sign, but it should be one of many factors that go into your hiring decisions instead of a dealbreaker.
Institute a Zero-Tolerance Policy for Applicant Dishonesty
Many jobseekers have no qualms about embellishing their resumes. In some cases, these embellishments are fairly harmless, but when it comes to an industry as vital as healthcare, lying at any point throughout the recruitment process should be regarded as a huge red flag. For example, listing fake references or falsely claiming to have held previous jobs should immediately take candidates out of the running for positions with your facility.
If you suspect any minor embellishments to be the result of simple misunderstanding, you can give the candidate a chance to explain themselves, but if their explanation is unsatisfactory, they should be removed from consideration. Applicants who have been found guilty of blatantly trying to mislead you should be blacklisted by your facility. Additionally, blockchain for healthcare credentialing can prove helpful in keeping track of qualified – and unqualified – applicants.
When screening prospective hires, it’s recommended that healthcare facilities exercise an abundance of caution. Since hospitals, doctors’ offices and other healthcare-based enterprises provide a plethora of vital services, it’s imperative that hiring managers seek out the best of the best. While doing due diligence throughout the screening process can be a bit cumbersome, simply going with your gut isn’t going to cut it when seeking out the right candidates for such vital jobs. Healthcare facilities looking to refine their hiring practices would be wise to take the previously discussed measures.
