Summer 2014
Sourcing/a Recruiter’s Natural Spring Andree Mulia, RN, BSN, CHCR, Nurse Recruiter, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Sourcing is such a timely subject matter since our organization is presently in search of a Sourcing Specialist who will do just that for us; Source. With the social media avenues exploding and niche and career sites increasing in what seems like a monthly basis, it is becoming more challenging to wrap your arms around it. We are a culture that has poured out our information on the Internet and if you want to find the best candidate for your positions you have to find where they are spending their time. The best candidate can be found just about anywhere and it’s our job to find where they are spending their time and that in itself is a full time job. A pearl in an ocean is what we are all searching for and it’s usually that special one that is so rare and all of us want the same one.
Social Media vs. Job Board Technology If you do the research; this is a hot topic and there are a lot of articles and discussions on which is the best tool to use for your searches. Of course the top social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will state they are the best. There is more advertising done on these sites every day and it’s becoming more and more saturated. Candidates are getting more buried within the sites or getting turned off by the amount of advertising being done. Whenever I look at my private LinkedIn account my picture is framed with a competitor’s name saying “You could be working here”, which is so creative. The image goes a long way especially if you are a passive candidate possibly considering a change. That being said, the branding on social media is invaluable and does stick with you whether you are an active or passive candidate. Letting the public know what your facility is up to is also priceless. Having celebrities reaching out to and bringing a smile to patients; announcements of facilities awards and/or magnet status or just being able to sign virtual cards for kids; lets the public know what your facility is doing. Alongside that branding, posting your hard to fill positions pulls on heart strings and encourages that candidate to push the apply button now that they know more about the culture of the facility they are applying to. There are also new companies rising up such as “Identified” that are using social media to find you the right candidates. Big Brother is real and is watching your every move and capitalizing on it. They know your occupation, where you work, what you post, how you shop the Internet and can link your information to companies that are searching for someone just like you. If the product is purchased you can reach out to them and e-mail them on their Facebook page. They can, in turn, if interested connect with you and start a dialogue. These new and
upcoming companies work very well with those passive candidates and in building a database of your own. Twitter is also an amazing tool to reach potential candidates and pretty easy to do on a daily basis just with a click of a button. Like it or not the public loves to “follow” and see what you and your organization are up to. The Wall Street Journal in 2013 stated that it was the new job board and was the new resume as well. Still a bit underused, since many health care recruiters still feel that their audience is not the tweeting type, however I recommend tweeting on a daily basis. Job Boards are also a big part of sourcing. Beyond, CareerBuilder, Monster, Indeed, Simply Hired, Nurse.com, Linkup to name few are all excellent but you do have to spend some time on them to search their database but pushing your positions on their site can be done automatically. Niche sites for Nursing or your specialized position is also a must depending on the expertise that you are looking for. There is a Job Board designed specifically for those candidates. Since there are so many boards you can post on, it can start to get costly as they can run from $200 – $600 for a 30 day posting. Add on to that being a “Featured Job” that keeps you on the top of the job board will cost you extra, of course. Being a featured employee is highly recommended if you want your position to be seen and not drop down to the bottom where no one will probably view your job unless they are searching for you by name.
How to Manage When you start to enter the Sourcing World it is never ending and time consuming. With other duties on our plate it becomes more challenging to be on top of our game. Having a designated person assigned to making this part of their job work is ideal but financially not always an option for everyone. Your ad agency can set up tags on your Applicant Tracking System to let you know what job board or social media your candidates are coming from so that you can wisely spend your monies. They also can build some automation for posting or one stop shopping such as Findly’s Smart Post tool. Smartpost has helped our Recruitment team be able to go on “one” site and click on multiple job boards, niche sites, schools and social media sites with just a few clicks. With time not always being on our side it is essential to have resources that can assist us to do our job more efficiently. Set up your week so that you have a block of time to post your jobs and do database mining. If sourcing is scheduled on your Outlook calendar you will be more apt in doing this function on a consistent basis.
NAHCR • P.O. Box 14365 • Lenexa, KS 66285-4365 • Phone: 913.895.4627 • Fax: 913.895.4652 • Email: nahcr@goAMP.com
Summer 2014 Networking As professional recruiters we should be able to learn from each other on what works and what does not. Networking with one another is a must and we are so fortunate to have NAHCR. They have a LinkedIn group which is very resourceful as you can connect with recruiters nationally and ask questions to fellow NAHCR members. The upcoming 2014 NAHCR Annual IMAGE Conference that will take place in July in Orlando, Fla. is a must for all recruiters; novice or experienced. Having attended the past few years I have learned such a wealth of information from leaders in the profession. When I return back to work from each conference I’m just so excited to implement so many of the new ideas that I had learned through the concurrent and general sessions! The vendors that attend
the conference are also a nice addition since you are able to see so many new products demonstrated and set up appointments right then and there. Let’s face it the world is moving faster and faster and we have to be more and more on top of our game. I have been in this business for over a decade and I always have to push that refresh button to be my best. I know that in this business we can’t do it alone and I am grateful for all of “You” my colleagues for your ideas and being part of such an amazing group of professionals. With the year almost a quarter gone let’s make the rest of 2014 a powerful one as we continue to be our best with the tools this industry offers around us. So when you see my “friend request” pop on your screen please accept since you never know when we will need to help one another fill that hard to fill position!
NAHCR • P.O. Box 14365 • Lenexa, KS 66285-4365 • Phone: 913.895.4627 • Fax: 913.895.4652 • Email: nahcr@goAMP.com