by Gwen Darling
With the holiday season officially upon us, many hospital HR departments are going into stand-down mode when it comes to hiring, turning their attention instead to end-of-the-year concerns such as final budget numbers, performance reviews, and employee benefits analysis, to name just a few.
The rationale from many of my hospital HR contacts is pretty much the same--scheduling interviews around the holidays is difficult, particularly with staggered vacation schedules and shortened workdays. I completely understand that line of thinking.
Here's the thing, though. In addition to braving the shopping mall crowds, imbibing too much eggnog, and standing under the mistletoe, can you guess what (both passive and active) job seekers with some extra down time tell me they plan to do over the holidays? Yep. Look for a new job.
Not only do I hear this directly from the candidates themselves, but our analytics at Healthcare IT Central historically show a surge over the December holiday period--job seekers are definitely looking for the gift of an exciting new opportunity during the month of December.
But wait--it's great that job seekers are looking during the holidays, but what about the staggered vacation schedules and shortened workday dilemma we just agreed existed? Here's what I suggest: Post your current and upcoming job opportunities this month to take advantage of the increased attention span of potential candidates.
And then set up a friendly, "so glad you're interested" auto-reply that lets the candidates know you'll be reviewing applications when you return in January. The benefits to this approach are many:
1. You'll get a jump-start on the 2011 hiring process returning to an Inbox full of eager applicants.
2. You'll get a broader candidate pool since both active and passive job seekers will have time to apply over the holidays.
3. You'll gain a competitive edge over the hiring team at the clinic or hospital down the street who didn't read this blog post and plan to wait and post those jobs in January.
And while we're on the topic, in order to attract the very best candidates, an effective job posting must be written with the candidate in mind, painting an attractive picture of your corporate environment and culture. This is your only chance to make a positive first impression, so take the time necessary to craft an enticing description of the position and the facility. Need some pointers? Take a look at " Why Effective Job Postings Resemble Personal Ads ."
Gwen Darling is the CEO of Healthcare IT Central , a career center for healthcare IT job seekers and employers. She's also the founder and editor of Healthcare IT Today , a blog about healthcare IT career development, and writes and blogs for Healthcare Informatics magazine. She can be reached at GwenDarling@HealthcareITCentral.com.
by Gwen Darling
The rationale from many of my hospital HR contacts is pretty much the same--scheduling interviews around the holidays is difficult, particularly with staggered vacation schedules and shortened workdays. I completely understand that line of thinking.
Here's the thing, though. In addition to braving the shopping mall crowds, imbibing too much eggnog, and standing under the mistletoe, can you guess what (both passive and active) job seekers with some extra down time tell me they plan to do over the holidays? Yep. Look for a new job.
Not only do I hear this directly from the candidates themselves, but our analytics at Healthcare IT Central historically show a surge over the December holiday period--job seekers are definitely looking for the gift of an exciting new opportunity during the month of December.
But wait--it's great that job seekers are looking during the holidays, but what about the staggered vacation schedules and shortened workday dilemma we just agreed existed? Here's what I suggest: Post your current and upcoming job opportunities this month to take advantage of the increased attention span of potential candidates.
And then set up a friendly, "so glad you're interested" auto-reply that lets the candidates know you'll be reviewing applications when you return in January. The benefits to this approach are many:
1. You'll get a jump-start on the 2011 hiring process returning to an Inbox full of eager applicants.
2. You'll get a broader candidate pool since both active and passive job seekers will have time to apply over the holidays.
3. You'll gain a competitive edge over the hiring team at the clinic or hospital down the street who didn't read this blog post and plan to wait and post those jobs in January.
And while we're on the topic, in order to attract the very best candidates, an effective job posting must be written with the candidate in mind, painting an attractive picture of your corporate environment and culture. This is your only chance to make a positive first impression, so take the time necessary to craft an enticing description of the position and the facility. Need some pointers? Take a look at " Why Effective Job Postings Resemble Personal Ads ."
Gwen Darling is the CEO of Healthcare IT Central , a career center for healthcare IT job seekers and employers. She's also the founder and editor of Healthcare IT Today , a blog about healthcare IT career development, and writes and blogs for Healthcare Informatics magazine. She can be reached at GwenDarling@HealthcareITCentral.com.