Blog - InSync Healthcare Recruiters

8 Benefits of Working with a Healthcare Recruiting Partner

Today’s healthcare workplace calls for a new playbook for hiring. It’s just a different landscape now, making it tougher to find and hire the right-fit medical and healthcare professionals. Sure, the traditional methods of posting ads and conducting interviews can still be effective. But to really find the candidate gems you’re looking for, with all the right skills and medical expertise your organization needs, it’s best to have a healthcare recruiting partner.

Here are some of the peak advantages of working with the right team of professionals when augmenting your healthcare teams. If you’ve been unconvinced or on the fence about working with a recruiter, keep reading. These are the benefits you might decide you can’t live without in today’s hiring landscape.

1. Healthcare Recruiting Partners Have Better Tools

As an HR professional or hiring manager within your healthcare company or practice, you won’t always have the very latest tools and resources available for finding, vetting, and hiring candidates. But when you work with a healthcare recruiter, you’ll be able to leverage all the best tools needed to source experienced clinical professionals. These might include strategies or software solutions you didn’t know existed or couldn’t justify investing in yourself.

2. Recruiting Firms Will Increase Productivity

Trying to verify references, confirm certifications, and follow up on listed experience, you’ll find yourself spending an awful lot of time with each potential candidate. When you work with a healthcare recruiting partner, those professionals can handle all of those pre-interview vetting requirements on your behalf, only submitting qualified applicants for each role. Imagine how productive you’ll be when you save all that time and effort!

3. Access to a Broader Pool of Healthcare Professionals

Across your own networks and various job boards, you’ll find you only have access to a limited number of active candidates. But when you choose to partner with a healthcare recruiting partner, you’ll be able to broaden your horizons to include an even bigger pool of active and passive professionals considering a career move. Cast your net wider with the right recruiting firm and have access to an even more diverse collective of potential new hires.

4. Hiring Flexibility

Not every role you’ll need to fill will be the same. Positions and requirements will vary from C-Level professionals to entry-level openings. And working with a great healthcare recruiting partner will allow you to leverage the flexibility needed to accommodate these job hiring variances. Whether you need temporary placement now or more perm placement later, the agency can supply you with qualified candidates. Even part and full-time roles are easily filled when you work with the right partner.

5. Faster Placements

Because you’ll have great access to candidates, pre-vetted and ready for evaluation and interview, you can move through the interviewing process faster with more precise hiring results. Avoid wasting months trying to fill an open healthcare position you can fill in a matter of weeks. With the right healthcare recruiting partner in your corner, you’ll find out how quickly you can fill your openings ongoing.

6. Cost Savings

How much money and how many resources are you currently spending on ads, pre-screening measures, and applicant tracking systems? Partnering with a healthcare recruiter means alleviating these and other costs associated with the time-consuming steps in hiring practices. And even more costly can be the misstep of hiring the wrong-fit healthcare candidate. It’s an unavoidable risk in any hiring scenario. But poor-fit candidates are more easily avoided with the right recruiting partner providing you with top-notch candidates for consideration.

7. Filling More Technical or Skilled Positions

Not all agency partners are created equal. So, you’ll want to be diligent about choosing the right firm to help with your healthcare hiring. But when you do find the best partner, you’ll have an easier time with those hard-to-fill positions that require more in-depth expertise, more technical knowledge, or more precise skills. Even the hardest-to-fill openings can be a breeze when you have the right team of professionals helping you source qualified candidates.

8. The Growth and Innovation Aspect

When you’re able to move quickly to fill new healthcare roles and introduce more qualified candidates to the team, your healthcare organization or private practice can grow more quickly. You’ll also be able to contribute in an innovative way, bringing in talent with cutting-edge training and expertise. As a hiring manager, you can work with an agency partner to not only make light work of openings but also help your organization grow and scale with more services, better care, and innovative new insights.

Now that you recognize all the benefits of working with an agency to help with your healthcare recruiting, you’re ready to find the right partner. Look no further than InSync Healthcare Recruiters! Contact our team and put all these advantages to work for you! From time-saving methods and cost-saving benefits to quick placements and incredible candidates, we can help you do all of the above and more!

How Growing Your Network of Colleagues Can Help Your Career

It’s generally understood that the act of networking among medical professionals can be ground-breaking for your career. Meeting new people and having someone in your network who can put you in touch directly with hiring managers is the best way to improve your candidacy for the role. But there are other benefits of growing your network, too, with other implications for your career growth and trajectory. Making friends and collaborating with colleagues, regardless of their positions in relation to yours, can be significant assets for your career.

The Best Place to Secure Referrals

Just two years ago, 31% of job seekers found available openings using their professional networks and connections. The most significant benefit to growing your network is opening doors and putting your resume ahead of the pack with great referrals. And it’s the colleague network and professional relationships you build now that can lead to those much-needed referrals later.

Puts You in Touch with New Opportunities

Finding a new job opportunity means hitting the job boards and reaching out to hiring managers. However, when you have a network of colleagues with whom you routinely connect and collaborate, you’ll have an inside track to new openings you might not find otherwise. Word-of-mouth is still a powerful resource for career growth and opportunity. And it’s your network of professional coworkers, colleagues, and specialists who can share those announcements and upcoming openings.

Casting Your Net Wider

When it comes to connecting and getting in touch with hiring managers, spotting new openings, or securing referrals, you can always rely on your own network of colleagues and contacts. But when you grow your network and groom those relationships ongoing, you essentially are casting your net even wider to include their connections. Much like the method behind sharing a post on social media, you can cast your career development net even wider when you can share your network with the networks of others.

Have Insights from Others Who Share Your Vision

Networking with other medical professionals across a variety of niches can put you in touch with others who share your vision for innovation and patient care. Together, the collaborative effort can result in great improvements within organizations and industries alike. Team up with those who are just as passionate about the job as you are and help each other grow in similar directions, bettering healthcare along the way.

Increase Your Ability to Help Others

The more people you keep in your colleague circle, the more opportunities you have to help others with their connections and goals. While you might be focused on improving your career trajectory, it’s also important to remember that helping others achieve their career objectives can have lasting effects on your journey. Be open to assisting others with their connections and finding career opportunities. And they’ll be more apt to reciprocate when you need the help.

Discover New Passions

When you grow and cultivate a network of colleagues, you put yourself in a position to grow and learn in new directions. And it might be the journey of a fellow medical professional that inspires you to take steps in a new direction. Discover a new passion or just reconnect with a dormant one when you can share and learn from others.

Your Social Well-Being Matters

If you’re currently in a role that requires you to work alone or, on occasion, feels isolating, it’s the act of networking that will provide the social well-being you need to feel and stay connected to your industry. It’s hard to find opportunities and meet new people if you’re not actively seeking and growing your network. Make time for luncheons and meet new hires in your department. You might not make an immediate headway with new jobs. But your overall well-being will benefit and keep you on the right side of growth and career advancement.

Boosting Your Healthcare Professional Confidence

In addition to the social and career benefits, there are professional confidence advantages to routine networking. If you believe or consider yourself to be an introvert or a bit shy, professional mingling among colleagues can be just the exercise in confidence you need. Share your ideas and talk about common challenges. You’ll find your confidence snowballs, making you a stronger candidate when it comes time for a referral or career change.

What initiatives are you taking to grow your network and improve your professional colleague relationships? Even when you connect with those across various healthcare niches and positions, you can tap into the many advantages of expanding your access to career opportunities. For more suggestions and tips related to career growth in the healthcare professions, follow our ongoing blog series. And when you’re ready to make a change, the InSync Healthcare Recruiters team can help put you in touch with some of the leading roles available right now.

5 Red Flags to Look for During the Interview Process

As a recruiter or HR professional within the healthcare industry, you are responsible for finding, attracting, and onboarding top talent to your organization. But not all candidates will be a good fit. And you know how daunting it can be to find the best-fit team member that possesses proven skill sets, great experience, and a complimentary attitude to the rest of the staff.

During your interview process, whether it’s in-person or via video, you do your best to spot indicators that a potential candidate isn’t going to be ideal for the role or your healthcare organization. It’s tough, though, especially these days. While most applicants are honest and forthcoming about their objectives and experience, some will try to paint a picture to impress but lack the ability to follow through in the role. To avoid extending an offer to the wrong healthcare professional, here are some of the red flags to help you separate the mediocre from the great hire prospects.

1. Defining Your Red Flags Prior to the Interview

Before interviewing, establish a set of benchmarks or red flags and definitions for yourself to reference. A red flag for you might not be a red flag for another hiring manager. And before committing to a list of deal-breakers, make sure you’re being fair and in line with the best hiring practices, free of discrimination or bias. Typically, a red flag will represent a lack in core competency or a flaw that cannot be overcome with training or coaching. Some of the best healthcare candidates out there might fall short of your prerequisites for the role but are entirely coachable or available for training to become the top-notch performer you want. As you begin your interviewing process, remember to be mindful of spotting potential red flags but also flexible with those candidates who could still be viable prospects.

2. Introductory Red Flags

There are some basic, more introductory red flags to look for during the interview process that might indicate a candidate does not possess the confidence, knowledge, or skills needed for the job. A lack of eye contact, even in online interview settings, might be an indication the person is uncomfortable or not forthcoming. Candidates who are late to the interview or unorganized to participate in the interview may not be serious about the position and could be just as tardy and unorganized on the job.

3. Red Flags on the Resume or CV

When delving into the resume and work history, there will be some red flags, as well. Gaps in employment may be entirely reasonable, so ask about them. How the candidate responds will dictate whether those gaps are concerning or not. Verify the certifications, education, and training by inquiring directly and even asking for documentation. It’s easy to add credentials to a resume, especially if your ad for the position listed them as prerequisites. But if you have doubts, confirm everything before extending an offer. If anything on the resume looks out of order with the timeline or experience, ask for clarification. Good fit candidates will have justifiable responses while others will not.

4. Red Flags During Interview Discussion

Some of the most significant red flags will present themselves during the interview discussion. Be mindful of how a healthcare applicant responds to your questions about experience, work history, and reasons for leaving. If there is talk of gossip or disagreements with previous employers, the candidate might not be a good fit. You can also gauge whether or not the candidate researched your organization prior to the interview and has a clear reason for wanting the role you’re offering. Beware, too, of the overconfident candidates who describe themselves above their capability. And not having clear career goals can also be a red flag that the individual is more interested in a “job” and not a long-term career fit.

5. Company Culture Red Flags

There are other soft skills you’ll want to look for as they relate to hiring a company culture match for the role. Candidates who have a history of not getting along with managers or subordinates might not be right for your teams. Pay attention to the types of questions the candidate asks of you, as well. You can spot someone who’s more concerned about paid time off and scheduling than working with a team of professionals to improve healthcare services, too. You’ll want to find candidates who are coachable, reliable, and honest. So, look for indicators that might reinforce those strengths.

In today’s healthcare hiring landscape, it’s getting harder and harder to discern the authentic candidates from the inauthentic, the skilled from the unskilled, and the honest from the dishonest. Consider some of these red flags as indicators or at least prompts to ask more probing questions during your process. And when you need additional help with your healthcare hiring and onboarding, let the professionals at InSync Healthcare Recruiters step in to help!

How Today’s Healthcare Professionals Are Finding Their Work-Life Balance

Talk about a rough couple of years on the job. Many of today’s healthcare professionals are feeling stressed, frustrated, overworked, and in need of a change. If you fall into the same camp, it’s important to remember one key thing. Your job will always be taxing if you don’t find a healthy work-life balance.

Regardless of what role you work in, you know to expect work-related challenges in every environment. Since you can’t control what curve balls will come your way, you should be focusing on what you can control. A healthy work-life balance is achieved when individuals can maintain boundaries and feel productive at work and at home. You don’t bring your personal problems to your patients. Don’t bring your patient problems to your family. But there’s far more to finding a healthy balance than that, especially in today’s healthcare landscape. Here are a few ways others are finding their perfect work-life balance in a healthy and rewarding way.

Re-Evaluate Your Career and Personal Goals

If you’ve been neglecting a work-life balance for yourself, the first step is to sit down and critically take stock of your current position. Where are you now, both in your career and your personal life? Re-evaluate and identify what your goals are in both respects. Awareness of your current situation will help inspire your change in behavior needed. Outlining your goals will realign your priorities to keep you motivated in that change.

Live by a Personal and Professional Schedule

Those who are the most successful at maintaining personal and professional balance will all tell you it’s about scheduling. In your healthcare role, you live by the schedule, whether it’s your hours for the week, seeing patients, or attending meetings. Bring that same level of dedicated organization to your personal life and keep a schedule there, too. It will keep you from over-scheduling yourself with work when you have blocks of time set aside for family time, personal time, or off-work hobbies.

Make and Keep Appointments with Yourself

Piggybacking on the scheduling comes a commitment to yourself. Make and keep appointments with yourself, especially those appointments related to health and wellness. Make sure you’re getting your routine doctor visits in as recommended. Carve out times for workouts or afternoon walks. Block off chunks of your day for mediation or to take breaks. Pencil in those important bullets on your calendar, and then do your best to keep those appointments.

Get Familiar with the Word ‘No’

Are you overworking yourself because you can’t say no? You’re not alone. And given the “all hands on deck” nature of the healthcare industry these days, there is always a demand for employees to work more. But beware. If you haven’t reached the point of burnout, you soon will. And that’s why it’s important to learn that it’s absolutely ok to say no. Sure, it’s acceptable to take on an extra shift here or there or help out a colleague. However, don’t make those instances the norm. Familiarize yourself with “no” and give yourself permission to use it.

Unplug from the Devices

It’s easy to fall back into work issues when you’re away simply because you’re electronically connected to work no matter where you are. For a healthy work-life balance to exist, you will have to learn to unplug from your devices and mark yourself unavailable when you’re at home. Don’t check your emails until you’re ready to plug back into work. If there are emergencies, they know how to reach you. But all other work-related engagements can wait until you’re back on-site or ready to devote time to work. They have no place during your family time, at dinner, or when you’re enjoying recreational time.

Take Your Vacation Time

When you took your current healthcare job, you likely also outlined what kind of paid time off and vacation time would be allocated for you. Don’t let those valuable days go to waste. If you have time to take, make plans now to do so. Even scheduling your annual vacations can provide relief in itself, giving you something enjoyable to look forward to on the calendar. And you don’t have to plan extravagant trips, either. A camping trip with friends, a weekend with family, or a spontaneous road trip and hotel stay can do wonders to reset your mind and body.

What’s at Stake If You Don’t Preserve Work-Life Balance?

Healthcare workers at every level, from entry-level care facilitators to director or specialist-level providers, can all seek improvements in a work-life balance reality. And there’s a lot at stake to consider if you don’t prioritize yourself. If healthcare professionals neglect this balance, they’ll soon become exhausted and distracted, which could lead to clinical mistakes. It can also lead to burnout that has already inspired so many to leave their professions indefinitely. These conditions will only compound healthcare worker shortages and eventually impact patient healthcare costs, too.

Consider these tips for re-evaluating your work-life balance today and inspire healthy changes. And if you come to the conclusion your current stress and frustration require a change in role or career altogether, let the InSync Healthcare Recruiters help you find your path to success!

6 Tips to Help You Successfully Prepare for a Full Day of Virtual Interviews

You have a full day of virtual interviews scheduled, and you’re excited to explore the next round of candidates who might be a good fit for your role. However, there is even more to consider in properly preparing for a solid day of back-to-back interviews, especially if they’re online. Missing a step could translate to a poor first impression or missed hiring opportunity. For any healthcare hiring managers who are interviewing multiple candidates, this is the preparation to-do list you need to see. With a full day of virtual interviews, these are the tips to help ensure you’re at your best with each candidate.

1. Preparing Your Technology

If you have a full day of virtual interviews coming up, you’ll want to take the time now to verify your internet connection and equipment. Find a more public space where stronger internet connections exist, if necessary. Test your earbuds and perform a few test calls with friends or colleagues to ensure audio, video, and web connections are strong. And verify that your onscreen name, which will display to healthcare candidates, is a professional moniker or your company title. If you’re concerned about a failing piece of equipment, now’s the time to arrange for backups, including batteries for your laptop, wi-fi connection, webcams, and audio devices.

2. Preparing Yourself if You’re Remote

Once you’re certain everything is in order with your tech, it’s time to consider how to prepare yourself and your virtual interview space. Should you be conducting interviews virtually from your on-site office, you might not have much to prepare. Your office may already be a visibly professional space. However, you might be inclined to wear sweats under the desk if you’re working remotely to conduct interviews. So make sure you’re in professional attire above the desk. And pay special attention to what’s visible behind you so as not to give the impression that you’re messy or unprofessional in any way. It’s also recommended that you take whatever steps necessary to prevent distractions. So, if you’re concerned about noisy little ones or Fido barking, make plans for a sitter or kennel day spa for the day.

3. Organizing a Playbook for Each Virtual Interview

The day before your full day of virtual interviews, take the time to create a playbook for each healthcare candidate on the docket. Print out documents to have in front of you, including the job descriptions, resumes and CVs. Have any correspondence leading up to the interview, and the names and pertinent details for each, as well. You don’t want to look unprepared or mix up details between candidates. The best way to prevent mishaps, like talking about the wrong role or addressing the applicant by the wrong name, is to have a full stack of separate reference materials for each individual.

4. Organizing Your Interview Notes

Take your organization a step further by also drafting a full list of questions you have for each candidate. Even if you feel you have questions committed to memory, it’s a good idea to keep reminders on paper in front of you. And be sure you have a few pens available so you can take notes and write responses for each interview separately. Additionally, have your calendar or day planner nearby, either physically or digitally, so you can efficiently schedule follow-up interviews or next steps during each virtual interview.

5. The Confidence Checklist for Every Virtual Interview

To prepare to make the very best first impression from your first virtual interview through to your last one of the day, it might help to keep a list of reminders nearby and off-screen to remind yourself of these confidence-emitting behaviors.

Posture Matters: One study showed that 33% of hiring managers admitted to coming to a hiring conclusion within the first 90 seconds of engagement. Imagine candidates will make similar assumptions about hiring managers. Within those critical greeting and introduction moments of each virtual interview, make sure you display strong posture and inviting body language.

Engage with Body Movement: During each of your virtual interviews, make sure you’re using positive body language, including head nods and smiling, to convey your attentiveness. If you want top talent to consider joining your healthcare organization’s ranks, they’ll need to feel prioritized from the first moment of engagement.

Eye Contact Online: Eye contact builds trust with any engagement. When you’re interviewing virtually, make a conscious effort to look directly at your webcam from time to time, not just the screen, to simulate engaging eye contact.

6. Refreshing Between Interviews

Whether you have one set of back-to-back virtual interviews or a whole day of them, you’ll want to be diligent about managing your time in between calls. And should one or more of them run over, you’ll need to prepare to quickly make smart use of your remaining time. Take the time in between interviews to stand up and stretch, use the restroom, and grab a fresh drink before your next call. If your interviews are scheduled to run through lunchtime, it’s a good idea to grab a snack in between calls, too, so your rumbling stomach doesn’t interrupt an important conversation.

Before you tackle a full day of virtual interviews, consider reviewing these tips to ensure you make your best first impression and are totally prepared to put your best foot forward. And if you still need help scheduling a full day of healthcare job interviews, let InSync Healthcare Recruiters help!

9 Interview Questions to Ask that Will Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Company Culture

For anyone considering a career change in healthcare right now, the landscape is your oyster. Candidates are exploring all kinds of opportunities with new hospitals, healthcare organizations, and private practices. But it’s still critically important to be diligent and thorough in your approach, including with your interview questions. Company culture matters, and you don’t want to trade one growth-stifling environment for another.

As you embark on new healthcare job opportunities and schedule interviews, be prepared to ask certain interview questions that can help you get a better understanding of the working environment and company culture. Here’s the checklist to help you get your interview questions ready for your next big interview.

1. Can You Describe Your Company Culture in Five Words or Less?

Don’t be afraid to be direct or to come right out and ask. How the hiring manager responds will be telling in confirming either way. If there is hesitation or the response seems rehearsed, keep digging. However, if the response is favorable or even enthusiastic with examples, it’s a good sign the company culture and workplace environment are positive.

2. Does the Organization Recognize Individual Achievements?

Asking an interview question like this, even if it doesn’t apply to the particular role you’re applying for, will tell you how the organization prioritizes individual growth. If there aren’t initiatives in place that support great achievements or acknowledge performance, it might not be the supportive environment you have in mind.

3. Does Your Healthcare Organization Contribute to Any Philanthropy Efforts?

This is the question that should initiate a response about corporate responsibility. Any healthcare organization that engages in charitable good works, local community involvement, and philanthropy, does make an effort to preserve a positive brand image and company positioning. Smaller practices won’t have the big budgets for huge initiatives. But even the small healthcare organizations can support local efforts in small ways and will if it’s a priority.

4. Are There Opportunities for Advanced Education and Training?

Even if you’re at the top of your game, with every required certification, distinction, and specialty training, this is a must-ask question. A health company culture will usually have ongoing training efforts and advanced education opportunities for staff across a variety of roles. The company that promotes individual betterment will also be staff-focused.

5. What Would Others in This Role Say their Work-Life Balance Is Like?

This is another interview question that seems fairly straightforward. But many healthcare professionals are hesitant to ask about it openly. Gauge the response, much like you did for the original question about company culture. Answers for a positive environment might include employee support efforts, like gym memberships, mental health days, or an on-site psychologist, depending on the field of expertise in the organization.

6. How Frequent Are Companywide Meetings Held?

Staff meetings always get a bad reputation, especially when they’re too frequent and unproductive. But a sign of a well-connected corporate body to the healthcare professionals on the front lines are regular meetings. Companywide meetings are necessary for efficient communication. But they’re also great arenas to raise concerns and challenges that the front line might need help solving.

7. What Is the Best Part of Working Here?

This line of interview questions will prompt a more personal response, hopefully. Get the hiring manager to open up with you about what they enjoy most about working for the organization. If the response is “great vending machines,” you know there’s likely a problem with the overall workplace environment.

8. Are You Proud to Be Affiliated with this Organization?

Use that last question to pivot and transition into this one. It’s skewed, again, for a more personal response from the hiring manager or team. But it will help you distinguish between canned responses about culture from authentic sentiments. You can also use this topic to springboard into your requirement of working with a healthcare organization you can be proud to represent, solidifying your candidacy.

9. If You Could Change Something, What Would It Be?

Get specific when you ask this question regarding the role for which you’re applying, the department, and the healthcare organization as a whole. If the responses are about improving schedules, more time off, or restrictive policies, it might be a red flag that the company culture isn’t as conducive as you’d prefer it to be. Additionally, if the hiring manager doesn’t have anything to offer, it could also mean there’s hesitancy to be transparent about the topic.

Remember, as you interview, keep the conversation flowing naturally and don’t feel obligated to force these or any questions. But do your best to incorporate inquiries that will help you better gauge the overall work-life balance and company culture. Those criteria won’t always show up in a job posting, and most hiring managers won’t volunteer information if it’s not good. And when you need help exploring your healthcare career opportunities, let InSync Healthcare Recruiters be your guide to navigating this dynamic healthcare hiring landscape!

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