Continuing our series on becoming an employer of choice, we’re covering how you can level up your recruitment efforts.
In today’s market, recruitment happens before you even write a job description. In fact, making your company one that people will seek out as an employer is half the battle.
Set Your Recruitment Process Up for Success
Define your workplace culture
- Align your practice: Focus your businessaround a mission (what you aim for), a vision (the hoped-for results of sticking to your mission), and values (kindness, integrity, teamwork, etc.).
- Be deliberate in your communication: Don’t email anything you wouldn’t say in person, and conduct annual reviews as a two-way conversation about performance, expectations, growth, and skill development.
- Meet tomorrow’s needs, not today’s: Candidates today want companies to prioritize work-life balance, outcomes — not output — and practical training. For some roles, you might need to mold people with talent, not a wealth of experience.
- Be a mentor, not a boss: Employee engagement and retention hinges on your management style. People don’t want a boss — they want a coach or mentor, someone they can respect, trust, and learn from.
Set your practice apart
Determine what’s unique about your practice so you set yourself apart in the job posting and during the interview. For example, maybe you’ve been in the field for decades or are a recognized tinnitus expert.
A lot of audiology programs don’t discuss the private-practice side of audiology. This is your chance to tell candidates about the purpose-driven career available at your patient-focused practice. Discuss onboarding and career-pathing opportunities as well.
Finally, work up a pitch for your region, so you can tout what’s special about your area to any candidates who would have to relocate. Help them visualize living in the area and engaging in the community to get them excited.
The Interview Process
The job posting
Show some personality — the posting gets one quick glance, so make it stand out, showcase your culture, and grab attention.
Develop a careers page for those simply checking out your organization. Even if you don’t have a job posted, they can learn a lot about your company. You’ll pique their interest, and when you post a job, they’ll apply for it.
The professional network
Maintain solid relationships in AAA, ASHA, and ASCENT, as well as university programs. Let them know when you’re hiring, because they may know jobseekers, whether recent graduates or seasoned veterans.
Résumé selection
You can tell a lot about a résumé with a quick scan. Note gaps in work history, a tendency to hop from job to job, discrepancies, and areas where something just doesn’t feel right.
Once you’ve scheduled an interview, keep the lines of communication open. It’s a very competitive market — job seekers are ditching employers that don’t hold their interest. Encourage them to be frank with you about their concerns and their thoughts on the opportunity you’re offering.
First impressions
Interviews go two ways, and first impressions are everything. Ensure professionalism in your team and dial in your interview process well in advance: How many interviews do you plan to have before selecting a candidate? Will you have finalists shadow selected personnel in the office — and perhaps have lunch with the team?
The offer letter
Your offer letter isn’t just that last step in the recruitment — it’s a chance to continue the conversation, reiterate next steps, and highlight the soft costs that they’ll benefit from.
Call them to offer the position personally, then immediately get the written offer in their hands. Invite them to come in and discuss the offer. They’ll see the base pay and incentive plan, but you want them to understand the other ways this offer is worthwhile, such as the PTO, retirement plan, trainings you’ll cover expenses for, association fees, etc.
Discussing the offer letter is a chance to show that you value their perspective. They get to ask questions and mention any misgivings or confusion, and you can explain why this feels like a good fit.
Successful Externships
Think beyond Au.D. students
You might have interest from college students who have no formal exposure to the hearing care space. We encourage you to seriously consider internships for them as well. The more interns you host from other areas of study, the more awareness you create about the field in general. Plus, a short stint as an intern in the front office could well set them up for a career path in the industry.
The externship timeline
You need to know well in advance that an externship fits into your business goals. For a June starting date, externs traditionally found out in November or December where they would spend their externship. These days, however, an audiology student usually knows where they’ll be placed a year in advance.
The time commitment
This needs to be treated as what it is: a year of hard training. The time commitment reflects that. You or someone on your team will have to train this person, meet with them regularly to discuss progress, and empower them. Sometime between 90 and 180 days into their stint, you should know whether your extern fits with your culture and could be part of your team.
The university
Ensure you know the university’s expectations for the externship, such as whether they need regular updates and how you should handle a termination during the externship, if it comes to that.
Be an Employer of Choice
With just a few important pieces in place, you can establish yourself as an employer of choice in an ever-evolving market. And you don’t have to do it alone. Our HR experts can help you build the team of your dreams.
So don’t wait — reach out to your SBU today, or contact us to learn more.
← Read part one about standing out with your compensation & benefits