Using social media to search for physician candidates
Posted by Stephen Leggitt
With the invention of social media came a monumental shift in how you can scout and retain potential candidates. More and more physician recruiters are turning to social media to look for new candidates fresh out of residency.
This change has brought a lot of success and a lot of needed fluidity as the social media landscape ebbs and flows. Knowing it is an open landscape for finding recruits, here are some ways you can start using social media to search for physician candidates:
Build your presence
If a physician is searching for jobs in your general area and seeking out recruiters, will your name and information appear in a targeted internet search? If not, there is an entire avenue you are missing - one that could lead to significant lost revenue.
Creating and maintaining a strong online presence on all the relevant major social media platforms not only shows you are current and active in the healthcare community, but it could lead to networking opportunities and even the mutual sharing of beneficial information from peers.
Clearly listing your professional skillset and past successes on your social media channels will give potential recruits an introduction to what you can bring to the table before they even get a chance to formally introduce themselves.
Speak directly to potential candidates
The ability to directly contact physician recruits has come a long way from making cold calls. With the invention of the smartphone, you can now engage with candidates on social media at any time of day from any location. Actively joining discussions in healthcare forums on social media can showcase your knowledge in the industry, which will bring more credibility when you’re trying to reel in a recruit.
There is also the opportunity to directly reach out to a potential recruit, whether by posting to their public page or even sending them a direct message if you wish to keep your discussions private.
No matter what method you choose, if candidates notice you taking an active role in social media, it will prove you are an ongoing and trusted member of the industry, which naturally enhances your credibility and relatability.
Be open to paid advertising
While active engagement on social media channels is one of the most foolproof ways to attract positive attention from your peers, sometimes the field can be so crowded it’s hard to differentiate your voice from hundreds - if not thousands - of other relevant voices.
One way to amplify your voice and offerings is to partake in paid advertising, which is an option on most of the larger social media platforms. Paying for advertising can produce substantial results, as these platforms offer not just general advertisements but also targeted advertising to tailor your information to specific candidates based on their interests, location and professional goals.
List open jobs to grow your audience
Perhaps the most obvious way you can show potential recruits your ability to provide ample job opportunities is to provide a sampling of those opportunities on your social media accounts. If a candidate deep in the job search makes your profile one of their daily stops to search for their next gig, this increases the chances they will be open to benefiting from your professional services. Posting open jobs on your social media channels also helps broaden your potential audience, which could bring in more qualified applicants for the position.
Check analytics
One of the areas where social media continues to grow and evolve is the use of analytics to monitor and measure the success of individual social media posts. Areas such as reach, engagement and overall views can help you discover what types of posts work in your favor (and which to avoid) moving forward in your social media strategy. It can also inform if you need to change your strategy entirely or continue forward on the path you created.
Finding a balance between posting the type of content you believe will help best showcase your skills and the benefits of using your service and the type of output that performs best through the lens of analytics will be necessary for success in the social media space.
Find your voice on social media
Every potential tool in your toolbox should be utilized. In today’s online world, the tool of social media is not only essential but required to stay ahead of the curve. Finding your voice on social media and amplifying it to your intended audience is an important daily focus for any healthcare recruiter and will help you reach the next level professionally.