I read a new article this morning and thought I’d share it with some of our readers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare jobs will grow the fastest over the next 10 years, which is great news for all of us, but especially those in healthcare. Here is the article from the BLS and other data that might interest you.

I would be curious to know what you think. Personally I found the “BLS data” very interesting and of course a bit confusing. (For example, Table 7) The 30 occupations with the fastest projected employment growth, 2010-2020 – Nothing about nursing, but PT’s, Sonographers, and a few others are listed along with “Bicycle Repairers”?? Interesting info.

For more information:

- read the Reuters article
- read the BLS press release
- check out the BLS data

Regardless of how some feel about working with recruiters, many top executives work with executive recruiters for a variety of reasons. The top reason is usually confidentiality. The second is time. “Successful executives typically do not have the time to surf job boards all day, nor do they want their resume being plastered all over the web.

The facts is, there are many benefits to working with professional recruiters, but you have to be willing to take direction and work the process.

Read the entire Press Release from PR Web

My wife and I had a chance to go see Avatar this weekend with some friends. I have to admit, I'm not a big movie guy. The $9.00 ticket, and overly priced popcorn make my frugal brain go wacko. But..... this was an experience.


We did the 3-D Avatar showing, and it was amazing! The first few minutes were a little weird, and I felt almost a little motion sick with all the movement and "closeness". But after my brain adjusted, Avatar was a spectacular experience.

I believe 3-D will be the next big thing in movies. Now that it is perfected, I would not want to see it any other way. Especially action and adventure flix. I'll still wait for comedy and drama movies to come out on blu-ray.

Dale

Human Resources technology has changed dramatically over the years. In days past, a job candidate could call and speak to someone in HR. Now they are just told "apply online and we'll contact you if we're interested". I recently asked a candidate about the status of his application at a particular location, and he had no clue when (or if) he was even being considered. Many times a job description/posting is so vague that the person applying doesn't even know if they're qualified.

In days past, recruiting partners were allowed to visit clients and meet with the decision makers. They could get to know the HR staff and gain a better understanding of what the expectations are, what the culture is like and learn about their goals and values. Not these days. Today it’s about using technology to streamline the HR process, and the HR staff simply operates the technology. Many relationships have been replaced with vendor management systems, where the HR staff rarely has to interact with the candidate or recruiter until it’s time to interview. Some say that’s good, but I say it’s not. Here's why...

Recently we sent a very experienced candidate out for an interview. His qualifications were exceptional, his attitude jovial and his availability immediate. But there was one thing... he would not shut up! Does he not know he talks too much? Hasn't anyone ever told him this? Can he not help it? Is he just excited? All of these things came to mind. He was undeniably nice and almost over-qualified for the job, so we hoped these positive traits would outweigh his tendency to blabber about things unrelated to the task at hand - getting the job.

We finally decided to do what was needed. The dreaded intervention. We were going to tell him that he needed stop talking so much. But as a recruiter, this is a sensitive thing to do. After all, telling someone they tend to talk too much takes poise, etiquit and sensitivity. So we did it, and he was appreciative and professional about it. But.... you guessed it. Old habits are just hard to break, I guess. After hours of preparation and coaching before the interview, the talker came out during the interview.

As we suspected, he did not get the job because of this. The client stated "we felt as if the candidate might have a hard time following instructions. He didn't seem to listen very well". Here are some tips.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

Location, location, location! Or should I say relocation, relocation, relocation!! Sure, the healthcare job sector has not been as affected as many industries. But make no bones about it, hospitals are feeling the affects of the lagging economy. The fact is, hospitals have to relocate many of their new employees and in the current economic state, that is not always an option for many top candidates.

Much of the good news relating to job growth comes out of healthcare, but it’s just the nature of the industry. As a hospital recruiter, you may be experiencing some challenges getting candidates to move. Sure you have more applicants than ever before, but can you get them started?

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

It never ceases to amaze me that a hospital will not pay someone $2.00 per hour more in order to fill a vacancy that is costing them $80 per hour in contract labor. If the hospital CFO was making this decision, would this be the one he/she would make? Unfortunately, many times the person making the decision on what to pay has no skin in the game. Meaning, if HR does not agree to pay a Physical Therapist $35/hr instead of $33/hr, who's production does it affect? My guess is that the Physical Therapy Department will suffer from the decision. Therefore, shouldn't the Director of Physical Therapy or Rehab make the final call?

This frustration stems from countless examples of HR Departments not paying (or being unable to pay) the market rate for a candidate. Some positions remain vacant for months because many hospitals are not keeping pace with competing markets that drive up healthcare wages. By the way, when you look at adjusting wages, look at pay rates in ALL MARKETS, not just your state.

As a recruiter, we are faced with this situation daily. Human Resources tells us that they can only pay a certified healthcare professional $30/hr, even though the person has the experience to expect $35/hr. Yes, internal equity matters. But so does filling a position that's been vacant for 6 months and where you have a temp that's charging you twice the rate. Furthermore, what is it costing you NOT to fill the position? Please give me a straight answer. We all know $2.00 per hour annualized is $4,160 per year. But what is it costing you NOT to pay it? Funny, it seems no one wants to answer that question.

Now that I've gone on my rant, let me be clear. This should not be done when you have 15 qualified candidates applying for a job. However, some types of candidates are just hard to find. If you lose a Specialty RN, Physical Therapist or a triple modality Sonographer over 2 bucks an hour, your organization is on the wrong track. You may ruffle a feather or two by doing it, but that's only if someone finds out. If you're like me, you don't run around telling everyone in your department what you make in the first place.

It's simple economics... a calculator, pen and paper. If it makes sense, do it! And apologize later if necessary.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

I'd be curious to know how many organizations actually use behavioral assessments when hiring and evaluating talent. More importantly, the organizations that DO use them; how efficiently? I was surprised to learn how Group Culture Reports (a report that combines individual behavioral reports) can be used to create a dynamic and engaged group of people who were once at each others throats. I've seen it first hand.

Read more on the uses here.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

I have many friends who own and operate small businesses, and it seems that all of them are struggling to keep them alive in the current recession. Some have already gone under and my best friend may be losing his business after 10 years of working 12 hour days to establish himself in a competitive industry. But for some reason, they all think healthcare is the place to be when the economy turns soft. They ask me about my business and seem surprised when I tell them that hospitals are struggling too. I guess it's just ignorance.

I work with dozens of hospitals across the country and most of them are singing the same tune. Postponed equipment upgrades, delayed projects, layoffs and a whole list of internal problems related to the current economy. My job is to work with healthcare leaders to identify and develop top talent for their organizations. Do you think my business is affected? Well sure. While people (actually the right people) are a companies number one asset, budgets for training, leadership development and recruitment planning seem to be the first to be cut. At least that's what many HR leaders tell me. Advertising budgets are reduced, training is postponed and positions are eliminated.

While I tend to agree with many of these cuts (sorry HR), I believe that budgets for organizational development (OD) should be spared at all cost. Studies show that a well-structured OD plan helps with patient satisfaction and employee engagement during tough times.

The bottom line is, you cannot make a sick patient who lost his employer paid insurance during a layoff come to your hospital. But you can work to create a positive, engaged workforce through regular training and direct interaction. Leaders, please do not separate yourself during these tough times. Get out on the floor and work with your teams at the staff level. Show them you care, ask for their ideas and listen.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

I've been reading up on Social Media Marketing and the planning surrounding this "monster". I've discovered that this plan will involve more than just surfing the web and adding friends on Facebook. It's a true science. Keywords, SEO, Blogging, and Tweeting are all a part of it, but so is having someone who knows how to do it consistently and regularly to make it all work. You need rules, guidelines, policies and a written plan. Holy Cow! I'll have to hire someone to do all this stuff, and study nights and weekends to stay on top of it all. I guess that's what it takes to stay competitive in today's market.

I also recently found out that one of our clients in Dallas has two full-time healthcare recruiters dedicated to Social Media recruiting. They will be exploring our new site (www.mymedport.com) later this week to see how it might fit in to their recruitment initiatives.

Man, I was faxing stuff just a couple of years ago. Do we still have fax machines??

Dale