Finding and onboarding quality candidates is the ultimate test in sales jobs, and it shows. Everywhere you look there are ads for job openings; job boards are filled to the brim with opportunities, and recruiters are personally reaching out to candidates in droves. For job seekers, it’s overwhelming, and while they want a new position, they’re often turned off by the high-pressure, low-transparency environment. They find themselves frustrated by catchy headlines that mislead them into thinking they’ve found the job of their dreams, only to be let down when the true needs of the company are revealed during the 2nd or 3rd interview. After a few let downs, the mindless scrolling through job search ads and hesitancy to apply sets in as candidates lose the ability to trust the postings and the companies associated with them. It’s an emotional ride for the candidate and the recruitment team alike and can be avoided with one simple word: transparency.
While it may feel counterintuitive in the sales environment of job recruitment, transparency actually leads to a higher number of applicants and a better pool from which to choose. Let’s look at a few ways to keep your job postings transparent and bring in more recruits.
Tell Them WHEN They’ll Be Working
“Registered Nurse, Hospice. Monday-Friday Dayshift!” This kind of ad might be eye catching, but nurses have caught on. After several failed interviews, a nurse won’t even apply anymore. The headline and subsequent body of the posting indicate that this job is a Monday-Friday position. It isn’t until she is halfway through the onboarding process that she finds out that 2 overnight on-call shifts are required each week and 1 full on-call weekend as well.
For a nurse who is unable to work overnights, this job isn’t a good fit. The recruitment team has wasted their resources going through the onboarding process with a candidate who simply doesn’t want to be there. This posting might result in applicants, but they won’t be right for the job, and many won’t even apply because they’ll assume it’s misleading. When writing your postings and headlines, lay out as much detail as possible. Seeing the truth in print not only builds an early relationship of trust with your candidates, but also leads to a higher number of applicants who can see that they’re getting details early on. Let’s review a not-so-good example and how to make it a great posting:
Not So Good
Schedule:
Monday-Friday, Dayshift!
Great!
Schedule:
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Some flexibility allowed depending on patient and employee need.
On-call requirements: 2 overnight shifts per week and 1 full weekend. Overnight shifts average limited calls, full weekend shifts may include full days and a few overnight calls. Monday following weekend on call is a day off.
Our team meets monthly for 30 minutes to commit to covering all shifts and swap any shifts due to vacation or leave needs.
Talk About Pay!
Let’s all be real for a moment. If we’ve chosen well, we love our purpose and our jobs, but at the end of the day we want to be paid well. The secrecy behind pay is leading to more and more tension between job seekers and recruiters. The recruitment team keeps their budget top secret and insists that candidates lead the pay negotiations without giving them any indication of what they’re working with. Furthermore, job postings use lingo such as “competitive salary” and “congruent with cost of living” that are an obvious dodge from answering the question that everyone wants to know: What are you paying?
It’s time to start treating future team members like they’re already valued. Just tell them. In the body of your job postings, clearly list the salary offered for the position, or offer a reasonable range and what the salary is dependent upon (experience, availability, etc.). Salary transparency is a major selling point to prospective staff and immediately leads the right candidates to apply. Here’s how to make that happen:
Not So Good
Pay:
Congruent with experience.
Great!
Pay:
$75,000-$96,000 dependent upon experience.
Yearly raises range from 1%-4% dependent upon performance.
Be Clear About the Work
Have you ever scrolled through job postings and noticed the creative writing that goes into them, only to leave the reader with an extremely vague understanding of what is being proposed? It’s astonishing! Foster positive relationships, utilize proper techniques, adequately follow policies and protocols…the vague list goes on. Some are more interesting or revealing than others, but it just isn’t necessary. Rather than having a recruit sift through 25 touchpoints to figure out what the actual job is, just lay it out. Tell them simply and in just a few points what their responsibilities will be. A nurse knows that she is responsible for maintaining her licensure. A physician is aware that he has a duty to do no harm. If you feel that you absolutely need to include all the formal necessities, break them into their own section, but start the body of your posting with a clear, 3-5 point layout of the job.
Not So Good
Job Duties & Responsibilities:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of professional nursing theory and apply it to the hospice setting.
- Educate effectively utilizing principles outlined in company policies.
- Demonstrate excellent communication skills in collaborating with physicians and other ancillary staff.
- Demonstrate ability to work on a team and communicate with other members in a kind and respectful manner.
- Prepare neat and concise records in a timely manner.
- Maintain professional licensure according to state laws.
- Keep abreast of trends and developments in the medical field.
- Exercise tact and good judgement when communicating with patients, families, and team members.
- Honor ethnic and cultural diversity in your work.
- Able to occasionally lift to 50lbs.
Great!
Job Duties & Responsibilities:
- Receive telephone calls from the answering service, triage and return calls in a timely manner.
- Provide telephone assistance and education to patients based on their needs.
- Contact and communicate with physicians, pharmacists, and ancillary staff to ensure patient needs are met.
- Contact RN on-call for an in-person visit if necessary.
- Document all calls and outcomes according to company policy.
Sell the Benefits!
Transparency when discussing the position’s expectations, hours and pay ensure candidates see you as trustworthy and open, leading to more applicants than you will get otherwise. Fortunately, you can use this same method to sell the benefits of working with the company. In fact, most listings glaze over this area and miss out on a great opportunity to engage the reader. This section of the posting is the company’s time to shine, so sell it!
Simply listing the company benefits doesn’t make your listing stand out. You need details! The more details you can provide, the better! If you don’t personally know the ins and outs of the benefits offered, request an interview with an HR representative and ask the following open-ended questions:
- Tell me about the PTO policy here.
- Please outline the medical/dental/vision coverage offered.
- Do you offer any other insurance benefits?
- How is your 401K (or similar program) handled?
- Tell me about any other savings/retirement programs that the company participates in.
- What benefits do you offer to employees wanting to continue their education?
- What community benefits or discounts are offered through the organization?
- Tell me about any childcare benefits offered at this company.
- What often overlooked benefits are available to employees?
- In what charitable programs does the company participate?
Once you have all your information gathered, be sure to include this in a thoughtful way in your posting. Let’s look at another example:
Not So Good
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- PTO
- Tuition Assistance
Great
Benefits
- Medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage beginning at 90 days. 50% employer coverage. Family plans available. Healthcare Savings Plan (tax-free) and pharmacy discount programs available as well. Family planning included in most plans.
- Up to 5 free therapy sessions offered yearly to employees experiencing mental health difficulties (additional therapy sessions may be billed through insurance).
- Discounts on home and auto insurance.
- PTO on an accrual basis dependent upon seniority, starting at 0.05/hour worked.
- 4 sick days per year.
- 401K options available with company matching up to 4.7%
- Complimentary yearly assistance with investments and financial planning provided by financial advisor.
- Tuition assistance for employees returning to college. 50% coverage up to a yearly total of $10,000.00.
- $5,000.00 stipend for employees wanting to attend educational conferences or retreats within their field of expertise.
- Local discounts on gas, dry cleaning, gym memberships, oil changes, car wash, museums, kid’s activities, movie theaters, and restaurants.
- Discounted tickets offered to entertainment found locally such as concerts, plays, community bus trips, amusement parks, and more.
- Charitable contribution matching up to $1,000.00/yearly.
- 8 hours yearly of PTO for charitable giving (get paid to do charity).
Conclusion
When creating your job postings, the number 1 thing you can do to draw in more candidates is to be open and transparent. The more information you give, the more trust you build before you’ve even spoken with the candidate as they read through your listing and know exactly what they’re getting. If you’ve written a thorough job posting, the only thing left for you to do is collect the resumes as they come in and choose the candidate who offers the company the best benefit.
**Editors Note: HospitalRecruiting is a platform to advertise your open healthcare jobs and connect with qualified providers. Now that you’re equipped to make job postings that stand out, consider advertising on our job board.**
