An intense regulatory environment. Talent shortages. A higher demand for healthcare services.

All these factors – as well as many others – have created an especially difficult hiring climate for today’s healthcare organizations. Add to that the fact that every new hire will either enhance or negatively impact your organization, and the hiring process really becomes one of the most important strategic planning processes you will ever undertake.

To help improve yours, here are 4 tips for hiring in a challenging healthcare environment and finding the talent you need:

Tip #1: Think through your interview questions before asking them.

If you’re not highly trained in the art of interviewing, it can be tempting to ask a bunch of boilerplate interview questions and hope for the best results. But, as one of the leading medical staffing agencies in Sacramento, California, Pacific Staffing can tell you that doing so won’t deliver the best results; in fact, it could lead to a hiring mistake. Instead, think about each question you’re asking and why you’re asking it. In other words, what information are you trying to elicit from the candidate by asking the question. If you’re not sure about a certain question, then perhaps you should scratch it off your list.

Tip #2: Take lots of notes during the interviews.

If you’re interviewing many candidates, then they will all start blurring together. At the end of the day, you may not remember why you liked or didn’t like a particular candidate. To avoid this, take copious notes. And don’t simply write down details about the candidate’s skills and experience. Write down your thoughts about how they present themselves, whether they have good communication skills and why you do or don’t think they’d be a good fit for the job.

Tip #3: Take a team-approach to interviewing.

Rather than having one person conduct the interviews, take a team approach. For instance, bring in an employee who will work directly with the new hire to participate in the interviewing process. Not only will they be able to ask insightful questions about the candidate’s ability to perform the day-to-day tasks, but they’ll also be able to offer their opinion as to whether the candidate seems like a fit in terms of attitude and personality.

That said, you don’t want to force a candidate to go through round after round of interview with various interviewers. If the process is too long or too complicated, you’ll lose out on the best candidates.

Tip #4: Be consistent when interviewing.

It’s hard to compare candidates if you didn’t ask each one the same questions. That’s why it’s so important to ask candidates the same questions while you’re interviewing. Otherwise, a bad hire may slip through the cracks.

Don’t Have Time to Interview?

If you need to hire, but simply don’t have the time, let Pacific Staffing know. As one of the leading medical staffing agencies in Sacramento, California, we can take the hassle out of hiring – including sourcing candidates, screening resumes, and interviewing – all so you can focus on other priorities while still gaining access to quality healthcare talent. Give us a call today if you’d like to learn more.