Recruiting in Healthcare Services - The Biggest Challenges

There are a few things you can do to make the process easier when trying to attract the best talent available.

In this blog post, we will discuss the biggest challenges healthcare organisations face when recruiting new talent and offer some tips on how to overcome them!

Competition for talent is fierce

Firstly, you need to have a strong recruitment strategy in place, without this there is no plan of what is required and why. This includes having well-defined job descriptions, an overall strong brand and message. It is important to think about what the employee will gain when working for you and your messaging and documents should reflect this.

Specialised field

Another challenge is that healthcare is a highly specialised field, and it can be difficult to find candidates with the right skills and experience. To overcome this challenge, you need to cast a wide net and look to consider candidates from other backgrounds. Importantly you should also provide training and development opportunities to help your new hires grow into their roles.

Retention

Healthcare organisations often struggle with retention rates. This can be caused by a number of factors, such as poor culture, low pay or poor work-life balance. To ensure your organisation does not suffer from this, you need to create a positive workplace culture and offer competitive salaries and benefits. By addressing these issues, you can make your organisation more attractive to prospective employees and reduce the turnover rate among your current staff.

Attracting millennials is a challenge

Healthcare organisations often have difficulty attracting millennials, who are the largest and most diverse generation in the workforce. Many millennials are attracted to companies with a strong social mission, so it is important to highlight your organisation's mission and commitment to helping others.

The cost of healthcare benefits is a major factor

Healthcare professionals often choose their employer based on the healthcare benefits and overall benefits offered. In order to compete for top talent, healthcare organisations need to offer competitive and flexible benefits packages that appeal to a wide range of individuals.

Skills gap challenge

Healthcare companies are struggling to find workers with the right skillset to fill vacant positions. This has led to a skills gap in the industry, which makes recruiting even more challenging especially in senior level roles. Having a strong development plan in place will help in the medium to long term.

Aging population

The aging population is creating a demand for healthcare services. This puts pressure on healthcare organisations to recruit more staff to meet the growing demand. One of the biggest is attracting qualified candidates in a competitive market.

Recruiting any senior professional should be a well thought out process. To retain them and see the success a great recruitment strategy, onboarding and, overall organisational culture can bring, you need to ensure it is done properly. 

Collingwood Executive Search can support with your senior leadership recruitment requirements, providing what our clients say is a 'stress free', tailored, data-led approach, ensuring you get the right leader first time.

We also offer leadership programmes to enhance your senior leaders.

See our case studies from delighted clients within Healthcare Services and Medical Technology, some of whom had never used an Executive Search Firm and others who chose Collingwood Executive Search as their partner based on our aligned values and exceptional reputation of quality and service.