See this picture?
It represents the audiology job market.
- Nearly every practice has their bait dipped in the water
- And they’re all competing for the small number of fish.
The fish are not used to this. They usually have to aggressively compete to fight over the one piece of bait that is dipped in the water.
But right now, the fish have all the power and they’re able to analyze which bait looks the most tasty, slowly consider their options, and be very thoughtful to which bait they decide to nibble.
Sounds familiar, right?
It’s no surprise. The truth is, the recruitment game within this industry (and nearly every other industry) has significantly changed.
- Traditionally, the staff were considered the lucky ones for having a job.
- Whereas right now, the employer is considered the lucky one to have staff.
This means that the recruitment market is incredibly challenging and I find myself in many conversations with our Inner Circle members that share that their biggest challenge right now is recruiting new audiologists/hearing care professionals.
The question is, what can you do to get the upper hand on the rest of the industry?
To use the fishing metaphor, the real question we need to ask ourselves is HOW can you dangle a big, juicy steak in the water while everybody else in the industry is dangling bread crusts?
That’s what we’re going to explore in this article.
BUT FIRST, A WARNING…
Unless you are genuinely the best career option for a new audiologist/HCP, then you may as well disregard what I’m about to say. The following information will allow a great clinic to build the assets to persuade somebody why they should choose to work for them … but this is not focused on putting lipstick on a pig!
Let’s jump in.
Your Recruitment Brand
The way that you attract great members of staff is by putting deep focus on your recruitment brand.
In the same way that you go to great effort to entice a patient to choose you, you need to put the same amount of effort into building a recruitment brand that will attract the right members of staff to work with you.
What I mean by this is doing the work to create a strong value proposition on why you’re the best possible career option for the exact type of person that you’re looking for.
There are three key ways to do this:
#1 – A Careers Page That Truly “Sells The Sizzle”
Today’s talent are NOT just looking for a job, they’re looking for the right job.
This is why it’s incredibly important to have a “Careers” page on your website that allows somebody to understand who you are, what your company values are, why they should work for you, and all the benefits of being part of your team.
The days of just having a page that says “Careers” with job adverts of your open positions is not enough!
This needs to SELL your company to them.
Many of our Inner Circle members have created gold-standard versions of these pages that are allowing them to attract great members of staff.
Here are the four key things that your “Careers” page should include:
1. A “Who We Are” Video
This video shares the story of your clinic and the core reasons why you believe it’s the ideal career move for ambitious, high-performing audiologists. It allows you to “sell” the reasons why you believe they should choose you.
It’s also a great way to build some personality and have your voice shine through directly to somebody that is looking for their next career step.
Here’s an example of a video:
2. Staff Testimonials
Once again, you go to great effort to collect patient testimonials to showcase why a patient should choose you, so why not capture staff testimonials to showcase why somebody in the job market should choose you.
This is a lovely touch to allow somebody to meet your team and have them share their advice to somebody on this page.
They hold a lot of power.
3. Your Core Values
Whether you already have these established, or this is an exercise that will be prompted by the development of this page – it will showcase who you truly are.
If you can design them to be more like like this, then they could also be used in other areas of your website!
4. Key Reasons To Work With You
In the same way that you can articulate a list of reasons why a patient should choose you, do the same for a great member of staff!
It could be simple things like flexible working hours through to more complex things like your growth plans!
Create your list, explain them, and back them up with pictures!
Finally, add your available job listings, the option for somebody to register their interest, and any relevant contact information.
The added benefit of a page like this is that it performs as a wonderful convincer for patients!
When a patient accidently finds this page through your website, it shows them just how much you care, how important your core values are, and gives them a huge amount of trust that you’re the right partner for them!
#2 – Job Adverts That Don’t Bore People Into Submission
Nearly every audiology job posting is a carbon copy of each other, heavily-templated, and highly boring … which means that the only point of difference is the location and the wage.
You need to liven up your job postings to be interesting, catch attention, and have people eager to learn more. Nobody wants a boring job, and your job post should be created to stand out and sell people on why they should apply for your role.
Our Inner Circle members have a template that we’ve created that is exclusively for them.
But here are some top tips:
- Spice up the title … instead of just saying “Audiologist” – have it say something like “Audiologist for an Exciting Position in Fast-Growing Clinic” (but please tell the truth!).
- Rather than just listing what you’re looking for, list why you’re the right fit for them … share the 5-10 reasons why this is a great opportunity.
- Talk about the kind of person you’re looking for, not just the duties/responsibilities of that person.
Don’t bore people … be different.
Get different.
#3 – Create A Career Path … Not Just A Role
If you want to attract great people, then you need to be able to paint a picture of what a career with you looks like, and detail the steps of what progression would look like.
Although this isn’t a simple thing to do … and I don’t have a “paint by numbers” process to help you craft this … it’s work that creates a point of difference between key positions and ensures that somebody that has been with you for ten years doesn’t feel on par to somebody that is on their first day.
Progression is sexy. Use it.
Your Head Hurting? Good.
This is work, isn’t it?
The days of putting a job advert onto the job boards and getting great people applying in their droves are behind us.
If you want great people, then the bad news is that you have to do the work. The good news is that the majority of clinics are not willing to do the work.
Pick one of the above and do a great job and you’ll have the upper hand.
Do all three and you may just build recruitment assets that will allow you to attract A-players long into the future.
