Beware of Résumé Fraud — How to Avoid it and What to Know

October 30th, 2015

Perusing the hundreds of résumés your company receives each time you publicize an open position is hard enough. Discovering and filtering out any fraudulent CVs also strains the resources of your human resources staff. Their extra effort remains important, however, because hiring someone who falsified their work or educational history is a risk no medical company wants to take.

A survey by the Society of Human Resources Managers noted that nearly half of all résumés contain falsifications. Let’s take a look at a few techniques to help your healthcare firm avoid the risk of résumé fraud.

A Deliberate Hiring Process is a Must

Once your HR team does its first sweep through a collection of new résumés, make sure any candidates who pass that first eye test get a thorough onceover before selecting any for interviews. If someone claims experience with medical software or any other piece of medical technology before it reached the market, there are probably other falsehoods on their CV.

While running a complete background check makes sense before extending a job offer, take the time to contact universities to verify any candidate’s educational background before the interviewing process. Remember, it takes time from your HR and managerial team to interview candidates, so only bring in anyone able to pass verification on some of their basic résumé information.

Reference and Background Checks remain a Vital Part of the Hiring Process

No matter in which part of the hiring process you perform them, reference and background checks remain a vital weapon in combating résumé fraud. Consider conducting quick reference checks before interviews to simply verify basic information. Weeding out false candidates is definitely possible earlier in the process, saving valuable time typically used to conduct interviews.

Once an offer is ready to be extended, make it contingent on the applicant passing a background check. An extensive check of the candidate’s work and educational history along with verifying the lack of criminal background (if alluded to on their application) is simply a must for any medical company. Make sure you use an accredited company to perform any background checks — you want the most thorough analysis of candidate’s history as possible before making a final hiring decision.

If your healthcare organization needs additional insight on the hiring process, speak with the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the nation’s top medical staffing agencies, we offer the vetted candidates able to contribute to your company. Schedule a meeting with us today!

3 Strategies to Remember When Interviewing with a Recruiter

October 23rd, 2015

A one-to-one interview with a recruiter isn’t as stressful as meeting face-to-face with a potential employer, but that doesn’t mean you should treat it lightly. Recruiters play an important role in ensuring your medical industry career stays on an upward trend, so it’s important to put yourself in the best possible light.

With a successful meeting in mind, here are a few tips to consider when interviewing with a recruiter.

Treat a Recruiter Interview just like Any Other

The most important tip when interviewing with a recruiter is to treat your interview just like you were interviewing with a company. Business dress is a must, as is clean hygiene. Don’t slack off on your mental preparation, and present a professional demeanor throughout the interview.

If you fail to treat this meeting seriously most recruiters won’t treat your candidacy seriously. Your job search efforts end up suffering as a result. A recruiter committed to you is a great ally in the employment market, so don’t waste their time by slacking off on the interview.

Be Honest about your Work History

Make sure you are upfront about your work history, especially the reasons you left previous jobs. Get any potential skeletons in your closet out into the open.

Honesty is vital, because the recruiter will be going to bat for you when talking with possible employers. Don’t leave them in a bad spot if a pre-employment background check gets a job offer rescinded.

Use a Recruiter Interview as an Opportunity for Feedback

An interview with a recruiter is a great chance to get feedback on your interviewing techniques, professional dress, and more. Even your résumé and cover letter template benefit from perusal by the experienced eye of a staffing professional. This helps makes sure you are truly prepared for when you actually interview with a medical company.

Leverage this opportunity for a dress rehearsal and take any advice from the recruiter to heart. Remember your professional success remains the ultimate goal for both of you, plus their reputation relies on presenting truly qualified candidates to companies. This gives you a better shot at quickly earning a job offer.

When searching for an experienced recruiter to partner with in the healthcare industry, look no further than Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we can help take your career to a new level. Schedule some time with us today!

How to Start a Mentoring Program for Your Nurses

October 16th, 2015

When it comes to sharing valuable information in any industry — healthcare being no exception — an official mentoring program works wonders. It allows the transfer of knowledge from your most experienced workers to those first entering the field. When it comes to newer technology, sometimes this flow of information even gets reversed from younger nurses to your older staff.

Mentoring programs definitely help to close any skills gap at your healthcare organization. Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to begin a mentoring program for your nurses.

Encourage Senior Nurses to serve as Mentors

First off, gauge the interest your senior nursing professionals hold for serving as mentors in your organization’s program. Encourage participation by explaining to them how a mentorship program improves the level of patient care across your entire staff. Remind your veteran nurses that serving as mentors bodes well for their chances at advancing in their own careers.

Once you have a pool of nurses willing to be mentors, make sure they are able to cover a good cross-section of the nursing disciplines typically used in your medical office or hospital. Providing a high standard of patient care is your ultimate goal.

Organize and Schedule Mentorship Activities

It is important to fully organize the mentorship program. Schedule times convenient to both the mentors and those being mentored that won’t conflict with their regular work schedule. Consider making mentoring sessions a lunchtime activity to encourage higher participation.

Track attendance at each session, leveraging the use of a spreadsheet or simple database for reporting purposes. This lets you compare the performance of your junior nurses against the mentoring they’ve received. Improving the efficacy of your mentoring program is something worth aiming for.

Publicize the Mentoring Program Internally

Once everything is in place for the mentoring program, it is important to publicize its availability and remind your newer nurses that their participation in the program is encouraged, especially on sessions covering their areas of weakness. Either one-to-one sessions or one mentor working with multiple nurses are possible, although in the latter case, ensure mentors are able to use AV equipment, like projectors, for the best possible session quality.

Your new mentoring program will soon improve the quality of your nursing staff, while developing a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

When your organization needs additional insight on building a top notch nursing team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we offer the quality candidates able to make a positive impact on your healthcare company. Talk with us as soon as possible!

Five Tips for an Effective Job Posting

October 9th, 2015

Your company has a hiring need and is spending the time and resources to bring in a new employee or two. After a few weeks of publicizing the open position, the number of résumés received by your human resources team remains paltry. If you are encountering difficulty in finding enough quality candidates, maybe your job postings aren’t truly effective?

With that in mind, here are a few tips to help improve your company’s job postings.

Clear Job Titles are a Must

Clearly state the job title at the top of the job posting. Additionally, stay away from clichés like “Rock Star.” Healthcare workers looking for a job probably won’t use “rock star” in a search string.

Leverage Bullet Points to make your Posting easier to Read

If your job postings only include paragraphs, some potential candidates might simply skip them. Be sure to use bullet points with clear, quick-hitting phrases so a reader can see if the job is right for them at a quick glance. Highlight the job requirements, roles, and your company’s benefit package using bullet points.

On the other hand, don’t write the entire job posting using this style. A mix between bullets and paragraphs works best.

State “Must Have” Abilities

Be sure to state all the must have abilities in a bullet point in the job listing. Include the amount of necessary experience as well. This helps to narrow down the number of résumés from unqualified candidates.

Don’t forget the Graphics and Company Logo

HR industry statistics show that job postings with a company logo or other graphics receive around 20 percent more applications compared to postings with only text. Be sure to add your company logo to any job posting — online or print. Consider video as well for online postings; they boast a 34 percent higher application rate.

Use Search Keywords in your Post

Quality search keywords are a must for online job postings. Perform keyword research before authoring the job ad, and make sure you include them in the post. It is important to put yourself in the shoes of a job seeker and use any keywords they would search for.

If your organization needs additional help in finding the top healthcare industry talent, reach out to Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the nation’s top medical staffing agencies, we offer the vetted candidates able to make a difference for your firm. Schedule some time with us today!

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