Five Useless Hiring Practices to Get Rid Of

October 5th, 2016

As the medical industry continues to evolve, so do the hiring processes used to connect healthcare establishments with new employees. In fact, this changing routine of finding new workers isn’t limited to the medical world — all industries are revising their out of date HR methodologies. Because of this continued transformation, certain older practices are now considered obsolete.

With an eye towards making your medical office’s hiring efforts state of the art, here is a list of five useless hiring practices worth placing in the dustbin of history. Hopefully, this lets you streamline the entire process, ultimately making your workplace run more efficiently.

Not Prescreening Candidates

In a previous paper-laden era, HR personnel had to deal with a host of time-consuming tasks when parsing through a collection of candidates. In many cases, they would forego a detailed prescreening of applicants before deciding on whom to interview. Today’s social media-driven world allows a streamlining of this process; there is no longer any excuse for not vetting an applicant’s social networking accounts and conducting a phone screening.

Obsolete Interview Questions

Concerning the interview itself, certain time-honored questions just don’t apply in the modern era. This includes overly vague and broad queries like: “Tell me about yourself.” That kind of question isn’t specific enough to be useful and only ends up wasting valuable time.

Making an Interviewee fill out an Application Onsite

Speaking of a time-waster, making an interviewee fill out an application — paper or online — when they arrive for an interview reeks of obsolescence. Your medical office needs an application tracking system with all the candidate data stored for easy reference. Interview time needs to be focused on the interview itself.

The Gauntlet of Interviews

Subjecting a candidate to any more than two or three interviews only serves to clog up the entire process. The efficiency of your medical office suffers, as more of your team spends time conducting interviews instead of caring for patients. Lessening the number of interviews when hiring a new employee is vital!

Not Following up when the Hiring Decision is Made

A social media connected society means news travels fast. In the past, companies would sometimes fail to notify candidates who didn’t get the job. With your medical establishment’s reputation at stake, take the time to inform everyone who interviewed for a position when you make a final hiring decision.

If your medical organization needs additional insights on the hiring process, talk to the knowledgeable team at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the country’s leading healthcare industry staffing agencies, we offer great candidates able to succeed in your office or hospital. Meet with us as soon as possible.

Three Ways to make your Employees’ Lives Easier

July 25th, 2016

Productive employees are engaged employees, which leads to a happier and more efficient workplace. In the medical industry, this typically results in patients receiving better care, which is ultimately your organization’s most overriding concern. Keeping your staff from becoming overworked and stressed out helps ensure the overall productivity of your medical office.

In short, making your employees’ lives easier is a good thing for your company and the patients you serve. Here are three tips towards fostering a productive atmosphere in your medical establishment.

Leverage Temporary Medical Workers to keep Stress Levels Low

Bringing in temporary medical workers to help out during busy times at your office is a smart tactic aimed at preventing your permanent employees from working too many hours.  Stress isn’t good for your staff’s well-being or the care of your patients. Temp workers offer other benefits; including closing any skills gap on your team, or allowing you to test the temp’s abilities before potentially offering them a permanent position.

Work closely with your medical staffing agency partner for access to quality candidates willing to work on a temporary basis. Your regular employees will thank you.

Schedule Staff Strategically based on their Sleep Schedules

It is important not to switch your employees between different shifts on a frequent basis. Take into consideration their regular sleeping patterns when making your work schedules. Try to match shifts with your team member’s preference, and stick to these schedules once they are established. Happier workers and better patient care will be the result.

Be Open to Employee Insights for Operational Improvement

Allowing your staff to contribute their own insights and ideas on your medical office operations is a great way to keep them engaged. Experienced medical professionals working on the frontlines of the industry offer a unique perspective that sometimes gets missed by management. Employees feel they have a stake in the game and their own performance will likely improve as a result.

Maintaining an open door policy welcoming employee opinions helps to start this process. Consider a more formal setup, like holding regular staff brainstorm sessions or an online message board where everyone is encouraged to contribute.

When you need additional insights on building and maintaining a top-notch medical office, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. One of the top staffing agencies in healthcare industry, we offer great the candidates perfect for both temporary and permanent assignments. Meet with us at your earliest convenience.

Three Summer Networking Tips for Medical Professionals

July 15th, 2016

While a summer season filled with vacations and other leisurely activities makes it difficult to think about professional networking, it isn’t good for your career to slack off during these three months. You never know when an opportunity for additional responsibility and salary might arrive on your doorstep. The summertime offers a great choice for both relaxation AND developing your healthcare industry career.

With taking your medical professional future to its highest level as the goal, here are a few tips for networking during the summer. Let’s check them out.

Don’t let the Good Weather stop your Networking Efforts

It is important to stay networking throughout the entire year. While it may be tempting to slack off a bit during the summer, be sure to keep a steady effort level. Sure, take a few days off if you are going on vacation or prefer your weekends to be work free, but make sure to re-engage when you return.

Try to attend a medical professionals conference during the summer as these are great events for meeting people who could help your career. If the conference is located in a part of the country known for vacationing, you will be able to kill two birds with one stone!

Volunteer in your Community

Consider volunteering your services to other medical establishments either in your own area or in another region. This is another great way to meet a variety of people in the industry. The Red Cross definitely has a need for medical professional volunteers to help with any summer weather-related disasters like hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes.

Making a regular deposit in your professional karma bank never hurts as well!

Online Networking is still Important

Even during the summer, there are times where you can’t be outside on a 24×7 basis. Redouble your online medical networking efforts over this time, especially by staying active on LinkedIn. Add new industry connections both locally and across the country, while recommending and endorsing the abilities of those with whom you’ve previously worked — in many cases, they will return the favor.

If you have any writing ability, consider publishing your own healthcare or nursing blog. This is a great way to become a thought leader in the industry; putting yourself on the fast track to career success.

Whenever you need additional insights on medical career development, talk to the knowledgeable recruiters at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the country’s top healthcare staffing agencies, we can help take your career to new heights. Meet with us soon!

Three Signs you are Unhappy and need a New Medical Position

July 12th, 2016

While definitely rewarding at times, working in the medical industry can also be stressful, especially if the stress outweighs your sense of professional accomplishment. Maybe you are being overworked or just don’t get along with many of your coworkers? Whatever the reason for your unhappiness, finding a different position in the healthcare industry could be the key to putting your career back on track.

It is important to take stock of your current satisfaction level and, if warranted, make the jump to another position. Here are three signs you are unhappy and need to start looking for something new.

Your Professional Development is Stifled

If you feel your current employer isn’t providing a proper opportunity for professional development, you need to find a new job to truly get that chance. Maybe your company doesn’t invest in a training program or tuition reimbursement for acquiring an advanced degree. This is a short-sighted policy, as employee training is vital in an industry where patient care remains the prime directive.

When looking for another position, pay attention to any opportunities for professional development offered by a potential new employer. Medical companies need to invest in their staff for their own long-term health.

A Salary and Benefits Package lower than the Industry Standard

In addition to investing in their employees training and education, healthcare companies also need to ensure they compensate their staff at competitive levels for their region. This includes both salary and a benefits package. If you feel you aren’t being paid what your worth, research the average salaries for your position and location.

If you feel you are underpaid, give your medical recruiter a call as soon as possible!

You are Overworked and your Company is Understaffed

Consistently having to work extra shifts because your medical office is chronically understaffed definitely leads to personal unhappiness. This could be a sign your current company’s financial prospects are bleak, or perhaps they just don’t want to invest in a proper staffing level. Stress is bad for your overall health and well-being, so don’t hesitate to look for a new position when this situation arises.

Remember, a partnership with a great healthcare staffing agency definitely helps when it comes time to look for a new job in the medical industry.

When searching for a great medical staffing agency, look no further than Pinnacle Workforce. As employers of the top healthcare industry recruiters in the nation, we can help take your career to its highest level. Reach out to us when you need to make a change!

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