How to Recruit Healthcare Workers on a Budget

Budgeting and Planning

When it comes to recruiting healthcare workers, many employers think they need to spend a lot of money in order to attract top talent. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of ways to recruit healthcare workers on a budget.

Busting The Myth: You Need To Have A Huge Healthcare Recruiting Budget To Attract Top Talent

In any job and any profession, employees always want to make more money. This leads many healthcare recruiters to believe that they need to have a large healthcare recruiting budget in order to attract top talent.

However, this isn’t always the case. In fact, many times, healthcare workers are looking for more than just a high salary. They want job satisfaction, good benefits, and a positive work-life balance. And these things will become more important in a post-pandemic world.

Whether you are familiar with recruiting healthcare workers or not, the job market has changed substantially in this industry over the past few years. With an aging population and an increase in chronic conditions, the demand for healthcare workers has increased.

At the same time, there has been a decrease in the number of people entering healthcare professions. The global pandemic led many to become hesitant about pursuing a job in healthcare. They saw the long hours, high stress, and low pay that healthcare workers endure.

In order to attract top talent, healthcare recruiters need to get creative with their budgets and understand the underlying goals of healthcare workers. Money is undoubtedly an important part of any job, but in healthcare, many workers entered this industry for the difference they can make and the satisfaction they get from helping others.

Healthcare workers want to feel like they are part of something larger than themselves and that their work is making a positive impact. So, when you are recruiting healthcare workers on a budget, keep this in mind. There are plenty of ways to show healthcare workers that they will be valued without spending a lot of money.

Doctor shaking hands

Get Creative With Your Healthcare Recruiting Strategies

There are plenty of ways to recruit healthcare workers on a budget and think outside the box. Here are a few ideas:

Encourage employee referrals.
Use an industry-specific job board.
Make an appearance at a job fair.
Highlight your perks on social media.

Encourage employee referrals.

One of the best healthcare recruiting strategies is to encourage employee referrals. Your current employees already know the type of person who would excel in your healthcare organization. And they can be a great resource for finding qualified candidates. They know what the job entails and can vouch for the type of person who would be a good fit.

To encourage employee referrals, you can offer many different types of incentives for every successful referral. If you don’t have the budget to offer a referral bonus, some of the best and low-cost incentives include:

Extra paid time off
Cafeteria voucher
Gift card
Movie pass
Gift basket
Reduced duties for a day

Be sure to talk with your employees, supervisors, and managers to find out what type of incentive would work best for them. One of the best ways to get buy-in is to involve the recipients directly in the decision-making process.

Use an industry-specific job board.

Another great healthcare recruiting strategy is to use an industry-specific job board. Healthcare job boards are full of qualified candidates who are interested in healthcare jobs. This is a great way to target your recruiting efforts and find candidates who are already interested in healthcare.

iHire has a job board specific to each discipline, so finding the right healthcare candidates is easy and cost-effective. Some of these job boards include:

And there are so many more! You can see all the communities available here.

Our job boards will allow you to post your healthcare job openings and search for candidates who meet your specific criteria. Don't waste your time and money on generic job boards. Make sure you get in front of the right candidates.

Make an appearance at a job fair.

Job fairs might seem like a thing of the past, but meeting healthcare workers in person can be an effective healthcare recruiting strategy. You can also get a sense of the type of person you’re talking to and whether or not they’d be a good fit for your healthcare organization.

Healthcare workers are often people-oriented and empathetic, so building a personal connection with them can be key in getting them interested in your healthcare organization. If you’re on a tight budget, look for free or low-cost job fairs in your area that focus on recruiting healthcare workers. You might also consider partnering with local healthcare programs at community colleges and universities to connect with students who are about to graduate and enter

To make the most of your job fair experience, come prepared with information about your healthcare organization and what makes it a great place to work. You should also be ready to answer any questions healthcare workers might have about the job or the application process. Finally, make sure to get the potential candidate's contact information so that you can follow up. Waiting on them to follow up with you could mean losing out on recruiting a great healthcare worker.

Highlight your perks on social media.

Healthcare companies have historically focused a lot of their messaging on a public audience, with the goal of becoming the healthcare organization of choice. While this is important, it is also important to utilize professional sites such as LinkedIn or company blogs to attract healthcare workers. You can also create a company profile on iHire to showcase your employer brand and build your talent pipeline.

Healthcare companies benefit from highlighting the ways they support their employees, the perks of working for them, and (perhaps most importantly) personal stories from actual employees. With the diminishing trust between healthcare organizations and their workers, it is more important than ever to be authentic and transparent when recruiting healthcare professionals.

In addition to using professional platforms, healthcare companies should also highlight their unique perks on more general social media sites. For example, if your company offers flexible hours or telecommuting options, be sure to mention this in your job postings and post them on social media.

Once they are posted, it can be really powerful to have your current employees repost the jobs with their own hashtags or even just a personal endorsement. This way, potential applicants see that your company is a great place to work not only because of the benefits and opportunities you offer but also because of the people who already work there. Find champions in the departments you are recruiting for, and let them help you with the healthcare recruiting process!

Create Your Account Today

Messaging Considerations for Recruiting Healthcare Workers

The most important thing to consider when recruiting healthcare workers is your messaging. You want to be clear about the role you are looking to fill and what your organization can offer potential candidates. Be sure to highlight any unique selling points that make your company an attractive option for healthcare workers.

In order to connect effectively with potential healthcare candidates, here are some of the key messages that workers are looking for:

Respect for a work-life balance: In today’s healthcare climate, candidates are looking for employers who respect their need for a work-life balance. Be sure to emphasize your organization’s policies and procedures that promote a healthy balance between work and personal time.
Emphasis on supporting employee mental health: As a healthcare organization, mental health support should be a top priority. Candidates will be looking for employers who provide adequate resources and support for employees dealing with mental health issues.
Respect for specific disciplines: Different healthcare disciplines have different needs and expectations. But one thing they all have in common is the desire to be respected as the professionals they are. Be sure your organization’s messaging shows that you understand and respect the different disciplines within healthcare.
Integration of business and patient-care silos: One of the main complaints healthcare workers have is the siloing of business and patient care. Candidates will be looking for employers who are working to break down these barriers and improve communication and collaboration between different departments. This might mean that executives talk directly to frontline workers or that employees are given opportunities to provide feedback about the business side of things.
Avoidance of the term "Healthcare Heroes": Among frontline healthcare workers, phrases like "healthcare heroes work here" or "we are looking for healthcare heroes" have become synonymous with burnout and working extra hours without extra pay. When used by employers, "hero" implies that you expect healthcare workers to work unlimited hours and put in their maximal effort with no respect for their lifestyle, needs, or constraints. If you want to use the term "hero" in your healthcare recruiting messaging, make sure you are doing so in a way that is respectful and not repellant. For example, you could say "Thank you for your heroism during the pandemic" or "We are so grateful for everything our healthcare heroes have done, and we think you deserve support."

If you can show that your organization is considering these issues and working to address them, you’ll be more successful in recruiting healthcare workers. Keep in mind that candidates today are looking for more than just a job – they want to work for an organization that respects them and their needs. By showing that you understand these needs, you’ll be one step ahead in the healthcare recruiting game.

Which Budget-Friendly Recruitment Strategy For Healthcare Will You Use?

Healthcare organizations have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to recruiting healthcare workers on a budget. From healthcare-specific job boards to social media and employee referrals, there are plenty of healthcare recruiting strategies that can be used to attract top talent without spending a lot of money. So, the only question left is: Where will you begin your journey to recruiting healthcare workers on a budget?

If you are looking for more healthcare recruiting strategies, be sure to visit iHire's Resource Center. You'll find articles, webinars, and industry insights on a variety of recruiting topics, including healthcare recruiting!

By Rachel Gartz Taylor, Guest Author | October 05, 2022