When it comes to interviews, it is normally the candidate that suffers the most nerves ahead of it. However, in many cases it is actually the interviewer, or the recruiter, who puts in the most work. It is a misconception to think that it’s always the interviewee who is dangling at the caprice of the interviewer. In fact, in very many cases, a recruiter will find themselves in fierce competition with others to bag the best talent. And, when it comes to the healthcare jobs market in the U.S. today, this is very certainly the case.
Health Jobs Nationwide, a healthcare recruitment service, say that the U.S. healthcare jobs market can be pretty strongly defined as a job seeker’s market. In other words, there are more vacancies for physicians, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals than there is top talent to go around. Accordingly, recruiters are very much doing everything they can to scoop up the best talent for their healthcare institution.
Making a Good “First” Impression
Consequently, healthcare recruiters might often find themselves just as nervous ahead of an interview as the interviewees. Healthcare recruiters should certainly do everything to make their institution appear as attractive as possible.
Indeed, the phenomenon is so pronounced now that it is not actually uncommon for certain healthcare employers – usually the ones disadvantaged by geographical remoteness or a lesser reputation – to even lower standards in a rather desperate attempt to scoop up talent. If you are a recruiter, this is not the way to go. It’s far better to keep standards as high as they should be, but to make a great impression on every potential recruit.
One thing recruiters will always have going in their favor is that the impression they make on the recruit at the interview isn’t really the “first” impression. Any interviewee will, of course, already have investigated the employer and submitted an application. They have also actually agreed to the interview, so the recruiter can take some heart from the fact that, by the time they get a potential recruit into the interview room, they are in a sense already halfway there.
How to Impress at Interviews as a Recruiter
So, with all of that said, how can recruits make the best possible impression at the interview and successfully convince the best talent to come on board. Here follows some useful tips:
Be Timely
You should, of course, turn up to the interview on time, but being timely for a recruiter means a lot more than this. Communication ahead of the interview should be swift, the time, place, and details should also be supplied in an effective and timely manner. The interviewee should feel that the logistics of the interview are seamless.
Prepare the Right Questions
The right questions to put to an interviewee are those which are clearly expressed, easy to understand, and which genuinely test the interviewee’s knowledge of your institution and the role they will potentially be filling. If the interviewee feels like the interview was too easy, that will arouse suspicion.
Don’t Appear Desperate
Ideally, you want three or four of the best candidates fighting for one position. Nevertheless, even if you cannot manage that situation (which is admittedly very difficult in the current climate) you should at least give the impression that the role is sought after. You want to break down barriers between yourself and the candidate, but how popular the role actually is are perhaps some cards that you should keep close to your chest.
In just the same way outstanding candidates bag the best jobs, outstanding recruiters bag the best candidates.