The Power of Internal Blogging Teams

For those HR leaders that have jumped into 2016, one of the common problems they face is the non stop need for original content to support their corporate recruitment marketing strategy.

Content, Content, Content
As I survey the #HealthcareHR landscape, it is quite obvious that formal recruitment marketing approaches are still...well...nonexistent. The handful of organizations that embrace this concept are typically the ones that outmaneuver their competition in a big way.

One of the most effective ways to generate original content is through the use of internal blogging teams.

Consider this example:

"I asked a brand new nurse to blog about her experiences for a year. The exciting stuff, the boring stuff, the scary stuff, all of it. I helped her with each post, but it was her voice and message. She was an instant success, and her posts had thousands of views on our HR blog."

It can be done. The blogging site was free. Repurposing the posts across multiple social media channels was free. The results were phenomenal.

Building Your Team

As you think about who should be part of your team, focus on your high priority hiring areas, as well as any other part of the organization that is part of your core business. Even if you are not blogging about a particular department or function, you will still differentiate yourself from the competition in a positive way.

Let's face it...most organizations do not trust their employees to tell their story. They rely on ultra-polished messages from traditional sources. Instead, use your employees to paint your employer brand picture and leverage the skills of the team to ensure confidentiality and professionalism.

How About You

Are you ready to jump out of the 1980s and launch a robust recruitment marketing strategy that both recruits and retains the talent you need? If the idea scares you I can help. I can tell you one thing is certain...your competition is hoping you don't change a thing.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Recruitment Marketing in Healthcare

The epic battle to find clinical employees in the healthcare industry has never been more intense. The combination of limited talent, retiring talent, old school recruitment approaches and a complete lack of understanding as to how recruitment marketing works has proven lethal to my #HealthcareHR colleagues.

Let's take a look at some of the key components of an effective recruitment marketing strategy in the healthcare industry.

Courage
You may be wondering why this comes first. Well, without the courage to throw away what has always been done in your organizaiton, you will not be successful.

Ever.

Understanding that the number one component of any effective strategy is the #HealthcareHR leader is paramount. Without this piece, the strategy will fail. 

Not maybe.
Not probably.
It is guaranteed to fail.

Planning
An effective recruitment marketing plan is built on three important pieces:
- a robust career site
- nonstop new original content
- a comprehensive social media distribution strategy

Let's take a quick look at each part.

Career Sites
Most healthcare career sites list jobs, have a predictable couple of paragraphs of text about their "values" and "wonderful community" and occasionally have a few photos of beautiful people in scrubs that are not employees.

This is an epic fail.

Career sites need to engage, draw people in, re-recruit current employees, and tell the story of the employer brand. (Yes, employer brand. This is a critical part of any healthcare organization's recruitment strategy. You knew that, right?)

Original Content
This piece of the recruitment marketing puzzle often scares HR leaders to death. In fact, it is one of the easiest parts to address! Interviews with your employees, short videos, and a thorough editorial calendar cost little or no money, yet can yield huge results both internally and external.

Social Media Distribution
How are you going to share all of this content and point prospective candidates to your career site if you don't share the goodness? Incorporating multiple social channels (facebook, Linkedin, twitter, snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) will position your organization as a contemporary leader in your industry.

Think about it...everyone you will ever hire again is on a social channel. So why in the world wouldn't you make sure your company is there too?

How About You
There is so much more to say about recruitment marketing in the healthcare industry. For now, think about these core pieces and how you might get started. If you get stuck, don't hesitate to reach out. I would love to help you blow away your competition.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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NoExcusesHR - Superhero Edition

It seems Hollywood is obsessed with making movies about comic book characters. With the help of sophisticated technology the characters fly around and smash things. The kids (and many adults) love it, and the definition of superhero drifts away from real life and lands in fantasy land.

That's okay...I guess.

I Met A Hero...But He Didn't Meet Me
I work at a very special organization that takes care of the most fragile patients in the world. Literally. Some time ago when I was visiting with our amazing team members I met what I would consider a superhero. He didn't wear a cape, or brightly colored tights. He didn't have biceps the size of a truck, or shoot fire from his hands. In fact, he was quite still and small.

You see, he was facing a battle far more epic than a midtown Manhattan taxi throwing clash between fantasy characters. The stakes were much higher.

Team Means Something Different To This Hero
As I visited with the employees and we discussed a variety of issues, they constantly scanned the equipment keeping our hero going. Any slight variation, any seemingly minor change was reacted to instantly. Nothing was ignored...except me...and I was fine with that. They actually apologized for interrupting me so they could jump to our hero's aid.

Even though our team was glad I was there to discuss issues that impact their work life, I was really a secondary priority. Our hero was first...by a mile.

How About You
How do you define superhero? For me, it's much more than someone who can hang upside down from a skyscraper. Sometimes it is someone who is just getting started, yet they can still save the day.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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