Adkisson Search Consultants: What to Expect When Using a Recruitment Firm

By Michelle Houchin, MSL, CMPE, Adkisson Search Consultants
ICAHN Organization Sponsor

When a hospital decides to use the services of a recruitment firm, it is most likely due to the complexity of the search or they have tried to recruit on their own and have not received the results they were aiming for.
Recruitment firms are hired to increase the ability to meet high-quality candidates. You gain access to a large diverse pool of applicants who are vetted and referenced before you spend time engaging the candidate. Only those candidates who are in good standing and have a vested interest in the hospital, location, and culture are presented. This is accomplished by the recruitment firm investing time in understanding the hospital’s culture, i.e., who are they, where are they, what are the demographics of the environment, is it culturally diverse, is it inclusive, and if so how. An experienced recruitment firm can skillfully discover and understand who best complements the hospital’s values.
Here is what you should know when working with a recruitment firm.
1. When using a recruitment firm, you will enter a contractual relationship with the agency. You can expect a team of professionals who are dedicated to recruiting healthcare professionals who are the right talent and cultural fit for the entity.
2. The partnership is important. Leadership and the recruitment firm will collaborate and share strategy, results, and market data. This conveys transparency so both parties are understood and invested in obtaining the best result to expeditiously fill the search.
3. The recruitment firm will have a clearly defined search process and will be interested in learning the healthcare’s process to confirm everyone involved understands the responsibilities involved in administering a well-organized recruitment plan.
Before engaging a recruitment firm, make sure you have a well-defined process and team that is dedicated to the recruitment project. History proves those entities who make recruitment a priority are those who are successful in recruiting the right people for the right position; resulting in long-term engagements.