Jan 25, 2022
Whether you use career fairs to connect with other in-house recruiters or to connect with healthcare providers, the pandemic created a hole in your networking toolbox. Career fairs and trade shows came to a halt in 2020 and don’t appear to be making a strong in-person comeback. It’s time to figure out a new long-term strategy for staying connected.
Take the right actions on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has over 700 million users. However, in 2020, only 3 million of those users shared and interacted with posts on a weekly basis. From a recruiter's perspective, you need to be included in the active group. Consider you reach out to a provider about an opportunity at your facility. Odds are, they’ll do some research before responding. Your LinkedIn page should represent a person who not only posts for the sake of making a hire but who also understands the industry. Allow your professional personality to shine through and you’ll increase your connections.
Take advantage of online career fairs
It’s easy to blow off a virtual event. After all, who will notice if you aren’t there? But missing a virtual career fair means missing the most active candidates. Consider that only 14% of physicians report actively searching for a job. By continuing to attend career fairs on a virtual platform, you significantly increase your odds of connecting with an active candidate who’s interested in your facility’s opportunities.
Be a more effective virtual communicator
Communication etiquette in a professional setting can be complicated. You know to avoid being too casual but can you be too formal? Definitely. Sending a LinkedIn message that’s too formal can feel transactional and impersonal—resulting in no response. Ideally, you’ll maintain a conversational yet professional tone. Also, avoid copying and pasting a template you’ve made for connecting. While this is a great starting point, it’s important to find a unique way to connect with each person you reach out to. When in doubt, ask yourself, “Would I respond to this if a stranger sent it to me?”
Ready to start building your network? Share this article on LinkedIn and get the conversation started!