These days, the recruiting process for physical therapists and private practice staff has grown a bit more complicated due to worker shortages, retaining staff and general pandemic complications that have arisen over the last couple years.
At MEG, we work with hundreds of practices all over the US and, as a result, often gain quick perspectives on what is working and what isn’t working in the industry. To that end, we’ve found that the key to a successful hiring process starts with the framework your clinic uses to recruit employees.
Starting with the phone and in-person interviews all the way to steps taken to retain the employee, let’s examine what is working for the top 10% of private practices today.
3 Ways to Improve Your Recruiting and Hiring Process Right Away
1. Tighten up the Interview Process
Are you using a framework to navigate the recruitment process? As a general rule, we see the most success from people who have standardized the actions that must be taken to achieve the outcomes they pursue.
With a large applicant pool, it’s imperative to have a system for comparing them. Where are you searching for candidates? How are you reaching out to them? How have you mapped out the job descriptions? Are you screening candidates before diving into a big interview? How many phone interviews before the first in-person meeting? How are you categorizing the candidates and their responses? These are just a handful of ways you can standardize your approach so that it is easier to compare the results and make the right decision.
2. Hang on to Top Candidates
When you find that special candidate who seems to rise above the rest, take a beat before letting the rest loose.
Too often, private practice owners are excited to put all their eggs in one basket and commit to a person. Unfortunately, that person doesn’t always return that commitment. Whether it’s another job opportunity or a company culture misfit, things can go south quickly.
Since it typically takes two to four weeks to bring the new staff member under your roof (and sometimes another two weeks to see if it’s a good fit), it’s best to keep your other viable, qualified candidates around until you know that you’re both mutually satisfied with the hire.
We recommend keeping the other candidates in the know by informing them you will get back to them in two to three weeks once all your decisions have been made. This provides the necessary time to ensure you have the right fit, but also doesn’t leave you in the lurch if it doesn’t work out.
3. Market Your New Hire
Once you’ve successfully onboarded your new staff member, it’s time to shine a light on them for your practice, community and patients. We find this helps staff feel more at home and happy with their role in the practice when they are given recognition out of the gate. It represents a commitment from you and signals that you’re ready to show the support necessary to make this “partnership” work.
You can share their profile across your social media, website and even an email blast or newsletter to current and former patients. Be sure to highlight their interests and any skills or experience they possess in the industry.
You can even have them include a testimonial of why they chose your clinic and what values they connect with. This will help spread the message of your clinic’s mission. As an added bonus, they will be more likely to share with their network which can often lead to more referrals!
Improve Your Physical Therapy Recruitment and Hiring Today
Want a virtual training course that can walk you through all the ways to be successful with recruiting, hiring and retaining employees? MEG Academy has you covered.
- Introducing the aptly named program: “Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Staff Program” in this 3-course program you will learn the 5 phases of the recruiting and hiring process starting with the application process all the way to procurement, resume review, phone screens, interviews and the close.
- Next, the program highlights the hiring tools the most successful practices use to make the hiring process easier. You’ll even receive recommendations for pre-employment testing and reference checks.
- And finally, the third course will cover the secret to staff retention which focuses on a strong company culture and how you can support and invest in your staff to better align them with your values and company mission.
To learn more about MEG Academy, please reach out for a Free Practice Assessment so you can speak with a practice management specialist. We’ll share how MEG resources can tighten up your systems and improve your hiring process so you can quickly find the right people to work IN your business, so you can work ON your business.
