Why You Should Hire a Healthcare Executive Search Firm
Finding the right person for an important healthcare vacancy is not an easy task. First, one must identify and vet the talent. One must check for credentials, background, and reputation. But after this part of the search process is over, it is necessary to attract the talent and vet them once again to make sure they are truly ready to take on the vacant position. Because of the complexity of the executive healthcare search process, hospitals and healthcare systems use the services of a healthcare executive search firm when they are looking to fill a C-suite or executive role, especially when the position is senior and prudence is of the essence. Today we will explore various scenarios when working with an executive search firm just makes sense.
Why You Should Hire a Healthcare Executive Search Firm
If you are currently pondering whether to make the investment on a healthcare executive search firm versus a recruiter or headhunting firm, this article will help you to identify all the benefits of working with an executive search firm. Retaining a healthcare executive search firm can be quite advantageous. Because the best executive search firms only handle a few engagements at a time, they can take the time to get to know their clients, their strengths, and weaknesses. This allows them to come up with a talent persona which they can compare among the candidates that are available.
To focus on only a few engagements at a time, the top healthcare executive search firms take their time to guide the client through the engagement process. They are able to set up estimated timelines, assist with crafting offers, and even prep the client on how to conduct the final interviews with chosen talent.
A healthcare executive search firm will also have a robust network of carefully vetted, keen, and highly qualified talent. This is something that is difficult to come by either by employee referrals, job postings and even LinkedIn. It is the job of that executive recruiter to identify, vet AND attract talent so that when you have chosen a candidate, they accept the job offer. This means going the distance to be absolutely certain that not only the candidate but also his and her family are ready to make the commitment to their new job and lives.
Hiring top performers is a rigorous process. Identifying, vetting, attracting and hiring the perfect candidate is a labor intensive and elaborate process which takes professionals with people skills, technology skills, and business expertise. Let us discuss why engaging an executive recruiter from a healthcare executive search firm for your next hiring mandate can save you time, money, and most importantly, secure your hiring investment.
Why You Should Work with an Executive Recruitment Firm
When you are looking for highly specialized talent, you can’t afford to waste time in trying to identify that person. When you require a senior executive, the healthcare search firm will do the work your internal HR and hiring teams don’t have the time, expertise or resources to do. Not having a senior executive in place can be incredibly costly to your healthcare organization. Getting the right person for that vacancy can have an immediate impact on your revenue and profit margin. Often times, an internal hiring team won’t be able to assess the available talent within the company. Or maybe the talent is simply not currently working for you. That means that working with a healthcare recruiter to search outside of your organization can bring the search engagement to a close much sooner than just looking within the company for leaders.
This is even more important when you are looking for the right candidate for a C-level position. When someone is reporting to the CEO, hiring a healthcare executive search firm can make all the difference. Because search firms specialize in vetting candidates, working with one can reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person. Executive search firms have strong connections and know the work history of candidates. They know what companies they have worked at, they know who can and cannot be approached. This makes it easier for them to complete the searches quickly and effectively while guaranteeing that the person hired will be the right fit both on paper and culturally. The whole idea is to place talent that is ready to take on the mission of your organization and who will yield results. Simply stated, working with the best healthcare search firm can reduce the chances of a bad hire.
A healthcare executive search firm can also be of incredible help when you are seeking a candidate with a particular set of skills, for talent that is highly specialized. This type of recruitment firm will have a rigorous process (in our case, we use a 6-step demonstrated recruitment model) that yields results.
Another situation in which hiring a healthcare search firm can be of incredible benefit is when you are hiring for a newly created position. Oftentimes, you need someone who falls outside the expertise of those within the organization. A recruiting firm can use their extensive knowledge and connections to find the person who has the know-how and varied skills to come into a position that you have just created.
Situations that require a discrete search are perfectly suited for a healthcare executive search firm. For example, if you are currently searching for someone to replace an executive who is currently under employment at your organization. In these cases, the level of confidentiality that is offered by the best healthcare executive search firms is of utmost importance. It also removes the search from the organization which allows the search process to proceed unhindered.
Other times, you may be looking to hire talent which currently resides at another organization that you have a relationship with or even a rival. Allowing a healthcare recruiter to conduct this recruitment takes your firm out of the equation and reduces the risk of confrontation or other professional issues.
Executive search firms can also be an incredible asset when you are working to reach diversity at your hospital or healthcare organization’s leadership team. Currently, diversity in healthcare hiring is a big issue, and thankfully, one that – when solved – yields incredible benefits. Executive search firms are able to dip into their talent pool and find the diverse and qualified candidates for C-suite and executive positions.
As senior-level positions age and begin to think about retirement, you need to begin working on succession planning. When the time nears for key executives to retire, you need to be prepared. A succession bench could be the perfect thing to help you have a set of executive hires ready when the time comes. You should have an idea about who the successors for each key position will be, this will reduce risk and makes good business sense and working with the right healthcare search firm can alleviate a lot of the issues that may come about by an unexpected departure.
Needless to say, if you have been engaged in an internal search and the right person has not been identified from personal and company networks for referrals, hiring a healthcare executive search firm just makes sense. Finding talent is their profession. They have incredible networks and resources. An open executive position can be extremely costly, so in this case, the cost of hiring a healthcare search firm can bring savings when it comes to time, man-hours, and team morale.
Along the same vein, if a search is taking too long, working with the consultants at an executive search firm can be just the thing. The team at a healthcare recruitment firm has the knowledge and expertise which means that they will understand your needs and requirements and will be able to tap into their extensive networks to reduce lead times and complete the search.
If you think you are ready to work with one of the best healthcare executive search firms, contact us. The team at Summit Talent Group works as a boutique firm. Because we only take a few engagements at a time you can be assured that full attention will be given to your search by our principals. As professional recruiters, we are skilled at identifying, interviewing, and assessing candidates so that we present only the top talent; the talent that is qualified on paper and who will be a perfect fit for your hospital or health system’s mission and culture.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Business Manager, Summit Talent Group