Feb. 11, 2021

5 Principles of Effective Hiring - E31

5 Principles of Effective Hiring - E31

5 Principles of Effective Hiring - E31

Hiring can be a difficult process, and to be honest, it is something you will be doing your whole career. When I started, I would text everyone on my phone asking them if they knew anybody looking for a job. I would talk to family members at get-togethers and just try to find a warm body to fill the spot. Whatever their shortcomings may have been, I would look past them and just fill the void. Thankfully, I have moved past that method and now have my “principles of hiring” to pass on to you. Realize these are not hard and fast and merely a framework you can use to guide you in the future.

Where

When I finally realized you could use job posting websites, my reach for potential candidates became much greater. I also was able to post a job description letting applicants know what they were applying for. Monster was my go-to initially, but I have not had great success with them the past 2-3 years. It costs a lot and the number and quality of applicants has not been great. Zip Recruiter has become my new favorite. It attracts good candidates and allows me to screen them with questions. This helps me be more efficient in the hiring process.

I would say avoid any social media platforms (facebook, instagram) as the people most active on social media tend to not be the most productive when it comes to actual work. This has just been my experience, you may have different outcomes. I also try to avoid current patients. It is better not to ruin the relationship, unless they come to you first. You may want to explore that further if the applicant is talented enough.

What

You need to know the role and job description you are hiring for. The more specific you can be the better hire you will make. The applicant will also appreciate knowing what they are applying for. In order to do this, you must take a lay of the land, know the skills necessary to do the job, and know the strengths and weaknesses of your current staff. Hire to complement your current staff and not create redundancy in deficiencies.

When

For established offices, 150k gross income warrants 1 full-time employee. In addition, you do not want your payroll to be more than 25% of your gross income. Now if you are exceeding either of these, you may be over-paying or running an inefficient business.

Look at what you have in place and see if you can become more efficient, or if someone is not pulling their weight and needs to be replaced. You want the job to be done well, but you do not want to put too much work on any one individual. That being said, if you are in a growth phase, that looks to be sustainable, hire away!

Who

Again, you cannot paint everyone with the same brush, but the 3 most important characteristics you can get are applicants with advanced training (medical assistants or something of that nature), bachelors degrees, or they have worked in a professional office environment. I cannot emphasize this enough, but at my office these are the people that have high ceilings and learn quickly.

When looking at previous professions, I like people in the banking industry. They are good with people, good with money, and I find they are reliable and trustworthy. Regardless of degree, I do not like this to be their first real job out of college as they tend to move on rather quickly. People with large gaps in work history tend to have trouble re-joining the workforce and any resume with multiple short stints at jobs is avoided at my office. Lastly, I have worked with numerous staff members who came from the cosmetology industry. They have not been great hires for me. I am looking for a team mindset and they tend to be more individualistic and come from an environment with more non-work “distractions”.  I am sure there are exceptions, but again, this is merely my experience.

Why

I will end this post by reminding you that your staff will make or break your business. If they buy in and are talented, they will raise your patients' experience to new heights. If they are lazy, bad with people, or just not good at the job, it will reflect on you as a doctor. You owe it to everyone associated with the office (other staff, patients, doctors) to hire the best possible people and not be short staffed. 

Good luck my friends!

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