By Craig Fowler, Senior Vice President Recruiting
By the time a physician is onsite for interviews and a community tour, physician recruiters have invested a great deal of time and resources. Everyone’s fingers are crossed that the physician will see the value of the opportunity, feel right at home and, in many cases, even accept the position on the spot. That’s why the site visit is a make or break deal—and you just can’t afford to blow it.
Do you deliver a Walmart or a Nordstrom experience?
Have you ever spent a moment thinking about the level of service you get at a discount retailer like Walmart versus an upscale department store like Nordstrom? Ask where something is at Walmart, and if you can find an associate, you’ll be pointed in the direction of your item, right? That’s fine, though, because when paying rock-bottom prices, we don’t expect to have our hands held.
But what happens at Nordstrom? Ask where something is and you’ll be walked personally to the right area of the store. And that’s just the bare minimum of what you can expect. Here’s a little known secret about Nordstrom that shows the lengths its associates will go to in order to provide an outstanding level of service. If you can’t find the item you need—say that perfect pair of shoes to complete your Nordstrom purchase—it is not unheard of for a Nordstrom associate to accompany you to a competitor’s store down the hall. Now, that’s personalized service.
Raise the bar of the physician site visit experience in 5 ways
- Do your homework prior to the physician site visit. Most recruiters know the compensation expectations and any looming family concerns that could derail the recruitment process. But do you go the extra mile to learn about, and then incorporate into the site visit, things like favorite hobbies, preferred cuisine, hotel preferences and even family interests? Rather than getting into the rut of booking the same activities, restaurants and hotels, cater to the physician’s personal preferences.
- Like attracts like—involve physicians in the recruitment process. There’s no better way to make a physician candidate feel at home than to include your current staff in the process. If your candidate is relocating from Florida to Texas for example, schedule time with a staff member who has made the same transition. When recruiting a physician with a young family, ask one of your current physicians who also has children to host an informal backyard BBQ or dinner party. While a bit more effort is required on your end, you’ll have already started the acclimation process for the candidate.
- Roll out the red carpet and entertain. Are you in a particular beautiful part of the country? Or in a city with a breathtaking night skyline? Take advantage of the good circumstances and arrange a dinner cruise or a helicopter tour for example. Help your physician candidate to see your community through the wide eyes of a tourist on a first-class holiday.
- Schedule the site visit on either end of a weekend. While Friday can be used for facility tours and interviews, the candidate and family have downtime to experience life in the community at a slower pace over the weekend. Go back to #1 and offer to coordinate activities that everyone will enjoy. Have a spouse who will need to find new employment? Arrange for an industry-specialized recruiter to meet with him or her as well.
- Save the best for last—the CEO closes the site visit. Culture, policies and strategic priorities are set by the CEO, and a physician candidate needs ample time with that person to assess job and culture fit. Also, it allows the recruiter to gather feedback from earlier interviews and brief the CEO prior to the end of the day. If all goes as anticipated, and the CEO is impressed, an offer can, and probably should, be made on the spot.
Lastly, exit interviews are a must-do activity when a physician resigns, so why not apply that same strategy after a physician candidate accepts or declines an offer? Whether you have a neutral person ask the questions, or use an electronic survey, ask for candid feedback to improve your next site visit.
Pinnacle Health Group offers permanent physician search, Locum Tenens and advanced practice providers. Our sister company, PhysicianCareer.com is an industry-leading physician job board. Together, we’re committed to meeting your staffing needs. Call 800-492-7771 to learn more.