Twesumes – what are they and will they work?

In 2011, 89% of companies used social networks for marketing, including NAHCR. Social media is clearly becoming a mainstay in the health care industry, especially for those recruiting for it.

Recruitment has come a long way from paper applications, mailed-in resumes, and having face time with each and every applicant we interviewed. As our world becomes more social media friendly, so does the world of the candidate.

Twitter users across the world have started using what has been dubbed a “twesume” – a resume in 140 characters or less. Twesumes are “flexible, living documents” that can change with you as you change tasks, change job titles, or even change career fields.

In the world of health care recruiting this can be revolutionary, even for the naysayers of social media. If a physical therapist or surgical nurse tweeted at your hospital or health care facility, “@HealthCareInstitution: 20-year OR nurse with 6 years in CVOR. Current ACLS, BLS, CVOR certifications. Excellent work history. Relocating to your area.” That candidate is no longer a name in a database – they are an active follower of your institution and have reached out to you in a very direct way.

Candidates who have not caught on to this trend yet can be encouraged to by your company. Tweet to your followers that you are having a twesume contest. Explain what a twesume is and see what valuable candidates you may have been missing.

Not everyone who drafts a resume knows how to best present themselves. By limiting the applicant to 140 characters or less, you are really getting to their skill set and what they want to be known. While this may not be a complete work history on the person contacting you, it does give you a place to begin a dialogue.

Health care recruiters can begin utilizing this avenue for recruitment before the trend really hits, and we will be on the forefront of this wonderful new recruiting tool.

Try it for your facility and post your results!

Social Media Awareness

Whether it’s checking your Facebook wall, tweeting about your day, connecting with like-minded professionals on LinkedIn, or watching a news story on YouTube, many of us are connected via social media. Like you, NACHR is also heavily involved in social media and wants to share itself with you, the member. Now is a great time to take advantage of all of the great information that NACHR has to share through its social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

As part of the new Social Media Committee for NACHR, it is part of our mission to make you aware of all the ways NACHR helps keep you informed. This blog is just one way we would like to start reaching out to you, our valued NAHCR members, and encourage you to become more involved, not just in providing feedback through our blog, but follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Become an active participant and encourage other members to do so as well. Together we can grow our social media connections and awareness of what some of our local chapters have on the horizon.

Become more involved in social media with NAHCR and other organizations today! Share your wealth of knowledge and build strong network!

News About the CHCR Exam

PHR, MBA, RN, CCRN, JD, or CHCR. Doesn't it make you feel proud when you see those initials after your name? It's a sign of competency in one's field of expertise, a source to go to for information, or perhaps just someone that wants to see how many letters of the alphabet they can fit after their name. As a member of the NAHCR board of directors, I wanted to report out that the group met in November and decided to use some of our funds to help take the CHCR exam to other sites across the nation. Working in partnership with AMP (Applied Measurement Professionals), we have the potential to have the exam administered at testing centers throughout the U.S. I know I'm excited to see how this plays out. This is something that NAHCR members have been asking to have offered for a while, but the timing and costs didn't fit. Having the exam offered at other locations enables us to take this to a new level, provide the opportunity for more people to take it, and bring additional recognition to the certification. It's a win/win situation.

What are your thoughts on certification (CHCR and in general)? Do you see value in it? Will offering it at locations other than just the annual conference likely exponentially increase the number of those certified?

NAHCR Blog Pitch Sheet

Friday November 4, 2011
Greetings from the NAHCR Social Media Committee:
Want to know the latest scoop in healthcare recruitment? We are pleased to announce that the “Recruiter Scoop”, NAHCR’s blog, will be updated biweekly beginning Nov 2011. For those who may be wondering “what’s a blog?”, it is basically a real-time, interactive webpage. This is an excellent way to stay updated on relevant healthcare recruitment topics, share your comments, and connect with other NAHCR members. Special thanks to the members of the Social Media Committee who will be our regular bloggers. In addition to the blog, you can also connect with NAHCR via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
We understand that some facilities block social media sites and some of you are unable to access the blog from your work computer. NAHCR Social Committee member Melissa Marreno has graciously created a pitch sheet to submit to your HR/Recruiting leadership and IT department. Click here to access NAHCR Blog Pitch Sheet.
Until the next post, happy recruiting!

Angela Pointer, BSN, RN, CHCR
Nurse Recruiter: Duke University Hospital
Chair: Social Media Committee

What disciplines do we as Healthcare Recruiters feel is a must to be successful?”

The best “Recruitment disciplines” is to attain and/or have as a Healthcare Recruiter in order to be successful,  really relates to a sphere of knowledge, higher education, personal abilities, multi-task abilities, ability to follow through on tasks, an organization who has individuals who believe and trust what the recruiter is doing,  as well as networking abilities (just to name a few-the list could really go on and on, don’t you think so?)

I believe that Healthcare Recruiters are able to access and attain this “sphere of knowledge” through groups such as, NAHCR.

NAHCR has given me access and network abilities with a group of other Healthcare Recruiters who provide life experience in the field and firsthand knowledge of the struggles and on the job experiences as a Recruiter.  All of this collection of knowledge is shared through NAHCR meetings, emails, webinars, workshops, speakers that are provided, and the members are willing to provide it to others within the field to help them succeed.  Being stingy is not allowed at NAHCR, it’s about seeing everyone succeed!

What are your thoughts?

Nicki Walling
Hancock Regional Hospital
NAHCR Social Media Task Force Member


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To post a comment, click below on the link that says # COMMENTS. Then log-in with your Google or other listed account, OR you can also select Name/URL. Depending on your settings you may or may not have to enter a URL. If you are required to enter a URL, you may use your company's webaddress or simply enter www.nahcr.com. Thank you for reading our blog and sharing your comments.

How Important is that Blinking Red Light on the Blackberry?

The Blackberry was among the first, but this can really pertain to any of the myriad of smartphones we use for the purpose of staying connected at work. Have you ever been in a meeting, on your office phone, or otherwise occupied when you notice that the red light is blinking on the Blackberry to indicate a new message has been received? It can be quite stressful knowing someone is expecting a quick response, but we don't wish to be rude and appear to be giving anything less than our full attention to the meeting (or other activity).

Recent reports have shown that there is increasing acceptance of checking messages or texting in many settings such as the dinner table, on a date, and even the bedroom, let alone at work. There are many websites out there that will attempt to provide etiquette guidance, but they seem to be all over the map. While we need to keep the other party in mind and realize they really can have a legitimate need for a quick answer, the hope would be (perhaps falsely) that they understand how busy we are as well. Technology can be a benefit, but has also increased expectations of response times. I see the importance to respond as soon as we possibly can, but what is an acceptable time frame? Is it and hour, half day, 24 hours, etc? Knowing this can help with a better understanding of expectations, as well as help with our health/sanity. If we don't have clear expectations of response times and what types of messages are considered a priority, we can literally make ourselves sick trying to stay on top of everything. What are your thoughts on:
-Response times
-Priority messages
-Settings that are OK to use and respond to messages

Derek Cunningham, PHR, CHCR
Scripps Health
NAHCR Social Media Task Force Member

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To post a comment, click below on the link that says # COMMENTS. Then log-in with your Google or other listed account, OR you can also select Name/URL. Depending on your settings you may or may not have to enter a URL. If you are required to enter a URL, you may use your company's webaddress or simply enter www.nahcr.com. Thank you for reading our blog and sharing your comments.

The Recruiter Scoop - CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Deborah Hormann from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for submitting the winning name, for the NAHCR Blog - “The Recruiter Scoop”. 

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To post a comment, click below on the link that says # COMMENTS. Then log-in with your Google or other listed account, OR you can also select Name/URL. Depending on your settings you may or may not have to enter a URL. If you are required to enter a URL, you may use your company's webaddress or simply enter www.nahcr.com. Thank you for reading our blog and sharing your comments.