NAHCR Board – A Diverse Group on a Mission to Represent You!

The rigor in which your board works to make this association strong and sustainable is something of which to feel good.  

First of all, you should know that there is a diverse group representing, some new to the board providing fresh perspective and some that have been around for years’ with a legacy of insight.  Recently the board made a decision to have a former board member of long-time history to be a sort of legacy advisor, offering sage wisdom on by-law issues and strategy.  This board member helps to ensure we aren’t re-inventing the wheel every year and can weigh in on important concerns.

Who better to be that source but our recent honoree of the Distinguished Member Award, Janice Buehler, CHCR, MBA from Cedars Sinai Health System.  Janice is a staple of knowledge and integrity in the association and will continue to help guide us in a way that honors our legacy and takes heed of the future.  She provides a shining example of professionalism from which all of us can strive.

Four members of the board are sectioned into regions so that there is representation of demographic areas.  This helps each region to have a say and be acknowledged in how strategies are formed and ensures no part of the nation goes unserved.  While we tend to have the same challenges in healthcare recruitment everywhere (find me a state that doesn’t need strong clinical directors these days?), it’s good to know you have a respective leader that knows your territory.  It helps us all to feel connected and represented.

The board takes two meetings a year to plan the annual Image conference, review performance of the association, address concerns and trends in the industry, consider financial aspects and commits to putting together a strategy with thoughtful intention.  This includes educational offerings to keep the members up to date in the profession, taking into account what other industries are embarking on in Talent Acquisition.    They also provide guidance to chapter concerns.  Supporting our chapters provides growth and sustainability keeping us on top of our game.

While faces come and go every year or so, you can feel secure in knowing the board you’ve chosen forges ahead with a passion for healthcare recruitment and a guiding mission.  Making your jobs easier in this high-touch, customer service expectation environment while minding the technology advances as they come whizzing past us all is no easy feat.  With your help, we’re all on the job!

Laura Roybal, Talent Acquisition Manager and NAHCR Western Regional Chair

Justify to Your Emplyer Why You Should Attend IMAGE 2012!

The time for the 2012 NAHCR IMAGE Conference is just around the corner. Can you sense the excitement? For those that have to justify with their organizations why they need to be there (not just because they need to get away), here are some things to share with your manager or other leaders:

- CEUs offered. The conference is approved for HRCI (PHR/SPHR) credit as well as continuing education for RNs and other licensed professionals. This is a great way to get several of those hours packed away in a single setting.

- Review conference sessions ahead of time and show your leadership which ones you would plan to attend and let them know you plan to report back on them.

- Networking. Learn best practices from colleagues around the nation and be certain to share that information with others at your company. You will also gain contacts so you can be the "go-to" person in the office.

- CHCR exam offered at the conference. Obtaining certification shows your leadership team that you have the basic competencies for the role and helps build confidence.

- Coming away with ideas on how to tackle the changing landscape of healthcare.

- This is one of the kindest conferences to your wallet, or the company bank account. The speakers and value of the conference for the cost alone make it worthwhile.

- IMAGE is the one conference that closest matches what we do on a daily basis and pertains to what concerns us the most.

- Gain new ideas on products/systems to help make for a more productive team back home.

- Learn about legal updates to help keep your organization out of hot water when it comes to employment law and related matters.

Click here for justification sample letters.

Time is running out, so please use this information to help show why you need to beat IMAGE in July.

-Derek Cunningham, PHR, CHCR-

Secretary, NAHCR

5 Reasons to Attend IMAGE 2012

Click here to view FIVE reasons to attend IMAGE 2012

Where do we go from here?

I am relatively new to the recruitment world, but even in my short career, it seems like so much has shifted. The emphasis on job postings seemed to primarily be on major job boards such as CareerBuilder and Monster, but these job boards (as hard as they try to up sell all the fantastic upgrades to drive applicants to your website/job opportunities) are not enough by far. They just aren’t as effective, at least in the capacity they used to and now is the time to think outside of the box and reach candidates in ways that never existed before such as social media, and niche websites.

Every few months or at least every year there seems to be a new “it” social media. We now have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and most recently Pinterest. Although I am not sure just yet how to use Pinterest in the healthcare recruiting field, I’m sure it will evolve soon as it is already evolved to retail companies. The longer these networking sites are around the more they have adapted to cater to recruiting. For example, Facebook has recently teamed up with Monster for the “Beknown” app, where you can post jobs or even create an RSS feed to your job board. Things like this are making social networking a growing resource for applicants to search for job opportunities.

Many recruiting efforts have recently been placed on using niche sites for different healthcare groups, and job fields. I am finding myself doing a search at least once a week for new sites and looking into all those advertisement emails with new websites to reach executive candidates, new graduates and everything in between. I’m sure the rest of you are familiar with this same sort of situation, trying to realign and reach out in any way to reach those that may not have been reachable a few years ago.


Anyone have any new outlets they have been finding success with lately, either social media or niche sites?



Posted by Natalie Speece
Vibra Healthcare

The Relevance of Conferences and Job Fairs as Recruiting Tools

I was recently assigned to attend the AACN/NTI Conference in Orlando, FL as an exhibitor for my company in the career opportunity section. I love attending these things as personally I enjoy meeting all the new people. In addition it’s a bit like a family reunion, meeting up with many of the other recruiters I know from around the nation (and will hopefully see at IMAGE in July). However, while handing out the high volume of kitschy give-aways, I also had time to think about the effectiveness of attending such conferences. The main question for ROI that used to be asked was regarding how many hires came as a result of our presence. I have long given up on that one. Many companies now require applicants to go online prior to being considered for any positions and there are other assessments to be considered as well. The conferences are not a place to conduct interviews or do any hiring. Rather they are to get the word out as to who we are and conjure interest in our organizations. That’s certainly a paradigm shift, but still makes attending the conferences worthwhile, though the results (as in hires) may not be seen for some time. I wonder what others thoughts are on attending the conferences, both national and those on a more local basis. Do you find them valuable?

posted by Derek Cunningham, PHR, CHCR

Keeping in Touch

It’s that time of the year again. I was reminded of this when I received my membership renewal notice from NAHCR. This will be my 2^nd year of membership in the association. Whatever your specialty or area of practice in the health care industry, it’s a fact that professional memberships need to be renewed. It’s the same approach with our business relationships. We keep in touch to remind our colleagues that we are here and still involved.
         
The same premise extends to our personal lives. We call, text, email, skype, yahoo, facebook, tweet or google talk our family and relatives as we try to keep up with our busy lives. Touching base seems like a mundane matter but it is what binds us. It reminds us that small things do matter in the bigger cycle of life. Be it in the workplace or our daily lives, the drive to keep in touch takes up a good portion of our time. And time is a commodity that does not have a rewind button. Once you have said something, emailed or published it, the deed cannot be undone. Once it’s out there some information takes on a life of its own and is no longer yours to keep. It is the same way with our professional lives. Once you disseminate information or inform an applicant as to why she/he was not selected for the position, what has been said can no longer be deleted, recalled or removed. That’s why staying in touch with my professional association keeps me informed and grounded. So yes, I will be renewing my membership in NAHCR. And by all means I will continue to keep in touch with my friends, family and colleagues.

Belinda Rosales, RN, MSA, CHCR
NAHCR Social Media Committee Member

How Did I Get Here and What Do I Do Now?

Did I ever see myself working in human resources? The honest answer is no. As a registered nurse, I expected to be in the clinical setting throughout my career. My current position became available at a time when family responsibilities required a shift in roles. Suddenly, I found myself sitting on the opposite side of the interview table more nervous than the candidate in my office.

As a clinician, the recruitment field was a whole new ballgame. It was necessary to create new relationships and quickly identify leaders and role models within the profession. One familiar tool from nursing that I sought out was professional association membership. The Greater New York Association of Health Care Recruiters was a goldmine of recruitment experience and leadership. In any new role, mentorship is vital to success and retention. Attending meetings introduced me to experienced recruiters, hot topics in the profession, employment trends and ultimately introduced me to membership in NAHCR. This opened my eyes to opportunities for advancement and the true impact of professional recruitment on our nation’s health care system.

This spontaneous career move has altered my future aspirations immensely. I have not only developed my recruitment skills but identified a new passion for career coaching and education. I have found that many of my NAHCR colleagues also made unexpected ventures into recruitment but found a niche and a passion that has lasted for years. This camaraderie and support was instrumental for success at the start of my recruitment career.

What was your most valuable support as a new recruiter? How will you pay it forward?

Melissa Marrero RN-BC, BSN