Building a Bulletproof Talent Pipeline

So far, this series of articles has mainly focused on retention and, while keeping hold of existing staff is arguably more important than recruiting new ones, it does nothing to address the enormous talent gap growing in the healthcare industry.

With hundreds of thousands of physicians and nurses alone – not to mention other ancillary staff such as custodians, porters, administrators, etc. – estimated to be required over the next decade, any healthcare HR department worth its salts is going to need a solid strategy for locating and recruiting fresh new talent to fill those roles.

Building a resilient and effective talent pipeline can help your organization fill job vacancies and replace staff either resigning or reaching retirement age and keep a steady flow of talent moving through it.

Talent Pipeline?

A talent pipeline is a proactive strategy which seeks to create an active and dynamic database of candidates which can be leveraged to fill vacancies in less time than would be possible though the traditional advertise, sort, interview, recruitment model

The candidates in a talent pipeline are vetted and tested ahead of time to ensure they have the appropriate qualifications and experience for the roles they are being considered for. A solid talent pipeline database should include both external candidates from job boards, Linkedin, referrals, etc., but also contain internal staff which have been identified and groomed for promotion opportunities.

Because these candidates have essentially been pre-approved, there is no need to go through the usual recruitment process with them and they can be hired and start work as soon as they are able.

However, keeping candidates in a constant state of readiness requires an active management strategy and requires constant communication with them to keep them moving towards an eventual employment opportunity.

Building a Talent Pipeline

As with developing any organizational strategy, the first step in the process must always be to identify the needs of the business.

Which roles are crucial to filling the needs and goals of the organization both currently and in the future and what kind of talent profiles will be required to fill them? You need to consider whether the organization is planning any expansion or acquisition in the future and how this will impact recruitment needs moving forward.

• Consider what skills may be needed to support organizational growth
• What is the course of action if any employee leaves and how do you prioritize roles that have maximum impact in case of employee turnover?
• Analyze future needs to understand where you should prioritize the hiring efforts
• Identify areas of high turnover
• Build talent personas for every role
• Define performance standards for critical roles and communicate them to recruiters and hiring managers

Once this is in place, the next step is to make sure your organization is attracting the right talent through a combined strategy of engaging with passive job seekers and identifying people within your organization who are candidates for promotion. Ensuring your organization’s website has a careers page which communicates culture, values, and opportunities will also go a long way to attracting talent.

When it comes to sourcing talent for your pipeline, you should be considering internal and external sources and leveraging every avenue available in the digital age. Networking events, campus recruiting, job fairs, Linkedin and other social media platforms, referrals, social sourcing, and recruitment agencies are all sources of talent you should be using to fill you pipeline.

Once you have a solid database of talent, you need to keep it engaged and nurtured. The focus at this stage should be on building relationships with the candidates in your pipeline. Be upfront and transparent in your conversations regarding the fact the position you are considering them for isn’t available now and that you are seeking to place them in a pipeline. Don’t bombard them with calls but ask them how and when they would like to be contacted with and make sure they feel in control. Most importantly of all, you should stay visible by adding them on social networks and keeping them apprised of developments at your organization.

As with any strategy such as this, you will need to measure your success. Set KPIs to establish which strategies work best and which fall short and make sure not to become too wedded to any one method.

Final Thoughts

Creating a bulletproof talent pipeline needs to be a top priority for those healthcare providers seeking to make it through the current talent and resignation crises. By building and nurturing an active database of candidates, you can make sure as many positions as possible are filled by the absolute best talent out there.

Effective talent pipeline strategies are set to be a hot topic at HR Healthcare 2022, being held in October at the Hyatt Regency Austin, TX.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.