5 Ways to Improve Job Candidate Engagement in Healthcare

You finally found a nurse with the unique qualifications to work on your unit. You — and the staff members who depend on you — are optimistic about getting the unit one step closer to being fully staffed. Now it’s up to you to foster candidate engagement throughout the interview and onboarding process, so that they can ideally become a contributing member of the team.

Building a positive and productive relationship with applicants during the hiring process can be challenging. You have limited time, and some steps in the hiring process are out of your control. But you can make the most out of your limited time and take steps to remain engaged with applicants.

We’ll provide strategies for keeping candidates connected during the hiring process, and discuss ways to avoid candidate ghosting. Incorporate these action items into your hiring strategy to successfully recruit top talent, build a foundation for a productive employer-employee relationship, and get your unit adequately staffed.

What Is Effective Candidate Engagement?

Every touchpoint that applicants have with your healthcare organization influences their behavior during the hiring process. From the moment the candidate sees your advertisement to the final interview, they’re forming an opinion of what it would be like to work for you. Effective engagement with candidates requires strategies to optimize your interactions with potential hires throughout the process.

Why Are Candidate Engagement Strategies Important?

Developing processes that support candidates’ interest in your facility is increasingly important in today’s healthcare market. Given ongoing staffing shortages and poor nurse retention rates, healthcare employers may have to compete for talent. Developing strong engagement strategies can help you get an edge on competing employers and successfully recruit the top applicants in the talent pool. Improving the candidate experience can also help your facility:

• Boost its reputation as an employer.
• Build an engaged talent pipeline for filling future vacancies.
• Better match candidates to open positions.
• Reduce time-to-fill.

What Is Candidate Ghosting?

In recruitment, ghosting is when an applicant suddenly stops communicating with a recruiter during the hiring process. This most typically occurs after initial phone screens or interviews if a candidate loses interest in a position. However, it can happen at any phase of the process, up to and including the final job offer. Keep in mind that applicants may be weighing several opportunities.

Roughly 76% of recruiters stated that they’ve been ghosted by a candidate in one year alone. One 2023 survey by Hireology found that 45% of job seekers within the healthcare industry specifically have admitted to ghosting during the interview process — a 16% increase from previous years.

Signs a Job Candidate Is Disengaged

While poor candidate engagement can be difficult to predict, employers can look out for common warning signs that a candidate is losing interest in a role. Here are some of the most common signs healthcare employers may come across when relating to applicants who have become disengaged in the process.

Why Nurses Disengage During the Interview Process

Nurses may withdraw their engagement with your hiring team for a number of reasons. Their failure to comply with standard professional etiquette during the interview process may be rooted in a fear of confrontation or guilt about declining an opportunity. Below are examples of reasons nurses may pull away during the hiring process.

Misleading Job Description

If a nursing job description doesn’t match reality, a nurse will quickly point out the discrepancies. Nurses need to get an in-person visual of a facility to fully appreciate the role, which can be tricky as 93% of employers state they plan to continue conducting virtual interviews in a post-pandemic world. If a nurse is met with surprises when visiting the unit, hiring managers can expect a sudden change of interest

Poor Communication

Job candidates may drop out of the interview process when they perceive a lack of communication or feedback from the employer. If they haven’t received updates on their application or hiring process timeline, they’re more likely to lose interest or have doubts about their likelihood of being selected.

An Impersonal Process

Small details, like personalized emails and communications, help keep candidates engaged. If the hiring process makes a nurse feel disposable, they have a right to discontinue communications. Employers can avoid this by asking relevant interview questions that show they reviewed the candidate’s resume and took the time to get to know them.

Negative Interview Experience

If a candidate has an unpleasant interview experience, they may choose to ghost as a way to avoid further interactions with the organization. This can often stem from a desire to evade uncomfortable conversations.

Better Options

In a nursing shortage, nurses have plenty of employment options, from full-time positions to gig work with W2 benefits. A nurse may play the field and apply to multiple opportunities before deciding which route to go without formally declining the opportunity at a given facility.

How to Improve Candidate Engagement in Nursing

Your healthcare organization is taking all the appropriate steps to improve staffing in individual nursing units. From creating nurse hiring campaigns to selecting fitting interview questions, you have what it takes to get qualified candidates in the door. So, how do you improve engagement in the process? Check out these five action items to incorporate into your nurse hiring strategy, whether you’re an HR representative, recruiter, or nurse manager.

1. Maintain Transparent Communication

Healthcare professionals rely on closed-loop communication to effectively communicate patient information and maintain a culture of safety. They expect the same level of professional communication throughout the hiring process.

Healthcare employers can prioritize communication by providing updates throughout the process. Consider implementing communication tools, such as email automation, to keep nurses in the loop. For example, after a candidate submits an application, send them a “what to expect next” email to strengthen candidate engagement. Then, send reminder emails about upcoming interviews that give candidates a chance to confirm their attendance or ask questions.

Communication goes both ways — so encourage candidates to express their concerns, doubts, or questions openly and provide a platform for them to do so. Listen to their feedback and address any issues promptly.

2. Be Respectful of the Candidate’s Time

Nurses work long and obscure hours, and finding time to interview can be a challenge. Hiring managers and recruiters should be mindful of candidates’ time and respect their working hours. For example, if a nurse works the night shift, avoid setting up interviews in the middle of the day.

Employers can also take steps to avoid unnecessary delays in communication, like sending check-in emails or phone calls. The longer a candidate waits for a response from the employer, the more time they have to contemplate other options.

3. Set Clear Expectations

A candidate should have a realistic expectation of the role prior to interviewing. The interview process is the time to elaborate on a nurse’s duties and clear up any questions about the job. Clearly outline the expectations of the role, including responsibilities, working conditions, and compensation as early in the hiring process as possible.

If healthcare employers aren’t upfront about working conditions at their facility, nurses will figure them out quickly. Between online resources, social media, and in-person interviews, nurses can easily get a picture of the staffing ratios and conditions in your facility. Create clear expectations to ensure the candidates are well-informed. This will also help you build trust that can carry into the employer-employee relationship if the candidate is hired.

4. Improve the Peer Interview Process

A key part of a nurse hiring process is the peer interview. While it’s usually just one part of the overall interview process, a peer interview can make a big impact on a candidate’s perception of the facility and unit. Staff nurses can help determine if a candidate’s work ethic, values, communication style, and skills align with the unit’s culture.

Prepare your nursing team to nail the peer interview by asking engaging questions and showing genuine interest in the candidate. A positive peer interview can enhance the candidate’s view of the facility and its work culture. It can also help candidates gain insights into the team dynamics and work environment.

5. Learn From Past Experiences

Analyze your past candidate engagement patterns to identify recurring issues in your hiring process and adjust accordingly. Here are some data points to include in your analysis:

• Application completion rates
• Email response rates
• Interview no-show rates
• Time-to-hire metrics
• Offer acceptance rates

Looking at data from the past year may help you discover key inefficiencies and missed opportunities. It can also show you what your hiring team is doing well. Also consider speaking directly to recent hires. Ask about their experience with applying, interviewing, and onboarding. What went well and what didn’t? Was the communication engaging? What made them feel excited about working at your facility?

Find Committed Candidates Today

Ready to put these candidate engagement tips into action? Connect with qualified applicants by posting to our nationwide job board today. You’ll reach over 1 million nursing professionals who are actively seeking work.