Interviews: Do they predict job performance?

The Internet can be a powerful tool for recruiting healthcare and biotech professionals, including nurses and technicians. But, like any tool, it''s the way people use the tool that counts, according to Frank Heasley, PhD, President and CEO, MedZilla.com, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community that targets jobseekers and HR professionals in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and science. We''ve noticed recently that many recruiters, including independent search consultants and company-based recruiters are looking more closely at their recruiting methods because there are fewer dollars to work with and more pressure to obtain results. This, we thought, would be a good time to suggest ways to hone their skills and avoid common recruiting mistakes when searching for healthcare and biotech professionals, Dr. Heasley says.

Mistake #1: Failure to describe the position specifically and accurately

If you''re an employer and provide too general information [in your online ad], you get way too many responses. If you''re advertising a job online, you need to be as specific as possible about what you want, says Richard Moore, president, HealthCare Recruiters of the Rockies, an executive search firm, headquartered in Denver, Colo., specializing in sales and marketing recruitment for healthcare vendors.

According to Moore, simply advertising for a Neurosurgeon doesn''t mean that you won''t get truck drivers applying. [Rather, you''ll get] everyone who looks at the income level and says ''I''d like to have that job,'' and they''ll send in a resume even though they do not have the requirements, he says.

According to Marty Martinez, the Healthcare division President of Diversity Personnel, Laguna Niguel, Calif., We post the specs based on the core competencies that the client is looking for. Then, since we sub specialize in diversity candidates, we include information about that, as well, he says.

Martinez says that Diversity Personnel, a minority-owned and operated healthcare recruiting firm that specializes in pharmaceutical, biotech and hospital supply, has been using the Web as a recruitment tool for about three years. Through those years, he has learned that the Internet can be either a help, or a hindrance. By being specific in the ads, he has managed to narrow the scope of candidates responding, but he says there is still work to be done. Our industry is very specific and very conservative by nature. There are many requirements that we are looking for. What happens to us is we get bogged down by all those resumes, he says. We''ve asked MedZilla to write a specific program for us with key words to help us sift through only the most highly qualified candidates. In other words, if we''re doing a search in Seattle for a district sales manager for an HIV division of a pharmaceutical company and there are only two good candidates that meet the criteria through a key word search, than that''s all we want.

Dr. Heasley says, This is a good example of how to select candidates using specific search terms. The key lies in understanding how the search engine works, and selecting the words that most accurately describe your needs. Marty''s search was actually constructed with the terms he mentioned, which found the two candidates he is referencing. Fortunately, the rules for building search expressions like this are universal for all search engines, and are fairly simple to understand.

Mistake #2: Poorly designed online application processes select for poorly qualified candidates

Moore says that he has seen too many online application processes that are arduous for candidates to complete. Employers ask for way too much information instead of asking for what''s relevant for the job, he says. The result is that only the very needy candidates, those who have lots of time, are willing to expend the effort needed to apply. The others simply move on to other employers, if search consultants haven''t already found them.

Mistake #3: Online recruiting can be a powerful ally, but it''s not the only important strategy

Those that rely too heavily on online recruiting in lieu of using other proven recruiting methods, such as networking and use of executive search firms, often don''t get the best people to respond, Moore says. If I''m not looking for a job, I''m not going to bust my butt going onlineÖto find a job.

Especially when filling a hard-to-find position, Moore says that it''s best to use as many resources as possible.

Mistake #4: Choosing the wrong internet sites

It''s extremely important to pick and choose your Internet sites, according to Martinez. The reason we chose MedZilla is that we''re specialists in what we do -- our staff is well - versed in the healthcare arena -- and we wanted to align ourselves with people who are specialists in that area, too. I think that recruiters are better served by working with a specialty site.

Mistake #5: Having lots of bells and whistles but no efficiency

Martinez says that one of the kinks in the system that needs ironing out occurs when a recruiter receives a resume via a job board. If the resume, which at that point is in the job board''s format, looks good, Martinez says he has to write the candidate back to ask if the candidate can send a clean copy of the resume in Word format. We can''t submit the forms that come from the job board to the hiring manger. Therefore, the process takes another day or two. In this business time is money.

Dr. Heasley says, One solution to that problem is to simply request a Word file from each candidate immediately on receipt of their resume. Most email programs can do this automatically. We have found that what seem to be big problems often have simple solutions. A bit of thought, or a call to us, and a few minutes of our time will generally yield a solution that works.


About MedZilla.com
Established in mid 1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. MedZilla databases contain about 10,000 open positions and 10,000 resumes from candidates actively seeking new positions. These resources have been characterized as the largest, most comprehensive databases of their kind on the web in the industries served.