A company’s reputation and branding play a role in attracting and retaining clients, but it is also crucial to create a strong employer branding for your hospital and/or healthcare system.‌ Employer branding differs from corporate branding with its focus on showcasing the benefits of working for the organization, or the specific hospital/clinic location. Creating a strong employer branding is crucial for attracting and retaining quality physicians, advanced practitioners, and other medical professionals.

What are some benefits of employer branding?

1. Improve Employer Reputation – It’s no secret people want to work for an organization that they will enjoy so improving your employer reputation through your current employees can influence future hires. Websites like Glassdoor allow employees to give an anonymous review of their company and position. You can work with your marketing, leadership, department chair, and human resources team to discuss or create a strategic plan to increase your current employer branding. Doing this will help provide potential employees with a positive first impression of the company if they run an internet search!
2. Employees Become Brand Advocates (Ambassadors) – Many organizations utilize referrals to find candidates through internal employees. Think of those hard-to-fill specialties – it is easier to ask your current physicians if they have a colleague they’d recommend, rather than try to cold source a candidate. You want employees to give a positive review of the company and encourage their friends/family to apply. If your physicians or other employees are not happy with the current company culture or their work, they will be less likely to encourage someone to apply. Consider collaborating with your human resources department to find out pain points of physicians or other medical personnel that have left, as well as current employee feedback. You can use employee testimonials within your marketing strategy to add value to your brand.
3. Save Money on Recruitment and Advertising – Creating and implementing a strong employer brand can benefit your long-term goals. It can be costly to hire a talent acquisition team to source and recruit all open positions. Having physicians that reach out to colleagues about job opportunities saves you hours of sourcing, cold calling, advertising, and reaching out to potential candidates. This can free up time and money to focus on retention or other employee matters.

In healthcare, having a competitive edge over the competition is key to long-term success. Strong branding proves to clients and employees that your company strives for continuous progress. It will give you the advantage in a competitive marketplace, and, at the end of the day, improve the experiences of your time and increase your business' bottom line. Contact NAS recruiting today for more ideas on how to maximize your company's brand power!