Recruiting strategies for difficult positions can be less time-consuming and costly for your team. There are certain jobs which take longer time to be filled and hence needs a pre-employment strategy to reduce the time taken for recruitment. 

Before the pandemic in 2020 and inflation in 2023 caused a massive upheaval in the global economy, various skills gaps were cited by experts as possible issues for future recruitment. 

Despite the effects of the pandemic causing significant harm to a large number of sectors in the past year, these roles are still relevant and challenging to fill at the present time. 

What is the meaning of a hard-to-fill position? 

The term hard-to-fill position might sound quite straightforward. These are the jobs which make recruiters think, these are the posts which really make us to try to find ideal candidate. Because recruiting for such positions is challenging, it should not be a cause for alarm since it can be done. 

What would you do to succeed? 

1. Brand your recruitment efforts 

Recruiting is the process of attracting people to apply for positions in an organization and the more a company is recognized, the better for the company. 

It assists the prospect in deciding whether to join your company based on the identity and values, and the available opportunities. Branding includes everything you do, say or write, the words you use, the way you speak, the pictures you use, the colours you choose or even the way you communicate. 

Maintaining the consistency and guaranteeing that those attributes are reflecting your company can be beneficial when it comes to a recruitment process. 

2. You’ll need a strategy 

When you plan your recruitment properly, you create a framework within which you and your team are well-equipped to handle the unique demands of each stage of the hiring process that is relevant to the hard-to-fill role. 

This type of recruitment approach is efficient and effective as it can prevent you from making wrong decisions, and it is more efficient in terms of time and resources for your team. 

A strategic recruitment plan creates opportunity beyond finding a great fit for a given position. It is an opportunity to ensure that the company’s objectives and talent deficiencies are linked to your team’s future hiring strategies. 

When assessing the hard-to-fill jobs for the coming year, look at the recruitment calendar, and the tracking and assessment methods you will be using, the budget, and the management plan as well. 

3. Write a clear and engaging job description 

The contemporary job search is much like any other consumer marketplace. Candidates want a perfect shopping experience enhanced by good branding and value for the product. 

When the time comes to market your hard-to-fill job, the initial process of grabbing the attention of potential candidates begins with the job description. 

Be persuasive, all-embracing, and, most importantly, feasible. This is because readers do not like to see many requirements in terms of skills and experience that are expected of a candidate. 

It is crucial to remember the extra skills required for the particular position but do not neglect the privileges, social sensitivity, and demanding tasks that characterise your organization. 

4. Go native 

That is why one of the most obvious problems related to hard-to-fill jobs is the focus on a particular field. The ideal candidate is the one who has a well-defined set of skills that are unique and not easily available in the market. To find this talent, rely on more relaxed approaches to recruitment. 

Utilize forums, blogs, and websites that are specific to your field or industry, and search for jobs that are relevant to your area of specialization. These spaces have been designed to serve the particular members to help them develop the networks in line with the area of their specialty and that is the network you require. 

5. Promote the brand and the advantages 

Recruitment environment of today is truly complex in its very nature. People seek employment not only for wages but also for engagement in relevant positions that reflect their values and preferences. 

Ensure that potential candidates know exactly what it is like to work for your organization can go a long way towards attracting superior performers in the face of competition. 

Strengthen your recruiting process with tools that can engage the audience directly like, employee referral services, brand advocates, social media, and content marketing are all excellent branding techniques. 

6. Persist 

Although innovation and branding can assist in preparing your talent search for success, there is no better substitute for patience. Call, connect, and communicate. Invest and maximize your talents and candidates’ pools big or small. 

There are many factors that may determine the effectiveness of a recruiter, but perhaps the two most important ones are networking skills and extra effort, particularly when it comes to vacant positions that are challenging to fill. 

Do not let the barriers of remote work and new normality prevent you. There is an increase in the number of successful virtual recruitment strategies leading to a significant number of new employees who are hired in a completely remote manner. 

In a survey conducted by the staffing firm, Robert Half, three out of four senior managers revealed that their employers used virtual tools for interviews and onboarding in the past few months. 

7. Consider flexible options 

Extending some work flexibility could help attract candidates who otherwise may not be interested in the position but possess the skills you seek. While flexibility cannot be offered in each organization, it can be offered in some organizations for some level of details like working area and time. 

You could provide a telecommuting or work from home policy as an accommodation, for instance. This not only satisfies people who wish to work from home, but it also allows you to extend the search for a candidate beyond your region. 

Another way to attract more applicants is to offer flexibility in terms of hours that the employee has to work. It could allow the applicant to fit around other commitments or to arrange a shift that is more beneficial to them. 

If you are to offer coverage during a core business period, you may be willing to allow some choice within that period so that people can choose their shifts. 

8. Revisit your benefits package 

Enhancing your benefits is another way of ensuring that you remain relevant and attract more qualified candidates. Assess the compensation in order to determine if it is appropriate for the position and responsibilities. 

Examine average wages for comparable jobs across the country, in the region and with other companies. If you want to attract candidates with the right skills, then you must be willing to increase the salary or offer monetary incentives. 

If you cannot afford to pay a higher wage then there are other ways that you can compensate the employee. It could be extended to provide the chosen candidate with more paid days off. 

Other incentives like commuter benefits, tuition assistance, fitness allowances, free food and a friendly culture to pet lovers can also give you an edge over other employers. 

9. Develop an employee referral program 

Your own employees could be the next successful candidate to fill one of those difficult to fill positions. 

Your employees are more likely to have friends or acquaintances that they know would be a good fit for your company, because they already know and understand the culture and requirements of your business. 

Developing an employee referral program adds value for your employees in order to motivate them to refer candidates. 

Rewarding for referrals is useful for increasing the level of happiness of the employees and for making sure that your current team stays with you, so you won’t have to look for new people to fill in the vacancies anytime soon. 

10. Streamline the application process 

It may also be helpful to make it as easy as possible to apply to the position, which might boost the number of candidates. In any case, the majority of applicants will not go through an overly complex procedure even if the position offered is quite promising. 

Select an application platform that is usable on different devices to ensure that applicants are not limited by the type of device they are using. 

Provide an option for applicants to copy-paste information from their resumes for the forms to avoid the need to input all the data. Do not complicate the process with unnecessary steps that are not needed in the process.

Conclusion 

Recruiting qualified workers for positions that are difficult to fill in the healthcare industry can be challenging and necessitates innovation. 

Innovative recruiting strategies mean that healthcare organizations have the opportunity to attract the right talent by utilizing social media, offering referral bonuses and having virtual job fairs. 

Industry collaboration with educational institutions and transparency in career ladder can assist in the identification of potential talent. 

These strategies not only assist in placing talented people in key positions but also can aid in the development of a richer and more productive healthcare workforce, which in turn enhances patient care and organization outcomes.