How to Make Your Website an Ally in Finding Your Next Associate
Your first exposure to a potential new associate is almost certainly not going to be a phone call or a handshake. The nature of the market today is that people want to look at you without you knowing. Logically, this will lead them to your website.
Unless you are a large, multi-location practice, it probably doesn’t make sense for you to have a dedicated recruitment-facing website, but there are simple things you can do to make your public-facing site more engaging to the potential candidate:
- Make sure your website reflects the personality of your practice.
The amount of effort a practice puts into a website varies, but from a recruiting standpoint, it’s important to reflect the essence of your practice in terms of modern versus traditional and formal versus casual. A web designer can help you with colors and designs that reflect your firm’s personality as you see it. - Be mobile friendly.
This is good advice for web strategy in general but can be critical for recruiting. When a candidate is looking for a new job, they are certainly not going to use the office desktop. Their smart phone is likely the place they will conduct their initial searches. - Create a staff page.
Staff pages are some of the most frequently viewed areas of websites. Many patients like to see the staff before they come into the office. Similarly, many candidates like to familiarize themselves with potential coworkers and their backgrounds. Don’t be afraid to include personal insights such as staff hobbies and interests. - Should your practice have a careers/opportunities page?
There are different ways to look at including a careers page on your website. On the positive side, it showcases growth and creates a place to share opportunities. On the negative side, you may be inundated with undesirable candidates and left to deal with resumes that you have to acknowledge and process. While an opportunities portal is necessary for high-volume employers (Lowes, Target, etc.), it is often counterproductive for dental practices. - If you have an email newsletter, make it easy to sign up for.
If a potential candidate is interested in your practice but not ready to make a career move, the newsletter is a great way to keep up with changes and growth in your organization. - Include some community links.
Consider creating a secondary page that says something like, “Our community makes us smile” and has links to local tourism, chambers of commerce, school systems, activity calendars, media, and attractions. Showcasing your community will show you are a good corporate citizen to your patients and to potential candidates. A sense of place and quality of life is a critical ingredient in getting quality candidates interested in your opportunity.
Dental practices have a wide range of views on consumer-facing website sophistication, perceived importance, and priority. Ultimately the success of your organization is the most important validation of your perception.
At ETS, we know it is important to keep in mind that your patients aren’t the only people looking at your website. If you would like to have one of our professional recruiters review your website in terms of what a candidate might like to see on your website, we’ll be happy to work with your digital team to provide recommendations and thoughts from a recruitment perspective.