Hire the Right Employee

Hiring the right employee for the right position will save your practice both time and money.

Judy has just given you her two weeks’ notice. Her position is a critical part of your practice. You spend time advertising the job opening. You spend more time interviewing many “awesome” candidates. An offer for the position is extended and accepted. You take a deep sigh of relief that all is well. However, about 90 days into the new person’s employment things are not going well and they are not going to work out. Make that 60 days . . . nope, 30 days . . . you knew it within the first week. It’s time to cut ties are start over. More time and money spent on the hiring process.

Due to the high turnover rate in the medical field, it is especially important to have an effective hiring system in place. When you hire the right employee, it reflects well for both the person who made the hiring decision and the practice. If a person is hired due to a poor hiring decision, it opens up the possibility of lawsuits, negative culture change, lower morale among other employee, and a decrees in performance. Hiring the right employee for the right position is one of the most important decisions your practice will ever make.

Step #1: Define the Job

Know the exact job duties a new employee would perform and the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) required for the position and then assess whether hiring a new employee is the best option. Many organizations make the mistake of hiring a new employee as soon as they perceive that there is a need. It is very important for the employer to know exactly what job duties a new employee would perform and to assess whether hiring a new employee is the best option. If you do decide to hire a new employee, then you will need to write a job posting. Be sure to write the job posting based on the KSA’s a person will need in order to be successful at the open position.

Step #2: Develop an Applicant Pool

Create a pool of applicants from which you will pick your new employee. This pool can be generated using a variety of sources including, but not limited to current employees, referrals, colleges/universities, employment agencies, internet job sites, job fairs, and radio.

Step #3: Applicant Selection Process

Use a uniform process to evaluate and rate each candidate and select the one best suited for the open position. This process should include, interviews, applicant rating (on KSA’a and culture fit), pre-employment tests, and notification of unqualified candidates.

Step #4: Final Selection Process

Before a hiring decision is made, all interested parties should have the opportunity to interview each final candidate. This final interview is important as it generates buy-in from the decision makers within the practice. Each final candidate should be ranked by every person who interviews them. Once the interview are complete, have a meeting between all of the individuals who interviewed the candidate to get their feedback and rankings. After all of the information has been gathered and assessed, it is time to make the hiring decision. Before making an offer to the selected candidate, it is important that you conduct a background check on the selected candidate. Once the background check has been done and you are satisfied with the results, an offer should be extended to the selected candidate. Be sure the job offer is officially accepted, before notifying the other candidates who were not selected. Once the job offer is accepted, you can begin the new-hire process.

Hiring the right employee will save your practice time, money, strengthen your organizational culture, limit your liability, keep your other employees happy, and make your practice more productive.

For any questions on this or other HR, HIPAA, OSHA, or Medicare related products, please email us at support@hcsiinc.com or visit our web site at http://www.hcsiinc.com.