When it comes to health information exchange, quality over quantity is preferred with patient data. The same can be said for prospective HIM and HIT employees. You shouldn’t have to sift through tons of unqualified resumes or conduct countless interviews (big data) to find the “right one”. But how can you focus on the valuable recruits? Here are 4 steps to pick quality over quantity with HIM job candidates:

1. Engage passive candidates

It’s easy to allow active candidates to dominate your recruiting efforts. But what about the passive candidates? They aren’t actively searching for opportunities but if approached purposefully, might actually consider a career change. Spend time identifying high-quality talent over reviewing resumes that are on the top of the pile and you can make a difference in quality over quantity.

2. Have an interview Plan

Having an interview plan will ensure you gather consistent information needed to make a well informed hiring decision.  The plan should always start with knowing the skills needed for the job and the type of candidate you are seeking.  Familiarize yourself with the candidate’s resume before the interview so that you can get clarification on any inconsistencies or “red flags”.  Create a set of interview questions that will be used for all candidates, and consider providing each candidate with an assessment that further evaluates their skills and/or personality.  All of this information can help you make better hiring decisions.

3. Check references

Calling a job candidate’s references is very time consuming, which is why it is a crucial skipped step in the hiring process. Don’t overlook the value in a previous employer’s perspective just because someone came to you with high marks and their resume hits every bullet of your job description. Sometimes job candidates feel nervous about “selling” themselves or on the other hand, won’t be honest about their shortcomings. References are an excellent start.

4. Be transparent

Being completely transparent about what you want out of a candidate is vital. This includes a clear job description, which outlines goals for the position, salary information and the ideal employee for the job. Additionally, being clear about the actual recruitment process, such as the timeline to hire or how many interviews are typically being conducted, gives candidates a roadmap to keep in mind.

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