At the helm of their companies and organizations, healthcare leaders – CEOs, COOs, CNOs, etc. – are often compared to ship captains. Like a captain, a chief executive officer or a chief nursing office must possess a sort of omnipotence, knowing every aspect of the ship and its crew and understanding how to steer both. In a healthcare organization, a leader’s omnipotence translates to knowing the organization, its mission, its people, its challenges, its finances, and its operations.
Due to the high demand and the importance of a leader’s responsibilities, attracting and selecting the right person for the job is vital to your healthcare organization’s success. The following three best practices will help you find and choose the individual who is exactly right for your vacant leadership position.
1. Present Your Company with the Utmost Professionalism
From the very first contact with a potential hire, professionalism is essential to attracting top-quality candidates. Candidates not only have to sell themselves to you, but you must also sell your organization to them. This is especially true during a C-suite level job search. Represent your organization with positivity, confidence, and expertise.
2. Verify Resume Claims and Check References
Your organization’s new leader – hands down – must have enough of the right experience to qualify for the job. Written to cast the best possible light on candidates, resumes can be misleading. Prepare interview questions specifically regarding experience listed in a resume and take the time to contact professional references.
3. Foster Transparency and Sound Judgment
Ensure you assemble a competent, yet neutral, team to handle the interview process. This will build trust and foster honesty with candidates, while also eliminating the potential for selection based on biases or misguided preconceptions.
Find the Right Fit with a Top Executive Search Firm
At The Rokos Group, we specialize in recruiting C-suite and Director level executives and for our healthcare clients. Our white-glove approach ensures professionalism every step of the way: from search start-up and confidential sourcing through face-to-face interviews and candidate selection. With over 25 years of executive search experience, we help our clients fill top-level positions with experienced and competent individuals who not only fit the organization’s current culture but also display the acumen to lead it into the future.
