“Tweet, tweet, tweet…” If a bird is the only thing that comes to mind, then you’ve yet to jump on the social networking bandwagon. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are just a few of the social media tools making their voices heard in the corporate setting, especially in regards to recruitment.

With current talent shortages already causing problems in the healthcare industry, and projections indicating that 25 percent of the workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2010 and jumping to 43 percent by 2015, your talent pipeline must be ready to rise to the challenges that lie ahead. Social networking promises to expand your communications capabilities and give you exposure to a pool of readily available talent, creating a cost-effective tool for recruitment and pipeline development.

Steve Wojack, Director of Recruiting for the University of Washington Medical Centers, says learning how to find talent specifically for critical care has been made easier because social media makes targeting passive candidates much easier than before.

According to Wojack, healthcare is far more conservative and competitive than any other industry because there are more job opportunities available. Social media helps Wojack’s organisation reach out to the quality candidates via talent networks and leverages their branding opportunities on those networks.

Wojack discusses with Human Resources IQ his initiatives on social media and how he has incorporated it into his recruiting strategy.

First published on Human Resources IQ.

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