When our healthcare roles changed suddenly in the midst of a layoff, well we were worried. I always had the impression the two sourcers on a full cycle team would get the axe first. Well, I was half right, my cohort Beth Price was suddenly let go after we had thought the layoffs were over. It totally sucked, not only did I lose an awesome teammate, the workload tripled because there was only one sourcer to source and post all external jobs.
It was a stressful time. I handled it well enough; you may have seen me write a lot more during that time, mainly because the gears were constantly turning. My wife had told me to “quit working on your phone” several times, and I think I even developed Boolean strings in my sleep.
Meanwhile, Beth entered the job market, with 20+ years experience in a realm that was completely different. Ironically, we had built a list of resources during the layoff, to train the employees affected, and now she was affected.
So she had a jump on it, and we occasionally chatted when both she and I hit some obstacles. She couldn’t find a recruiting gig right away, so she turned to becoming an Uber driver. I was seeing some negativity in healthcare and made some changes as well. We still talked from week to week, and I sent Beth leads I got from my network or the forums.
It was at SourceCon on the Whova app, where I heard of Heartland Dental looking for sourcers. Working in the cancer hospital, Beth and I touched all the tough jobs nobody wanted, and I always get questions about finding dentists when I talk healthcare. So I sent that one to Beth, they connected, and she told me last week she just accepted their offer after interviewing with several people at Heartland.
I know I talk about tricks and hacks, but the most potent tool is sometimes remembering one’s own humanity.
Candidates, job seekers, and applicants are people, with real lives and daily challenges nobody may be aware of. Anxiety is everywhere, but what gives us strength is each other. The person on the other side of the table is still a person; a layoff can happen to anyone. It’s happened to me, and I’m never going to forget how it felt on that day. That’s why we recruit, to connect people with opportunity, to make an impact, to change lives; including helping a colleague, friend, or candidate who may be looking for a chance.
Give a person the opportunity to surprise you, and they will.
Congratulations Beth Price, I know you don’t realize this, but you’ve given me unmeasurable insight into what’s important. I’m not only a better sourcer, but I’m also a better person because of it, for all the humanity.
This is a prime example how one conversation, one conference, or one chance can change a life.
Always Scroll Down For Tool Drops
Many of the sites and tools listed on the Healthcare Sourcing Toolbox were found through the searches did at the hospital. I’m out of the healthcare market now, but got a few things coming up you may want to catch:
ERE.net Recruitment Talent Mapping FREE Webinar December 6th (today)
Sourcecon Vegas February 26th – 28th (Use this Code to save $$$: SourcingAces).
It is a great honor to be part of this community, not just for the webinars and conferences we get to partake in, for the people we get to help and learn from one other. I have the opportunity to share some of my ideas; I hope you’ll join me and bring your questions and ideas as well!