Talent Finder’s powerful recruitment search engine is the best way to identify top physician talent. You can search for candidates in 40 specialties across all 50 states and there’s no limit to the number of Doximity profiles – digital CVs of physicians – you can view. You can also connect with candidates directly via secure, DocMail, Doximity’s proprietary messaging platform. If you’re using Doximity Talent finder to source and recruit physicians, none of this is new to you, but this tip might be new: are you harnessing the power of Doximity to perform last-minute research on candidates?

Cary Sullivan, Director of Physician Recruiting at The Guthrie Clinic, always reviews a physician’s Doximity profile one more time before she arranges an interview. “It’s important to make interviews as meaningful and productive as possible and I always learn a little more,” says Sullivan.  

Not all candidates come to you via Talent Finder, either. If a candidate applies directly through your career website or approaches you directly in another way), supplement their paper CV with a quick peek at their Doximity profile. These profiles have an average of 28 data points of physician experience information, and often those items aren’t included on their original CV. If you missed it, read these 5 Talent Finder tips that will make your life easier.

What others say about physician candidates is often far more important than what the candidate tells you about his/herself.

You’re learning about your candidates, and that means you must conduct reference checks. Many recruiters do it late in the hiring process, but the best approach is to get the input of references first. Will a candidate’s professional references paint a good picture of your candidate?

One way to ensure a candidate’s professional references are favorable is to simply ask them upfront. Are they concerned about a potential problem? It’s a myth that past employers can only confirm dates of employment, and it’s both legal and common for employers to give lukewarm or bad references. Most organizations have a formal policy about confirming employment when they’re contacted for references, but a lot of managers and supervisors are chatty and give references despite company policy.

Forget letters of recommendation.

You need to talk to professional references on the phone. Physician recruiters are trained to listen to the tone of voice a reference uses; to hear when and if the reference hesitates before answering a question; and to ask questions and probe into potential problem areas.

What if a candidate you’re interested in has bad reviews? Anyone can be a victim of what is sometimes called “Reference Slamming,” so if a physician candidate is concerned that a previous employer or supervisor will give them a bad reference, here are a few things you can suggest:

1. Ask them for other people who will give them a more favorable reference. You don’t have to limit yourself to the formal list of references a candidate provides. Their current employer is off-limits, but you can speak with anyone who has worked with them in a former role.
2. Go right to Human Resources. HR is trained in the legalities and will be familiar with potential issues.
3. Have them ask a colleague to call and do a reference check. There are companies candidates can pay to do reference screenings, but a colleague or friend can do it for free and there’s nothing that says they can’t have a friend check first.

Collecting references for your candidates can be incredibly time consuming, but it’s absolutely necessary. To help the process along, ask your candidates to ensure ahead of time that the references they’ve provided should expect a call. Will the reference be available? Are they out of town? Ensure your candidates keep their references in the loop—and once they’ve offered a reference, ensure you and/or your candidate thanks them for their time and support, too.

In addition to her earlier tip for last-minute vetting, Cary Sullivan – along with four other innovators in physician recruitment – offered sound advice for using Doximity Talent Finder. We invite you to download the tip sheet now.

If you’re not using Doximity Talent Finder to source and recruit the best physician candidates for your opportunities, we invite you to schedule a FREE live demo now.