Do physician candidates hope to work for an organization like yours? That's where employer branding comes in. Employer brand is out there and if you don’t define your employer brand, someone else will define it for you. In fact, 84% of job seekers say reputation of a company as an employer is important, according to a 2018 Talentnow survey. Are you doing what you can to build your company's brand?

Employer branding is simply your chance to tell potential candidates why your organization is precisely the place they want to work.

Just as your Doximity physician recruiter profile conveys your personal brand – who you are and what you’ve accomplished as a recruitment professional – your employer brand tells people who you are as an organization, including what employees who work there care about and what makes your company different.

As a physician recruiter, you can’t showcase your employer brand to physician candidates if you don’t know what it is in the first place. Do you know what your company’s mission, vision, and values are? If they’re not clearly defined already, take initiative to set up a meeting with necessary stakeholders and make these defined. 

The whole point of employer branding is to attract candidates and here’s the most important detail of all: Before physician candidates even consider an opportunity with your organization they seek out information about your brand. Why? They want to know what it’s really like to work there.

Shape and control your employer-branding message

Is your organization the kind of company physician candidates dream of working for? If it is, do some humble bragging. Physician candidates are looking for much more than a salary. They’re interested in opportunities to make a difference. They want opportunities to forge meaningful work relationships. Some candidates might be attracted to a benefits package that includes family leave or medical school loan repayment. Most candidates (especially younger physicians) are interested in technology, so make sure to highlight any medical technology that would be used in the open role. 

It’s also vital for physician candidates to understand how your organization can help build their careers. They want an opportunity that will carry them into the future. Employer branding enables you to think like a career coach and lead candidates well beyond just monetary factors.

No company is perfect, so start with what makes your organization unique but share the rough realities, too. When you’re straightforward, physician candidates are more likely to trust your organization. After they’re hired, they’re also more likely to stay with your company for the long haul.

Try these tips for employer branding and your candidates are likely to see a future with your organization.

1. What makes your organization different? Identify it and communicate it consistently.
2. Make sure all of your job posts are authentic and current: your job descriptions are employer-branding pieces, so keep them honest and update them frequently.
3. Be consistent. Make sure the branding story you tell about your organization (why it’s a great place to work), remains the same at a basic level. You can brag and you can use descriptive adjectives, but make sure the core values are consistent.
4. Ask your physician candidates for feedback. First impressions are lasting impressions, and the best way to get a first impression about your organization (and it’s hiring process) is to ask the candidates. But don’t stop there – use their feedback to address problems and make improvements.
5. Turn new hires into brand ambassadors. Engage with new hires and communicate their great feedback to new physician candidates.

Curious to learn more about how you can leverage social recruiting to find the best candidates? Check out our page on 'What is Social Recruiting' and Download our guide for additional tips!