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Jun 1, 2021 1:03:00 PM · by David Kushan

Changing Workforce Before and After COVID

Career Planning, Hiring, David Kushan

As we began 2020, numerous trends were reshaping the employment landscape. Then, just as quickly as they emerged, COVID brought them to a halt while introducing a variety of new factors that organizations needed to adjust to immediately. 

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Mar 15, 2021 1:50:00 PM · by David Kushan

Productivity Is About Your Systems, Not Just Your People

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

In order to build a strong team, you’ll need a number of people who can be top performers.

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Mar 8, 2021 1:42:00 PM · by David Kushan

You Really Don’t Have an Edge — You’re Just Keeping Up!

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

At the beginning of 2020, before COVID-19 hit, roughly 15% of healthcare IT organizations had positions that they deemed appropriate for remote work.

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Feb 15, 2021 4:26:00 PM · by David Kushan

The Employee’s Mindset: How It Changes and Its Impact on the Market

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

There’s an evolution to an employee’s mindset when the economy goes into a state of sudden and massive job loss.

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Jan 26, 2021 3:11:00 PM · by David Kushan

Strengths and Challenges of Employing Data Science in Healthcare

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

The healthcare data analytics market has been evolving for some time. But we’ve hit a tipping point: The amount of hiring in these spaces is growing at a faster pace than at any other time in the past decade. And projections are for continued growth.

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Jan 12, 2021 1:17:00 PM · by David Kushan

Did you hire well? How do you know?

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

When making business decisions, specifically those that require a significant financial investment, it’s customary for an organization to determine their return on investment (ROI). Without an idea of the ROI, it’s almost impossible to conclude whether the investment would be a good or bad decision.

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Dec 17, 2020 3:46:00 PM · by David Kushan

Formula for success

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

New Year’s is a time when we put goals and resolutions in place. But resolutions tend to fade away and, ultimately, fail. Instead, it’s important to sit down and focus on just a few areas that you’re absolutely committed to improving.

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Dec 10, 2020 3:32:00 PM · by David Kushan

Are your new team members just grateful to have a job?

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

Regardless of who’s available in the job market, your world-class talent-access process should remain consistent. Unfortunately, too many organizations change their methods based on how many candidates are available at a particular moment in time. Having said that, here’s an example of how changing your process greatly impacts the candidate experience.

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Dec 3, 2020 9:43:00 AM · by David Kushan

Where Will Health IT Be 1 Year From Now? CIO Make Their Predictions.

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

Where Will Health IT Be 1 Year From Now? CIO Make Their Predictions.

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Nov 26, 2020 9:48:00 AM · by David Kushan

But How Do Your Candidates Feel About You?

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

During a typical hiring process, organizations tend to see things through their own eyes.

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Nov 19, 2020 9:22:00 AM · by David Kushan

Spotting Talent Or Filling Job Requirements

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

You see it all the time: Talent Acquisition Teams. But what does the title actually mean? Are they looking for talent? Or are they looking for years of experience? Talent is defined as a natural aptitude or skill.  But as we know, there are candidates who don’t get the job or even an interview because they don’t have a desired minimum years of experience. Does talent come to fruition only after a certain number of years?

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Nov 10, 2020 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Retaining Your Most Valuable People

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

Building a team requires more than just identifying and hiring the right people. Leaders have to integrate those people into their teams, provide ongoing training, and create and maintain an environment that people want to be a part of.

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Oct 20, 2020 11:58:00 AM · by David Kushan

Are you building a team or filling a job opening?

General, Hiring, Misc., David Kushan

When we talk about “alignment,” we’re talking about building a long-term, high-performance team, as opposed to filling jobs. In order to effectively build those teams, hiring managers would do well to follow Healthcare IS’ model designed to produce the highest likelihood of employer-candidate fit.

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Aug 17, 2020 9:13:00 AM · by David Kushan

Execute a Proper Market Analysis Prior to Recruiting for Your Key Roles

General, Hiring, David Kushan

Within Healthcare IS’ Hire Value methodology, we discuss the importance of completing a market analysis prior to filling a position. 

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Aug 3, 2020 9:12:00 AM · by David Kushan

Talent Strategy When You Are Not Hiring Or Don’t Have An Opening

General, Hiring, David Kushan

Identify The Right Talent Before You Need It

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Jan 20, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Important Question Many Managers Fail To Ask

General, Consulting, Hiring

This will be a short post, because its point doesn’t require a lot of elaboration. So, let me quickly tell you this story and get to the point.

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Jan 8, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

The Truth About Targeted Salaries

General, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

Most of the companies we work with have a “salary range” for the position they’re trying to fill. The question is, where do these numbers come from?

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Dec 4, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

3 Things a Hiring Manager Should Not Delegate During The Hiring Process

General, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

Depending upon a company's size, the role of an HR person or department in the hiring process can vary from simply posting an ad and sending resumes to the hiring manager to completing everything through the first interview. The challenge with the latter is making sure that you're not delegating steps throughout the hiring process to a person to whom you've not given the proper tools to complete those steps. 

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Nov 25, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

1st Interview Don'ts... For the Hiring Manager

General, Hiring, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

Every time I see an article on what not to do during an interview, it’s directed toward the candidate. Well, in the recruiting world I’ve seen an equal number of interviews go badly due to something the hiring manager did or didn’t do as because of something the candidate did or didn’t do. A few of the major don’ts come to mind. 

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Oct 29, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Should You Pay a Referral Fee for Healthcare Job Applicants You Hire?

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Healthcare IS Team

Let me start by clarifying what I mean by "referral fee."

I'm not referring to a placement fee paid to a recruiting firm determined by contract terms. I'm referring to a "bonus" paid to either an internal employee and/or a professional not associated with a recruiting firm upon the hiring of a candidate who was referred by that individual. 

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Oct 22, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Misinterpreted Information on a Resume

General, Resume Tips, Hiring, David Kushan

In my experience, hiring managers frequently review résumés for a minute or less and come to conclusions that are based on false assumptions. It’s from these false assumptions, in turn, that they base their decisions regarding whom to interview.

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Oct 9, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Good People Are Really Easy To Find!

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Networking, David Kushan

In December 2010, I was at the ASHP’s (American Society for Health Systems Pharmacists) midyear meeting in Anaheim, CA. Over the years, their track relating to Pharmacy IT and Informatics has really expanded.

Between sessions, I was engaged in a conversation with a Director of Pharmacy and a Manager of Pharmacy Informatics. Both were talking about the technology initiatives their organizations had in place related to pharmacy and the medication management process. Once the discussion evolved into specific project plans and go-live dates, it turned toward having the right people in place — both full-time employees and consultants. Of course, it doesn’t seem like you can have a conversation about hiring Healthcare IT employees without someone saying how hard it is to find the right people. So, when they started telling me how hard it’s been for them to find the right people, they were both a little shocked by my response: “Good people are easy to find.” I paused for effect and when they both stared at me like I was crazy, I added, “Good people are easy to find — they’re just very hard to get hired.”

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Oct 2, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Demise of Non-Solicitation Agreements

General, Career Planning, Hiring, David Kushan

Nothing can be more disruptive to an organization’s plans than the loss of key personnel. As a result, many times partnering organizations, vendor/clients, client/client, and even competing organizations will put in place formal and informal “agreements” to not hire each other’s employees. These types of agreements have existed for many years within various industries, Healthcare IT certainly being one of them. In fact, over the past couple of years, some Healthcare IT vendors and consulting firms have been very aggressive in establishing policies as it relates to hiring practices.

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Oct 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

One Way to Guarantee Credibility as a Consultant

General, Consulting, Hiring, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

In this post, I want to discuss how to gain credibility with a hiring manager at the conclusion of an interview. 

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Sep 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Time Kills All Deals

General, Consulting, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

From a recruiter’s standpoint, a delay in the hiring process is the most common factor preventing a successful hire. A delay can range from too much time between interviews, to a postponement in making an offer, to putting a position “on hold.” Below are a few things to avoid during the hiring process.

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Aug 12, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Is Your Management Team Preventing You From Attracting Top Talent?

General, Hiring, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

Before each interview, a good recruiter will prepare their candidates with relevant information regarding the interview that's about to take place. The candidate is told who they're speaking/meeting with, how long they should expect the interview to last, what types of questions they will be asked, and, ideally, some information regarding the personality/interview style of the hiring manager(s). 

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Jul 31, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Karl Dinse

What Top Performers Have In Common

General, Career Planning, Hiring

Having been in the executive recruiting business for 30-plus years, I can’t help but notice certain commonalities among top performers. These fundamental traits, which never seem to change, are integrated with a value/belief system that gets results. Let’s look at what makes the great ones get to the top and stay there.

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Jul 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Projecting a Realistic Start Date in Contract Consulting

General, Hiring, Interviews

While a start date is the last agenda item of the hiring process, it's among the first things that should be considered.

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Jun 4, 2014 9:26:00 AM · by Karl Dinse

How to Have a Meaningful Interview

General, Resume Tips, Career Planning, Hiring, Interviews

If you ask tenured recruiters what's the myth they've most frequently encountered in the business, most would tell you it's the feedback they receive when debriefing candidates following interviews. So often, according to those candidates, they "nailed it" or they "hit a home run" or they’re certain to get a job offer. The reality: More than 75% of the time the employer has no interest in them. In fact, they had a very forgettable interview. Why the disconnect? What happened?

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Apr 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Do you understand the importance of a phone interview in the contract world?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

One of the main differences between contract placement and permanent placement is the speed of which the contract world moves. 

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Apr 1, 2014 10:29:00 AM · by Karl Dinse

Urgency: Does the Market for Top Talent Really Change?

General, Industry News, Hiring, Corporate Culture

All of us in the staffing business have often heard, "We're in a candidate-driven market right now," or the opposite: "We're in a client-driven market right now." How about, "We are in neither?" The reality of the demand for "A" talent is that hiring the best requires a philosophical approach and process that consistently advocates a sense of urgency for all parties involved.

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Mar 27, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Hiring On a Contract-To-Hire Basis

General, Consulting, Hiring, David Kushan

Some companies prefer filling positions on a contract-to-hire basis. These are full-time positions within an organization, but rather than hiring someone straight into the role, the company opts to hire the candidate on a contract basis first. Then, if things go well, the company converts the person to FTE (full-time employee) status.  

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Nov 12, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

When Interviewing Potential Candidates, Change What You're Looking For

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture

A few months ago, I read a New York Times article by Thomas Friedman titled "Need a Job? Invent It." In this article, Friedman refers to the book Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World by Tony Wagner, a Harvard education specialist. In the book, Wagner makes reference to a few key points:

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Nov 7, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Should you bring on a consultant as an interim employee while you look for FTE?

Consulting, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

Although we are primarily a contract staffing firm, our clients often have needs for a full time employee to fill a permanent position. And although this is not a focus of our firm, we can certainly fill these positions as well. But first we ask, "have you considered bringing on a consultant while you look to find the permanent employee?"

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Nov 5, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Understanding Emotional Equity When You're Hiring Top Performers

General, Hiring, David Kushan

"Emotional equity" is a term I use to explain something that I realize exists, but that most hiring managers do not. The problem is that most hiring managers I deal with are not only unaware of the term, but they’re also unaware of the concepts.

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Oct 8, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Need a Hire Yesterday? Be Ready Today.

General, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

I Need Them Yesterday, But I Don't Have Time to Interview Them Tomorrow

By the time a hiring need arrives at a recruiting firm, it’s usually an urgent need. The company has already tried to fill the position on its own and maybe spent too much time doing so. When they decide to pay a fee to fill this position, they’re feeling the pain of not having someone in the role to complete the work. 

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Aug 13, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Hidden Hiring Mistake

General, Hiring, David Kushan

If you have been a hiring manager long enough, inevitably you have hired the “wrong” person.  When you hire someone and realize within the first 90 days it not going to work out, most people would classify this as a bad hire…or a hiring mistake.  Most people are easily able to figure our how costly this mistake can be.

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Aug 1, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Who Should Conduct The 1st Phone Interview?

General, Hiring, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

A "telephone screen" can be conducted by anyone within an organization, from Human Resources up to the CEO. Does it really matter who actually conducts that first telephone interview? In my experience, yes, it absolutely does.

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May 7, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

How Saving Money on a Salary Can Cost You the Candidate

Hiring, Corporate Culture, Healthcare IS Team

In a decision-making position, it’s often your job to save the company money wherever possible. Whether you accomplish this through effective vendor management, staff reduction, or offering lower salaries, you, as a manager, are usually looking for ways to save a few extra bucks and, as a result, make yourself look good. 

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Jan 24, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Are you a B company looking for an A player?

Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

When a candidate withdraws from the interview process or declines a job offer, it's often because he or she didn't see anything in the new company that's better than his or her current company. Whether it's the career opportunity, the people, the salary, or just the fact that the organization itself appeared unattractive, something was missing.

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Jan 10, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

What Is Your Sourcing Strategy?

Hiring, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

I really liked him, but I'd like to talk to a few more people before I make my decision . . .

Such is the feedback commonly heard in the recruiting world after the first interview takes place. There's something about human nature that makes us want to "shop around" and compare our options. The problem with this, when dealing with people, is that the more time that passes between each contact with a candidate (time we’re spending shopping around), the more doubts will tend to arise within that candidate’s mind.

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Nov 26, 2012 11:02:00 PM · by David Kushan

Will Travel Requirement Trends Lead To More Healthcare IT Consultants?

Consulting, Hiring, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

Once Health IT employees gain a certain level of experience working at a hospital, they have the option to consider working as consultants. As Health IT consultants, they would have the ability to increase their income by 25-70%, depending on their specific skills and the type employment or contracting relationship they put in place. Now, I understand that money isn’t everything, but it’s a motivator for many people who get into consulting. However, what keeps most people from getting into consulting is the amount of travel required.

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Oct 9, 2012 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Hiring Lessons From The World Series Champions

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Healthcare IS Team, David Kushan

I’ve always been a sports fan. In fact, I played various organized sports from the time I was six all the way through college, where I played baseball. In my opinion, so much of what happens in the sports world has direct correlations to everyday life. I also believe there are many lessons there that can be applied to hiring and team building.

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Sep 11, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Two Reasons Why Hiring Is Not Going To Get Any Easier

General, Hiring, David Kushan

In past posts, I've made reference to some of the many articles publicizing shortages that currently exist, and will persist, in finding and hiring specialized skills within the Healthcare IT/Informatics market.

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Sep 6, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Should You Have A Hiring Standard?

General, Industry News, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Networking, David Kushan

It simply amazes me (and I’m not amazed too often) how bad some people are at hiring or building a team. It's almost as if - and I'm not trying to be sarcastic here - some people are trying to mess things up. Otherwise, I can't imagine how someone in a management role could stop, think, and then still do the things they do.

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Aug 28, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Yes, They Are Qualified, But Are They Deliverable? Part II

General, Hiring, David Kushan

In my last post, I talked about the concept of a candidate being “deliverable.” From a hiring manager’s perspective, a candidate being deliverable translates to the likelihood of a prospective candidate accepting your offer. A candidate may have a low level of deliverability for one position but a very high level for another.

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Aug 21, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Yes, They Are Qualified But Are They Deliverable?

General, Hiring, David Kushan

Lately, everyone I talk with expresses how significantly demand has picked up in the Healthcare IT job market. Most employers have multiple positions open and most candidates I speak with say the volume of calls they receive for positions has certainly picked up compared to a year ago.

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Aug 7, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Healthcare IT Employers - Are You Hiring Talent or Filling a Job Opening? Part II

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Networking, David Kushan

Optimal performance during this process reflects very positively on the organization, as this is where first and lasting impressions are made among all parties involved. Thus, structure, formality, and the positive alignment of all decision-makers are highly important factors for on-boarding the very best candidates. If this alignment is not present during the process, then clearly the candidate will sense this and might have hesitancy or doubts as to whether this is the “dream” career that he or she is seeking.

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Aug 2, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Healthcare IT Employers - Are You Hiring Talent or Filling a Job Opening?

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Networking, David Kushan

As parts of the overall job market are starting to improve (Healthcare IT being one of them, of course), I’m beginning to see a lot of the same headlines I saw when the economy was coming out of the 2001 recession. Articles about employment branding (which should never stop, even in bad times), the war for talent, etc. are popping up quite a bit. Estimates are showing that the Healthcare IT industry could be up to 50,000 new positions.

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Aug 1, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by Ashley Wetmore

Top 5 Reasons to Blog About Health IT

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Resume Tips, Career Planning, Hiring

The concept of blogging is nothing new but as the application process turns digital and fewer and fewer paper resumes are passed around.. One thing is for sure, taking advantage of the electronic era can only further your candidacy for the job you want.

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Jul 24, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

Did You Think it Would be This Crazy?

General, Hiring, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

In the past, our firm has taken on projects for multiple hires with health systems with which we’ve never worked (it’s always exciting when taking on new clients). One particular client, like many healthcare organizations across the country, continually embarks on very ambitious projects. This client has a track record of fantastic accomplishments.

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