The problem isn't the MARKET, it's the TACTICS

I speak to hospital/healthcare recruiters every day who say the same thing: "I am not getting any response to my recruiting efforts (e.g. advertisements, resume mining) so I guess there just aren't any local candidates in my market..." This is very flawed thinking. Let's take registered nurses as an example. Most people don't realize that there are almost 3 million registered nurses in the United States, and major metro areas have anywhere from 15,000 - 50,000 registered nurses all residing within a commutable distance. So how is it possible that a healthcare recruiter could think that there are not any local candidates to source from? And with such an enormous pool to source from, why does it take so long to fill open positions? As the title of this discussion states: The problem isn't the MARKET, it's the TACTICS. If you're sourcing from a pool of potential nurses that literally has thousands of candidates in it, then you need to find a way to communicate with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Most recruiters rely on placing advertisements or scouring resume databases, which, in healthcare, may only reach 2% of the total population of nurses in your market. It's no wonder you're not getting any response, considering that you are fighting over the same 2% of job-seekers that every other healthcare employer/recruiter is going after! You need to change your tactics. Be proactive in reaching the other 98% of the candidate pool that is not looking for a career opportunity. Even though they are not looking, they are still very receptive to learning about career opportunities.