How Norman Regional Health System draws candidates home


Headquarters:
Norman, Oklahoma
Industry:
Healthcare
Founded:
1946
iCIMS customer since:
2018
Company size:
2,900
iCIMS products:
Career Sites
Video Studio
Applicant Tracking
Text Engagement
Advanced Analytics
Norman Regional Health System logo

Norman Regional Health System implemented iCIMS to create a faster, more efficient recruitment process and establish its employer brand. Once a recruitment underdog, the organization is quickly becoming a destination for in-demand healthcare talent, even among larger, more entrenched healthcare systems – some of which are just 20 minutes up the street from their headquarters.

20

rehires made quarterly

65%

candidate response rate

7 mins

candidate response time

The Norman Regional approach

The HR team at Norman Regional Health System devised a recruitment strategy to push the organization forward and improve its efficiency. The key was a technology overhaul.

Talent Acquisition Manager Eric Shaw and Vice President of Human Resources Keith Minnis were adamant that things needed to change. The HR team needed to move away from manual processes and toward a best-in-class recruiting system.

“The early bird gets the worm, and we’re up against much larger healthcare systems in a competitive market. Our ability to screen and route applicants, then get them an offer quickly, is of the utmost importance – speed wins the game in this environment,” Minnis said.

Employees pose for a picture at Norman Regional Health
Employees walking in a ward at Norman Regional Health

Texting internal candidates

It’s not just external candidates who Norman Regional Health System needed to reach. The team implemented iCIMS Text Engagement, allowing them to communicate effectively with their internal hires. Though nurses can’t always pick up a phone call, they can glance at a text.

“We’ve been using iCIMS to communicate with our internal hires. Things like, ‘The offer letter for your new position is in your inbox. Sign it and call if you have any questions.’ We’re just trying to do that as much as possible,” Shaw said.

Welcoming back past employees

Another way Norman Regional Health System uses Text Engagement is through their Welcome Home Campaign, which targets former talent (who they call ‘Healers’) to come back ‘home’ to the hospital.

“We target individuals through text messaging. ‘Hey, how’s it going over there? You’ve been gone for a couple of years. We’d love to have you here. If you’re ever interested, we still want you back,” he continued.

Norman Regional Health System sent out over 3,000 text messages and reviewed more than 2,000 responses, seeing a response time of 7 minutes and a response rate of 65%.

Doctor smiles at Norman Regional Health
Healthcare team at Norman Regional Health poses with a delivery of food

Storytelling with video

Norman Regional Health also features videos of Healers who had left for another employer and later returned.

“We tell their story and why they left or returned. Who they are, and more importantly, ‘Welcome back,'” Minnis said. “We do this for two reasons: One is to tell others about us and the family culture, and two, reinforce the importance of those here. We do want you to stay home. There’s no place like home. iCIMS Video Studio has been helpful with respect to that.”

Norman Regional’s Welcome Home Campaign has garnered 20 rehires quarter over quarter.

Creating data-driven hiring practices

iCIMS Advanced Analytics helps Norman Regional Hospital outpace national benchmarks and hold itself accountable by establishing a baseline against themselves.

“We’ve been able to establish service level agreements for applicants’ time to review, time to disposition, time to offer and time to hire. Those now have credible meaning, and we’re able to share those with our leaders,” Minnis said.

Doctor speaks with a patient at Norman Regional Health

We have a true partnership with iCIMS. It's not just a directive or some stats thrown at us, and then we are left alone. iCIMS has helped us tremendously and followed through with everything and helped us learn.

Eric Shaw

Talent Acquisition Manager, Norman Regional Health

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