March 2, 2010 | by Dan DeMaioNewton
Last week, I had the great honor of presenting a Views from the Top session at the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) national conference in Atlanta, GA. The conference attends about 25,000 of the best and brightest in the healthcare IT field, and my session was on Finding Keepers: The New Rules of the Game in 21st Century Recruitment.
During my presentation, I asked the employers in the room, "Who's hiring right now?" A show of hands from about 50 employers shot up. "If you need talent right now, I'd like to invite you to join my posse as we pull a talent caper."
Quizzical eyes sprang from the audience. "It's my theory that only the best and brightest get to attend conferences like this, right? If that's the case, this is the best place for you to find the talent to meet your needs."
"Right now, we're conducting a career workshop down the hall for 160 folks interested in advancing their careers. If you're willing, we'll bust into the session and I'll connect you directly with that talent."
When my presentation ended, I met up with about 25 employers. Complete with cowboy hat and bandana, I led them to the HIMSS Monster Career Workshop going on in another conference room. We "burst in" at the right time and each employer in the posse took the stage to share with the attendees: who they were, what jobs they had, why they mattered, and how to contact them during the conference.
We then took a 10 minute break to allow "speed dating" for workshop attendees and employees to connect. Then I announced, "Security has been notified. Employers in the posse, you now need to move outside the room. Job seekers involved in conversation, follow them and continue your conversations outside if you must."
They left, and the workshop continued. Although it was due to last until 5pm, it actually ended at 7:30pm when the last question was asked and the last career workshop attendee and I left for the night.
Since then, the feedback I've gotten from the participating employers, the career seekers, and HIMSS has been overwhelming. The spontaneity of the event and direct action to connect employers with talent created a high energy environment. I'll be following up with employers and seekers to see what outcomes emerge, but keep an eye on an increase in these guerilla recruitment tactics as the economy changes. I wasn't kidding when I told you we are going to have huge talent shortages sooner than most people would think.