Hiring Right at the Mayo Clinic

Featured for more than a dozen years on Fortune$$s $100$ Best Companies to Work For$$ list, the Mayo Clinic is known for having an employee$-$friendly work environment. However, the success of the organization depends not only on treating employees well, but also on having the right employees in place. Working in the health$-$care industry can be stressful, creating challenges for a not$-$for$-$profit organization such as the Mayo Clinic to recruit and select new staff members. And the Mayo Clinic does a lot of hiring. With more than $44000$ employees, the organization hires about $5000$ new employees a year. So how does the Mayo Clinic handle this challenge?

The Mayo Clinic$$s reputation as a great place to work helps them attract applicants, as evidenced by the more than $68000$ applications they receive in a year. They usually receive over $20$ applicants for each open nursing position while other hospitals struggle to find qualified nurses. So what makes the organization such a great place to work? In addition to creating a caring work culture that makes everybody feel like they are part of a team doing life$-$changing work, they also offer employees generous benefits and other perks. They offer the basics such as health care and retirement benefits, along with a full menu of other benefits. For example, employees receive $28$ paid days off each year, back$-$up child care, subsidized parking, tuition reimbursement, and work$$life balance programs that offer flexible work options. These offerings support the recruitment process as current employees encourage others to join their team. In fact, about $20$ percent of their jobs are filled by employee referrals.

In addition to employee referrals, many of their job applicants are cultivated internally. With five schools in the Mayo Clinic$$s educational system, the clinic essentially is training new potential employees for positions ranging from technologists to surgeons. However, the organization$$s stellar reputation attracts many applicants from outside the organization as well.

The $$Jobs at Mayo Clinic$$ section of the company website is an important tool in their recruitment process. The site is dynamic and provides extensive information to potential applicants, including details on specific jobs, professional development opportunities, recognition programs, and benefits. If the organization does not have a current job opening available, they keep applicants engaged through their Talent Community, which allows the applicant to learn about relevant job opportunities as soon as they become available. The Talent Community keeps job applicants engaged through email updates about news at the clinic and other career$-$related information.

Once the organization has a pool of applicants for a job, they have to make a tough selection decision. The organization takes hiring seriously, identifying the applicants that not only meet the qualifications for the job but that also align with the organization$$s values. Their selection process rigorously screens for qualities including respect, compassion, integrity, teamwork, innovation, and stewardship. After an initial screening that includes an online application profile and often a Web$-$based interview, formal in$-$person interviews are conducted by at least one panel, sometimes more. The panels conducting the interviews include representatives from human resources, the hiring manager, future team members, and sometimes other internal customers who may interact with the future employee. Physicians and scientists may also be asked to give a presentation. Decisions are made only after a thorough screening process is completed.

Evidence suggests that the Mayo Clinic$$s hiring efforts are effective. Employees who are well$-$matched to the organizational culture and values continue to rank the clinic as a top workplace. Furthermore, those they hire tend to stay with the clinic for the long run. The organization has boasted a low $5$ percent voluntary turnover rate. Within the physician workforce, the turnover rate stays as low $1$ to $2$ percent, which is extraordinary in the health$-$care industry.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Would you be interested in working at the Mayo Clinic?

How does the Mayo Clinic$$s Talent Community help to recruit new applicants?

Why is it important for the Mayo Clinic to assess a job applicant$$s values?

How does a panel interview process help the organization make better hiring decisions?