Building the perfect healthcare team can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The hiring process is often riddled with inefficiencies, and traditional methods may not always yield the best candidates.
In a recent interview, Harlon Pickett sat down with Dr. Michael Neal, founder and CEO of Build My Team, to discuss how he has transformed healthcare hiring by prioritizing candidates’ natural abilities over experience.
His insights challenge conventional hiring wisdom and offer a smarter way for healthcare recruiters to build top-performing teams.
Why Experience Isn’t Always an Asset in Healthcare Hiring
For years, experience has been the gold standard in hiring, but Dr. Neal argues that it can be a red flag.
Many hiring managers assume that experienced candidates will seamlessly transition into new roles. Still, in reality, these candidates often bring ingrained habits that may not align with a new practice’s workflow.
Instead, Build My Team focuses on evaluating candidates based on their natural strengths and ability to learn quickly.
By using assessments that measure attributes like stress tolerance and adaptability, healthcare recruiters can identify candidates who have the potential to excel, even if they lack prior experience in the field.
This approach has proven successful in finding employees who integrate well into their new roles and contribute to long-term success.
Flipping the Hiring Model: A New Approach for Healthcare Recruiters
Dr. Neal takes inspiration from companies like Disney and the Four Seasons, which focus on screening out unsuitable candidates first rather than trying to find the perfect one right away.
His model utilizes an automated, multi-layered assessment process to filter candidates based on key personality traits and cognitive abilities.
Only those who demonstrate the right fit for healthcare roles advance in the hiring process. The results speak for themselves—this method boasts a 97% success rate in predicting a candidate’s performance.
For healthcare recruiters, adopting a data-driven hiring approach can reduce turnover, improve workplace culture, and ensure that every hire is an asset to the team.
How Smart Hiring Transforms Healthcare Practices
Dr. Neal’s innovative hiring model isn’t just a theory—it has delivered tangible results. He implemented this system in his healthcare practice, and the impact was remarkable:
Reduced staff size: The practice decreased from 14 full-time employees to 10.5.
Increased revenue: Gross revenue rose by 50%, while net revenue nearly tripled within two and a half years.
Enhanced team performance: By replacing underperforming employees with high-caliber talent, the work environment improved dramatically.
A major takeaway from this transformation is that hiring the right people—rather than just filling positions—has a direct effect on efficiency, morale, and profitability.
The Danger of Desperation Hiring in Healthcare
One of the biggest mistakes healthcare recruiters make is hiring out of desperation. When a practice needs to fill a role quickly, it’s tempting to hire the first available candidate. However, this often leads to poor fits, increased turnover, and a decline in team morale.
Dr. Neal shared a case where a retinal specialist needed an immediate hire and, by using a structured hiring approach, was able to place a candidate within days. That employee stayed with the practice for five years, proving that a strategic hiring process can be both fast and effective.
Why Resumes Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Another revolutionary aspect of Build My Team’s approach is its minimal reliance on resumes. While traditional hiring places heavy emphasis on past job experience, resumes often fail to reveal the qualities that determine success in a role.
Instead of relying solely on work history, healthcare recruiters should prioritize:
Cognitive ability assessments to measure problem-solving skills.
Stress tolerance evaluations to ensure candidates can handle high-pressure environments.
Natural talent assessments to determine how well a candidate will fit within a specific role.
By shifting the focus from resumes to strengths-based hiring, recruiters open the door to a broader, more talented pool of candidates.
Key Takeaways for Healthcare Recruiters
Dr. Neal’s insights provide a clear roadmap for improving the hiring process in healthcare settings:
Prioritize strengths and adaptability over experience.
Use data-driven assessments to screen candidates effectively.
Avoid desperation hires by implementing a structured recruitment process.
Reduce reliance on resumes in favor of cognitive and personality assessments.
By adopting these strategies, healthcare recruiters can move beyond outdated hiring methods and build exceptional teams.
Implementing Dr. Neal’s hiring principles may require a shift in mindset, but the long-term benefits—higher retention rates, increased revenue, and a more cohesive team—make it a worthwhile investment for any healthcare practice.