Timing is everything in recruitment. While certain months are peak hiring seasons for some industries, real success comes from a consistent, year-round effort. That’s where a smart checklist makes all the difference. It ensures you stay ahead, ready to connect with top talent and fill roles efficiently. To help you get started, here are some ideas you can build on to craft a checklist customized to fit your hiring goals.

January & February

• Develop a detailed and organized onboarding process — or refresh your existing one — to kick-start a new hire’s journey. A great onboarding experience sets a positive tone and establishes the foundation for lasting engagement and retention.
• Review your pipeline and reconnect with candidates you haven’t been actively engaging. They may not be open to a new job or conversation, but reaching out is never a missed opportunity.
• Start planning for spring, when new graduates (who are eager to start their careers) are entering the job market. While many employers often overlook new grads, viewing them as inexperienced, they typically bring fresh ideas, strong tech skills and a passion for learning.

March & April

• Create a conference engagement plan. Choosing which conferences to attend shouldn’t be left to chance. Some events will offer far more benefits than others, but the value you gain will depend on your specific goals.
• Establish your pre-conference marketing strategy. How will you measure success at the event? Through the number of new email leads you capture or the number of interviews generated? The answer may vary, but using consistent metrics across all your conferences gives you a meaningful comparison.
• Start building a conference playbook with key contacts, phone numbers, budgets, receipts and anything else you might need. Think of a playbook as your survival guide. If anything goes off track, a playbook keeps everything at your fingertips. It also frees up your mind so you can stay focused and fully engaged at the conference.
• Identify key dates in your industry — conferences, special events, observance days — and start crafting relevant content to share with future hires. For example, if you’re recruiting nurses, you could create content for National Nurses Week each May. In construction, you might earmark content for National Safety Month each June.

May & June

• Remember the goals you set in January? Review your progress and adjust, as necessary.
• Start prepping for fall career events. Late September and early October are the most popular times for career fairs, and graduating students are motivated to start looking.
• Create templates for invitations or social media posts for career events — and don’t forget to include a booth number, contact information and a link for registration.

July & August

• Reevaluate your employee value proposition (EVP) and brand. There’s ample evidence that a strong employer brand doesn’t just attract top talent — it drives real results. LinkedIn reports that 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agree that employer brand has a significant impact on hiring. With a great EVP, you’ll fill roles faster and save on recruitment costs, all while boosting your bottom line.
• Evaluate responses from candidates you’ve engaged with over the year and find opportunities to refine and improve your job titles, posts and other messaging. Which subject lines got the most responses? Does one job post stand out and why? For inspiration, check out 12 Tips for More Effective Indeed Job Titles and Mastering the Art of Effective Job Descriptions.

September & October

• Assess your sourcing and marketing tools. Finding the right candidates is an art that needs targeted search capabilities and more. You should also start figuring out your top hiring priorities for the upcoming year and decide which recruitment tools to implement.
• Rethink incentives and compensation for your roles. Start with a hard-to-fill position and ask, “What does the ideal candidate for this role look like?” Use those traits to sharpen your search and adjust the incentives to attract the perfect fit.
• Review your budget and expenses compared to last year and start planning for the year ahead.

November & December

• The holiday season is the perfect time to recruit for many organizations. End-of-the-year rethinking has people reexamining their future, and you should take full advantage of it. Many potential candidates also have slower schedules or days off, which means more time to read your emails, search job boards or take a recruiter’s call.
• Review recent and past hires — and their lead sources — for valuable insights to improve future recruitment efforts. Do most of your hires come from the same source? Are some sources underperforming in lead generation? Ultimately, your ability to make quality placements hinges on how effectively you source candidates, so understanding where your best leads come from is crucial.
• Do you have candidates you want to hire, but know they’re not ready to sign on? Don’t risk losing them to a competitor or indecision. Try writing a letter of intent or “offer letter.” It serves as a written expression of mutual interest and good faith from both parties. While not legally binding, it can help candidates take an important mental step toward formalizing an employment contract.

Ready to step up your recruitment game? A smart checklist is your secret to staying ahead, no matter the season. Whether you’re gearing up for the next hiring wave or fine-tuning your year-round approach, AB&C is here to craft a custom plan that aligns with your unique goals and keeps you ready to attract top talent. Let’s talk.

Compelling content is a driving force behind successful physician recruitment marketing. Creating original content — think blogs, social media posts, infographics, and videos — can educate your audience and help you build relationships. After all, that’s what recruiting is all about, right? But coming up with fresh and engaging ideas is a whole other ballgame. That’s why we’ve created a list of seven valuable content ideas to help you capture the interest of physicians.

1. Express your gratitude on important recognition days. A full calendar of days, weeks, and months—such as National Doctor’s Day (March 30, 2025) and Women in Medicine Month (every September) — offers ideal opportunities for content marketing. Use the opportunity to engage with physicians and display your organization’s culture while showing appreciation and support for the people who make healthcare thrive. Other events on the healthcare calendar like National Depression Screening Day (October 10) and National Kidney Month (every March), also offer opportunities to raise public health awareness, promote preventive care, and talk about physicians in related specialties. Here’s a calendar of health observances and recognition days to get you started.
2. Use testimonials to harness the power of trust. Host brief Q&A sessions or one-on-one interviews with physicians and leaders within your organization to gather valuable perspectives and insights. You should prepare four or five thoughtful questions, including one like, ‘What made you choose (your organization’s name) for your career? Turn these responses into compelling testimonials that highlight your organization’s strengths, using direct quotes to add authenticity and impact. According to behavioral science, people respond more positively when they trust the information, so you could also feature testimonials from other respected industry voices to help build authority and connect with physicians.
3. Publish content that focuses on technology and innovation. Technology is revolutionizing healthcare, and physicians play a pivotal role in driving innovation and adopting new technologies. According to a survey by the American Medical Association (AMA), 85% of doctors believe digital health solutions can positively impact patient care. Physicians are also optimistic about digital health’s potential to enhance practice efficiency, improve patient safety, boost diagnostic accuracy, and even reduce burnout. To gain physician interest with your content, focus on product launches, technological advancements, and time-saving integrations that align with their core interests.
4. Share industry insights and updates that set your organization apart. Physicians are always eager to stay informed about the latest advancements in their field. Go beyond the headlines they might see elsewhere and tailor your content to highlight how your organization is not just keeping up but setting the standard. Whether it’s innovations in practice management, workflow improvements, or key trends in the medical specialties you’re recruiting for, connecting industry news to your own initiatives can provide value and position your organization as a true partner in physicians’ career growth.
5. Broadcast your efforts to address clinician well-being. Overwork, administrative burdens, and burnout are real challenges, so use your content to discuss how your organization is tackling these issues. Promote initiatives like wellness programs, peer support networks, or platforms that foster physician connections. By showing your commitment to clinician well-being, you position your organization as a supportive and caring workplace.
6. Shine a spotlight on real-world patient clinical experiences. Sharing detailed case studies that focus on clinical outcomes gives candidates a firsthand look at the meaningful work being done. By emphasizing success stories of innovative treatments, collaborative care, and new initiatives your organization is implementing, you create a powerful narrative that underscores your commitment to innovation and quality care. This approach goes beyond the typical recruitment pitch, giving physicians a compelling reason to see your organization as a place where they can make a true impact.
7. Maximize the value of third-party content by repurposing it creatively. This not only gives you opportunities to engage your audience and provides a nearly endless stream of content, but using credible sources also strengthens trust and authority. Whether you write an article inspired by a podcast or turn important insights into a social media carousel or infographic, always (always, always) remember the golden rule: give full credit to the original author(s) or organization(s), and link to the source — no exceptions.

Every piece of content you create can help connect with physicians and strengthen your brand as an employer of choice. At AB&C, we specialize in crafting content that resonates with healthcare professionals — and beyond — and helps attract top talent. Let’s talk about creating a recruitment marketing strategy that sets you apart and drives real results.

You’re creative, you really are. Creativity isn’t reserved for painters or musicians alone. It doesn’t even require talent. Just like learning to play the piano or throw a curveball, creativity is a skill that anyone can develop. It’s simply about finding your voice and doing things that improve upon what you’re already doing. Creativity plays an integral role in recruitment. Here are three ways to tap into your creative side:  

#1 – Practice the power of storytelling.

Since the dawn of humanity, storytelling has been central to culture. Our ancestors gathered around campfires, weaving tales without scripts, screens or props. Because you can’t just hard-pitch opportunities these days, storytelling is a powerful tool for recruitment. Humans are wired to consume and communicate via stories, and storytelling can create a candidate experience that converts. It can also help your team shine. Why would someone want to work for your company? You have a story. Tell it.

“It doesn’t matter what you know, what you have or what you need if you can’t convey it to anyone else. When you tell your organization’s story, you set the scene for candidates to ‘see’ their place in it — and your conversations are suddenly more relatable.”
– James Whittaker, author and host of the Win the Day podcast.

#2 – Craft creative job descriptions that focus on the candidate.  

Potential candidates want to visualize a career with your organization, so you need to set the scene by writing job descriptions focused on them. Exclude jargon. Skip anything generic or vague. Instead, focus on what makes your organization and opportunity unique. Start with the standout stuff like a sign-on bonus and anything that sells balance and quality of life. Are you offering flexible hours or remote work opportunities? Do you have a unique strategy for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB)?

A creative, well-written job description will attract the talent you want and discourage those you don’t. Describing what candidates can learn, do and become if they come to work for you will help them understand why they want to work for you.

#3 – Attract candidates who enhance your company culture.

Still trying to attract candidates who are a “cultural fit?” Some critics say that is like hiring people you’d like to have a beer with. This can lead to a homogenous culture that lacks diversity. In truth, you want to attract people who are a “culture add” — those who add to or enhance the culture you’re building. That takes creativity.

Your company culture is the “X factor” that sets you apart. So, what is it about your organization and job that makes it attractive? What’s in it for the candidate? Your culture, like your employee value proposition (EVP), is felt every single day. Your culture is synergistic. By using creative ways to attract people with unique interests, values, communication styles, etc. — those who enhance and elevate your culture — the quality of your talent will get better and better. You’re likely to keep employees longer, too.

Embracing creativity in recruitment isn’t just a strategy; it’s a necessity. So, tap into your creative side. The compelling stories you tell — and the unique culture you cultivate — will resonate with candidates, making your organization a place where they can envision their future.

We’re passionate about helping our clients recruit and retain top talent, and it all starts with a conversation. Let’s talk.