Ease up on job experience
The job climate has changed, says Theresa Nash, director of food and nutrition services at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. In the past, the department would sometimes receive 50 applications for one position. Now, applicants are more scarce, and Nash says she can’t afford to set strict criteria, such as prior experience in specific roles. “We’ve looked at our job descriptions and asked ourselves, ‘Do they really need three years of experience?’” she says. Nash and her team have been partnering with their new human resources recruiter to slash unnecessary demands to make sure they aren’t turning away solid contenders. “So many things in our industry are teachable,” she says. “We are only including the real dealbreakers.”