The Right Connection

Dec. 19, 2011  |  By: Ashlie Hand  |  Category: KC Lifestyle, KC2.0, Marketing KC, Workforce Development
Tags: career, KC2.0, KU Med, lifestyle, talent recruitment, University of Kansas Medical Center

KCADC launched its KC2.0 talent recruitment program just about 3 years ago and it has helped more than 100 KCADC investor partners do a better job of promoting Kansas City in their candidate searches. This week, our partner at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Julie McCollom, shares her experience with the KC2.0 program and how it’s been used in their residency recruitment program.

Recruiting for a residency program seems like it would be easy. Have a good program, be in a great hospital and automatically good residents will come begging to be trained at your institution. However, it isn’t quite that simple. There is that intangible “thing” that has to be there.

I couldn’t define what that “thing” was at first. It was sometimes even the main and only reason applicants weren’t selecting our residency. I had to find out what it was. After sending out a survey to applicants who didn’t pick our program, I discovered that “thing” was Kansas City.

The applicants hated the city. “The city was too small.” “Is there even a downtown?” “There isn’t anything to do.” “I don’t think my spouse can find a job.” “There is no nightlife.” “There are no outdoor activities.” Were these really the candidates’ first impressions of the KC area? When I went back and analyzed what exposure our program gave applicants to the city, I realized it was quite pathetic.

This was the drill for exposing candidates to Kansas City: The evening before their formal interview, applicants were taken out to dinner on the Country Club Plaza, and the next morning the Chief Resident and I would try to field any questions the applicants had about the city in-between interviews. That was it. They saw the city through their car window, or from my personal experiences. The quality of information we were giving was less than ideal.

While we can’t change where our residency program is located, we can certainly change how we portray the Kansas City lifestyle. This year I discovered that the medical center was a member of the Kansas City Area Development Council. Through KU Med’s investment in KCADC, we are entitled to certain perks, one of which is having a PR specialist from KCADC come and give a professional presentation on Kansas City completely customized for my audience.

 

 

There are now 45 minutes in our formal interviewing schedule set aside to promote Kansas City. KCADC provides each of our applicants with a gift bag filled with Kansas City branded items along with the Kansas City lifestyle presentation.The reactions from our applicants have been positive. Applicants have reported that we’ve been the only residency program in the country to incorporate the city into the interview process, and they have found the presentation to be extremely helpful, positive and fun.

Listening to the applicants talk amongst themselves about how cool the presentation was, and how they can’t wait to get back to look at their bags, makes me smile. But when I’m walking them out to the lobby and they’re talking about meeting up later at the Power & Light District before their plane leaves, that’s when I know we’ve made the connection.