The year 2020 will most certainly be remembered as a time of profound challenges for millions of people around the world. In healthcare, within a perfect storm of a viral pandemic and a fragmented delivery system, those working in the field have a better understanding of the profession’s previously untested readiness and the unique challenges it faces going forward. As communities were ordered to shelter in place and providers suspended in-person patient visits and elective procedures, the traditional revenue stream across the network slowed to a trickle. In response, employers across the country initiated hiring freezes, furloughs, work schedule reductions and layoffs, creating opportunities and challenges for those individuals hoping to continue the advancement of their careers amid this crisis.
Successful healthcare leaders are already accustomed to managing the challenges of organizational responsibility and their careers simultaneously during periods of great uncertainty and change. During the past few decades, they have witnessed unprecedented reshaping of reimbursement systems, regulatory oversight and governance models, all of which have necessitated the reinventing of organizational operations to achieve higher efficiency without sacrificing access to or delivery of quality patient care.
In response to these previous periods of industry turbulence, many healthcare leaders recommitted to longer-term relationships with their current employers, while others have used the opportunity to explore prospects elsewhere as a means to propel their careers forward.
COVID-19 once again puts many healthcare careerists at another crossroad: As leaders begin to explore the available growth options in this current environment, they must keep in mind that one size does not fit all. Each career decision must be closely considered in relation to personal, financial and geographic impact, along with the individual’s own assessment of risk tolerance. Following is advice for navigating one’s career during the pandemic.
Seek Out New Internal Opportunities
Downsizing within an organization can send a shockwave of insecurity through all levels of administration, management and staff. Despite the inevitable uncertainties, there has never been a better time for internal candidates to step up and be considered for career advancement.
Organizations across the country are currently redefining existing leadership roles to allow for the temporary or permanent elimination of administrative and support staff positions. As this downsizing occurs, internal leaders who proactively demonstrate their interest and ability to quickly assume broader or expanded responsibilities stand to benefit, as the number of affordable administrative positions begins to diminish.
This is the ideal time to leverage internal relationships that have been cultivated over time and to assertively express a personal commitment to role adaptability in order to assist the organization in meeting its current challenges.
Most healthcare leaders have career aspirations well beyond their current roles. These individuals are constantly on the lookout for a career-path progression that will provide for increased responsibility and professional challenge. In order to grow in concert with their current employers, these leaders must find a way to differentiate themselves as unique assets and be identified as employees whose skills and values are aligned with an organization’s current and anticipated needs.
Keep Up With Changing Skill Sets
Many individuals, either by design or default, will find themselves seeking employment with a new organization. In response to the financial challenges COVID-19 has caused, healthcare organizations across the country find themselves operating in a period of workforce reduction, often implementing hiring freezes for all positions not deemed essential for direct patient care. Recovery of the job market will likely be slow and indeterminate while organizations adjust to wide fluctuations of demand as the surges of COVID-19 come and go. When hiring does resume, candidates will notice that organizational recruitment has been rapidly redirected to maximize the utilization of internal resources, often without the involvement or support of executive search consultants.
By necessity, the talent-acquisition process has been distilled largely into a digital process with candidate identification, screening and panel interviewing being conducted in a world of online communication and videoconferencing. To successfully engage with this new normal, individuals seeking career growth outside their own organizations must now begin to master a new set of skills to properly showcase their background and experience while simultaneously demonstrating that all-important quality of organizational fit.
Successfully navigating today’s employment market requires a recommitment to some of the basic tools of professional engagement. It is well-established that many opportunities for career advancement are initially identified through the skillful management of professional networking. In a situation where options to physically network are extremely limited, executives must implement a coordinated strategy of establishing and maintaining contact with a broad and diversified professional network. Consider using social media to stay connected, making sure to update professional profiles on social media sites. In addition, leaders are encouraged to stay involved with professional associations, including their local ACHE chapters.
It may be helpful for leaders to develop a target list of organizations that represent their personal interests and seek out common connections for those hard-to-get professional introductions. In return, they can consider offering that same assistance to colleagues reaching out for their help.
If not already proficient with these tools, executives should establish a comfort level with using videoconferencing platforms. Consider practicing one’s video presentation skills by recording and watching oneself on screen. Leaders can also enlist the help of colleagues to conduct mock interviews to become more comfortable with virtual interaction.
Healthcare delivery is not on hold and neither are healthcare executives’ careers. How leaders choose to respond to the professional challenges that COVID-19 presents will play a pivotal role in their ongoing development. A career cannot wait for things to return to normal. In healthcare, there might be no such thing.
John G. Faubion, FACHE, is president, Faubion Associates Executive Search, Glendale, Calif. (faubionassociates.com).