Personal marketing during a job hunt - healthcare executives; achieving professional goals - Career Development - Column

Healthcare Financial Management, Oct, 1993 by Diane Peterson

From megatrends and micromanagement to swimming with the sharks and coloring your parachute, today's bookstore shelves are packed with books of advice on how to get ahead in the corporate world.

But the healthcare industry differs from other industries in many ways. Nonspecific generalizations about business and corporate life do not always apply. The healthcare industry is highly specialized, extremely complex, and has fewer opportunities at the executive level. Yet for all their distinctiveness, healthcare organizations--and an individual's role as a key player--are subject to several general marketing principles that have been tested and proven time and again.

People as products

The decision to begin a job search may be made for a variety of reasons, including a desire for advancement, the need for greater compatibility with an organization, or an interest in a career change. Once the decision has been reached, however, individuals should view themselves as products to be marketed, and successful marketing begins with a good, objective analysis of the product. The knowledge, skill, and management expertise each individual can offer is needed somewhere--the task of the individual is to discover where "the perfect fit" can be found.

Creating a "personal product package" and self-marketing plan entails three essential steps. The first, an assessment of skills, may be accomplished by developing answers to specific questions, such as, "What do I most like to do?" and "What are my professional strengths and weaknesses?" Job seekers should make this assessment a thorough experiment in candor. Next, individuals should assess the skills required by potential employers by considering such questions as "Where are the best opportunities?" and "Where do my skills and the organization's requirements intersect?" And finally, individuals should develop a plan to become competitive in the highly competitive job market.

According to a survey conducted by the Houston Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the five most important professional skills sought in chief executive officers (CEOs) are:

* Communication skills (both written and spoken),

* Leadership ability,

* Financial acumen,

* Competence in interpersonal relations, and

* Effective planning and goal setting skills.

Individuals can further their professional advancement goals by making strategic decisions to improve operations within their spheres of responsibility. Ronald Girotto, formerly chief financial officer (CFO) and now executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, identified the defining of spheres of responsibility by function as the most useful strategy for advancement.

"It is important to define one's spheres of responsibility, in order to pave the way for individual leadership in each discrete area," states Girotto. "I favor empowering the managers who report to me by subdividing such spheres of responsibility as the administration of clinics, grants, and physician negotiations."

According to the ACHE Houston Chapter survey, the five qualities Houston CEOs perceived as most important are:

* Honesty/integrity,

* Positive attitude,

* Confidence/poise,

* Initiative as a self-starter, and

* Professional appearance.

Survey respondents ranked honesty/integrity as the most important element. Poise, positive style, and appearance are key to "looking the part." Although it may sound superficial, when individuals look the part, hiring managers believe they can perform.

Preparing a "personal product package" also requires individuals to determine whether or not their current educational level is adequate to reach their goals and if there are professional certifications that would be valuable. Byron Hale, vice president and CFO of Lubbock Methodist Hospital System in Lubbock, Texas, strongly advocates that healthcare financial managers obtain and maintain solid credentials.

"Education and certification cannot be emphasized enough," comments Hale. "The complexity of healthcare financial management positions today requires more of the individual than ever before. Consequently, education and certification are essential factors to success."

Promotion

Promotion--pitching the product--can be accomplished in a number of ways. Researching what tactics have worked for others can help individuals determine what promotional tactics will serve them best. In a 1991 survey conducted by Career Decision, Inc., a subsidiary of ACHE, healthcare executives were asked how they found their positions. The large majority of survey respondents reported that they found their positions through networking. These survey results reinforce the notion that the healthcare industry is "a small world," and that positive relationships--with coworkers, colleagues, vendors, and competitors--are very powerful tools for advancement.

When it comes to locating good job prospects, making use of an executive search firm may be beneficial. Search firms swiftly identify, screen, and place candidates who most closely match the needs of their clients. According to the Career Decision survey, executive search firms account for the placement of individuals in 15 percent of the positions filled in the healthcare industry.