“Every day, I hear stories from new hires about how happy they are to have found their home at Concentra.”

Tara Petty is the Assistant Vice President of Recruiting at Concentra, a national health care company where, she says, “employees are the company, and the ones who make a difference in the lives of our patients.” In the following Q&A, Petty details what it means to empower employees at Concentra, and how her team finds the talented individuals on whom Concentra’s success ultimately depends.

How do you describe the culture at Concentra? There’s a feeling that’s palpable when you walk through the doors at a Concentra clinic or at our corporate office. You can tell the people here genuinely care about each other and about our patients and clients. We’re a family, and we support one another in our cause of “improving America’s healthcare, one patient at a time.”

Does the culture influence the way you recruit? Absolutely. Technical expertise is obviously important and critical in hiring, but finding someone who is also welcoming, respectful and skillful is equally as important.

How does Concentra work to make an impact on the communities you serve? Giving back to the community is an integral part of Concentra’s culture. A strong community relationship between citizens and the local center team is essential to the success of our business. Our colleagues regularly participate in fundraising events, volunteer efforts and donation collections to support locally-based organizations.

How does Concentra empower employees to make a difference in people’s lives? At Concentra, we believe that who we are as a company is made up of the things we do as individuals. Our Orange Book is a collection of letters and testimonials from patients who’ve highlighted some of the ways Concentra colleagues have made a difference in their lives. We encourage people to give perfect service, from the inside out, and the Orange Book is our guide on how to provide perfect service. It is part of the fiber of our company, and we regularly highlight and recognize people who are living ‘Orange Book values.’

How did the idea for the Orange Book come about? The concept began after seeing how other service industry leaders equipped their employees with the right tools and messages to empower each person to deliver great service. Because the work environments can vary significantly at Concentra, our marketing department developed the book to give colleagues a way to keep those messages close and put the keys to great service in their hands.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? Recruiting clinicians. There is a shortage of physicians in America, and we are competing against a lot of companies vying for this small talent pool.

How has this shortage changed the way you recruit? Our primary recruiting goal for 2012 is to position our openings and company benefits in front of the right physicians. We are working with Personified to create a diverse recruitment advertising program, which includes using niche job boards, search engine marketing and optimization, as well as traditional recruiting techniques like e-mail and direct mail campaigns. We also have a physician referral program that pays $7,500 to any full-time colleague who refers someone we hire, and we’re attending more than 20 health care conferences this year to get the word out that we’re hiring.

What specific qualities do you look for when hiring? That’s simple – it’s our values: A healing focus, a selfless heart and a tireless resolve.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? I’ve been given an opportunity to revamp the way Concentra goes to market with its recruitment initiatives. Every day, I hear stories from new hires about how happy they are to have found their home at Concentra. Without the enhancements we’ve made and the way we recruit, these colleagues might not have found us, and that’s what’s most rewarding.

What do you wish people knew about what goes into recruiting for Concentra?
At Concentra, we know the right people in the right position create the perfect experience. Our talented recruiters work very hard to ensure we find the right fit for our open positions. There are plenty of people who could “do the job” but we search to find the person who embodies our values and demonstrates the exceptional technical abilities to make the position and the person most successful.