by Skip Anderson

Even in times of healthy employment rates, keeping the University staffed can be a cumbersome task. With as many as 14,000 employees on any given day, Vanderbilt is Middle Tennessee's largest private employer, and second only to the state government overall.

In times of low unemployment like now in Middle Tennessee, when "anybody who wants to work has a job," as one University official put it, the task is daunting. Times like these call for invigorated marketing efforts and creative recruiting by the office responsible for keeping the University staffed, the office of Human Resource Services.

"For most positions, we have tapped out the local market," said Kent Bliss, manager of the University recruiting and staffing office of HRS. "We have got to expand our base to wherever there is a diverse, qualified candidate pool. Vanderbilt is being very proactive, and we have modified and expanded our recruitment strategies over the last several years."

In large part, that means looking beyond Middle Tennessee, which the University has done in the past on a limited basis. However, as the way people look for jobs goes high-tech, so does the method of reaching them. In May, Vanderbilt began marketing itself nationally on Digital City through America Online, an Internet service provider with 44 million subscribers. Bliss said 23,000 visitors accessed the Digital City Web site, with 2,500 of that number linking to the University's job list in the first month as a result of the advertisement on AOL.

"That means when people saw the Vanderbilt logo on AOL, 2,500 people clicked the link to access the Vanderbilt Job List," he said. "In the Nashville market, we're ahead of the game."

The advertisement is in the form of a large icon in the right-hand margin of AOL's Digital City: Nashville Web page that says, "Vanderbilt University & Medical Center ­ Your Employer of Choice." Vanderbilt is one of several local businesses advertising on this site. The link is programmed to direct some of the viewers to Vanderbilt's job list (www.vanderbilt.edu/HRS/hrs.htm) and others to Vanderbilt's homepage (www.vanderbilt.edu). Bliss said the job list receives an average of 12,000 visitors each month. The University first listed job openings on its Web page in 1995.

"Everything is going towards the Internet," said Bliss. "It's an economical way to reach potentially millions of people. The Internet is available at any time at the applicant's convenience. Colleges and technical schools are training students to conduct their job searches on the Internet."

While the University continues to advertise job openings in trade journals and newspapers across the country, Bliss said such efforts are fast becoming less effective. HRS officials said that a recent survey showed that more than 10 percent of applicants learned about openings at Vanderbilt via the Internet, and the number is expected to continue to climb.

"What we're finding is that the newspaper advertising isn't as successful as it used to be" at attracting applicants, he said. "The potential audience isn't nearly as large as it is on the Internet."

"By posting positions on the Internet, we are able to target specialty areas which is particularly effective. For example, we can reach critical care nurses by posting on Web sites such as www.miracleworkers.com," said Marianne Blackwell, manager of Vanderbilt's Nurse Recruitment Office.

In response to this trend, The Tennessean and other newspapers are beginning to host virtual career fairs. Typically operating under a particular theme, such as patient care or information technology, participating employers post listings on the host's Web site. Job hunters interested in a particular position submit resumes electronically. The host will help bring together advertisers and potentially qualified applicants. Virtual career fairs may last several weeks in duration.

"Vanderbilt was the most popular employer visited in the recent health care virtual job fair with The Tennessean, which was available for one month," said Blackwell. "Approximately 100 people applied for positions at Vanderbilt, and to date, five hires have been made as a result of this effort."

Linda Hendricks, director of Human Resource Programs, said minimal marketing efforts once brought in more than enough applicants for most positions.

"When I came to Vanderbilt nine years ago, we had more applicants for positions than we knew what to do with," she said. "Advertising and recruitment efforts were minimal at that time. We have had to be creative and to build a strong recruitment program over the last five years. We track what is working and look for new opportunities."

Vanderbilt has developed relationships with more than 30 community agencies and programs, and instituted new internship programs for technical positions such as certified medical secretaries with transcription abilities.

"We've been particularly successful developing the internship program with the Tennessee Technology Center," said Bliss.

Due to the extremely low unemployment rate in Nashville, Vanderbilt is also targeting qualified candidates who already have jobs.

"When we are marketing to the employed person, we stress Vanderbilt's stability, excellent benefits and opportunities for advancement." said Hendricks.

Despite marketing strategies aided by advances in technology, career fairs and recruitment tours, one of the University's most successful ways of attracting potential employees is also one of its most longstanding.

"Word-of-mouth is something that people sometimes take for granted," said Bliss. "The number-one way applicants learn about opportunities at Vanderbilt is from our current employees, and that speaks very well for the University."

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