Physicians who were not looking for a new job and still chose to move
Plastic surgeons and senior consultants, especially within eyelid and facial surgery, are not active candidates. They already hold strong positions and rarely feel a need to change jobs. That is why engaging them requires a different approach. When Aarhus University Hospital needed to recruit for one of Denmark's most specialised functions, Capax Healthcare's network and ability to hold precise candidate conversations became decisive.
About the client
One of Scandinavia's most specialised hospitals
Aarhus University Hospital is one of Scandinavia's largest university hospitals, with clinical activity and research at the highest international level. The plastic surgery department handles advanced and highly specialised procedures and works in a clinical environment where both professional standards and research depth are high.
Recruiting for a department like this requires more than a job posting. It requires access to a very narrow candidate field and the ability to approach specialist physicians and senior consultants who are not actively looking for a new position.
Specialist physicians and senior consultants within this field rarely apply for positions themselves. The relevant candidates must be identified, contacted and engaged while they are already employed elsewhere.
The challenge
The right physicians were not looking and would not apply on their own
The candidate field was extremely limited. The profiles Aarhus University Hospital wanted to reach were already employed in strong specialist environments and had no obvious reason to look for a new job.
That made the assignment less about attracting applications and more about creating interest through direct contact, professional relevance and carefully positioned conversations about the opportunity.
No active candidate market
The relevant specialist physicians and senior consultants were not actively looking. They had to be identified and approached directly in their current roles.
A highly specialised function
The role required specific clinical experience and a strong professional match with one of Denmark's most specialised hospital functions.
Nordic reach was necessary
The candidate field was too narrow to rely only on Denmark. The search had to include relevant profiles in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
The conversation had to be precise
Passive candidates do not respond to generic recruitment messages. They need a relevant, credible and professionally specific dialogue.
What Capax did
We used targeted search, a Nordic network and carefully qualified conversations
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1
Mapped a narrow specialist field
We identified relevant plastic surgeons and senior consultants with experience within the specific surgical areas where Aarhus University Hospital needed to strengthen its team.
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2
Activated a Nordic search
The search covered relevant candidates in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. This gave Aarhus University Hospital access to a larger and more qualified candidate field than a national search alone would have allowed.
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3
Approached passive candidates directly
All candidates were passive. They were contacted through direct and personal outreach, where the conversation focused on professional motivation, clinical development and the specific opportunity at Aarhus University Hospital.
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4
Positioned the professional opportunity
The department's clinical level, research environment and specialist function became central to the dialogue. The focus was not just the position, but what the role could mean for the candidate's professional development.
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5
Delivered insight beyond the recruitment
The process also resulted in an employer brand report for the leadership team, based on candidate dialogue and market feedback from the Nordic specialist field.
Results
Six highly motivated candidates from a fully passive field
Aarhus University Hospital was presented with six highly motivated candidates for interview. The candidates had not been actively looking for a new job and would not have applied on their own.
In addition to the candidate field, the process gave the leadership team concrete insight into how Aarhus University Hospital is perceived among relevant Nordic specialist physicians.
Learnings from the process
Highly specialised recruitment requires more than visibility
- For highly specialised medical profiles, the strongest candidates are often passive and will not respond to a job posting alone
- The candidate field must be mapped carefully, especially when the relevant expertise is narrow
- Nordic reach can be decisive when the national candidate pool is too limited
- The dialogue must be professional, relevant and specific to the candidate's field
- Every candidate conversation also provides valuable insight into employer brand, motivation and market perception
Do you need specialist physicians or other highly specialised healthcare profiles? We can give you a realistic assessment of what it would take to reach the right candidates.Contact us →