By Maggie Mancini
The way candidates interact with organizations has fundamentally changed, and the need to build and maintain a sustainable talent pipeline is as important as ever to ensure hiring success in a tight, fractured talent market. At Grady Health System, the talent acquisition team has leaned into this approach, revamping its recruitment strategy by combining community outreach and digital marketing to craft an inclusive hiring experience.
By connecting with candidates at every step in their career journey—from middle school students curious about healthcare to experienced professionals looking to make a career pivot—Grady's TA team has boosted its visibility in the wider Atlanta community and enhanced its talent pipeline. What’s made this possible? Hosting and participating in over 100 events in 2024 and 2025, says April Williams, the company’s recruitment marketing specialist.
"When we first started leaning heavily into hiring events, it was because they solved two big challenges at once: cost and speed," Williams says. "In healthcare, especially at a place like Grady where patient needs are urgent, every day a role sits open can ripple across the whole system."
The TA team has cut out weeks of back-and-forth by bringing candidates on-site, meeting them face-to-face, and streamlining interviews and offers in one day, Williams says. This means they’re more readily able to fill critical positions quickly and spend less on prolonged hiring processes or agency fees.
Grady hosts two signature events aimed at improving its visibility to prospective candidates and support community members seeking a career in the healthcare sector. The company’s "Talent Talk Fest," an interactive networking event, brings job seekers together with Grady's TA partners and community organizations to offer career guidance and promote job opportunities.
The company also hosts a "Gateway to Healthcare Careers" hiring event in partnership with WorkSource Atlanta designed for individuals looking to transition to careers in healthcare, Williams adds. Unlike the networking event, this structured initiative specifically targets early-career professionals, college students, and career changers. Attendees apply in advance, have their resumes vetted, and, if selected, can register for interviews with hiring managers and members of the TA team.
The team also combines its recruitment efforts with employer brand building. "Even if someone doesn’t leave with an offer that day, they walk away knowing who we are, what we stand for, and why they might want to come back," Williams says.
Grady's LinkedIn newsletter, "Talent Talk: Grady Edition," covers the hiring experience at Grady, promotes upcoming hiring events, available job roles, and insights into the broader healthcare industry. This initiative works to engage potential candidates and builds a sense of community among job seekers.
Additionally, the organization has launched a talent community that provides information about job opportunities and career events to potential candidates before the application process begins.
Grady's TA team handles most recruitment tasks in-house, adding to the organization’s cost savings. By using data from past events and sourcing efforts to decide where to invest the team’s time and budget, they ensure every move is intentional.
By pre-screening potential candidates ahead of hiring events, Williams says the team has been able to improve efficiency, time-to-hire, and retention among employees. Candidates brought in through Grady's in-house TA team also tend to stay longer, she says, which helps lower turnover costs.
"For us, building a pipeline isn't a nice to have, it's the backbone of our long-term strategy," Williams explains. "We know that by the time the role is posted, it's already a race to find the right person. That's why we put so much effort into connecting with people before they’re ready to apply."
Grady Health System also builds its talent pipeline by spending a lot of time outside its own walls—visiting classrooms, showing up at community events, and partnering with organizations, trade associations, and universities.
"While our partnerships with schools and community organizations play a major role in building our pipeline, they also connect us with ready-to-work talent more efficiently, lowering sourcing expenses. It's not about doing more with less, it's about ensuring every dollar and every hour we put in brings us closer to the right hire, while creating long-term value well beyond the initial hire."
In some cases, it's about introducing students to careers in healthcare that they otherwise would not have considered. In other cases, it helps mid-career professionals pivot into new roles with training and resources, Williams says.
"Healthcare talent doesn’t appear overnight," Williams says. "By investing in these partnerships, we're making sure that when there's an urgent need to fill a key position, whether tomorrow or three years from now, we already know people who are trained, motivated, and familiar with Grady. It's how we keep our pipeline full, our teams supported, and ultimately, our patients cared for."
