What to Include in a Permanent Healthcare Search Brief

Describe the clinical purpose and setting

Start with the service line, patient population, and reason the position exists. Identify what work the person will own, which responsibilities are shared, and what is outside the role. Name the setting, locations, patient contact, and how care connects to other services. If the position spans programs, explain how the schedule divides the work.

For nurse practitioners and other regulated clinicians, list the credentials, licenses, and privileges the employer requires for this job and location. Confirm them with the appropriate owners. Keep requirements specific so candidates understand what is essential and the search does not screen on an assumption.

Make the working conditions explicit

Include schedule, coverage, call, location, travel, remote or on-site expectations, documentation, non-visit responsibilities, available support, compensation context, and benefits. Describe what is confirmed and what is under discussion. These are practical parts of the opportunity and can affect whether an otherwise qualified person would consider a move.

Be especially clear about consultation and escalation. Candidates need to know who provides day-to-day support, how the team communicates, and what happens when a routine workflow cannot answer a question. If the employer is still designing that structure, identify an owner and a date for a decision before the process reaches the offer stage.

Agree on qualifications and interview evidence

Separate required credentials and experience from preferred background and skills that the organization can teach. Define what relevant experience looks like for this setting. Then identify how the interview panel will assess each requirement, who makes the decision, and which questions must be answered before an offer.

OPM’s structured-interview guidance offers a useful model for using consistent job-related questions and evaluation standards. Adapt it to the clinical role, use qualified interviewers for discipline-specific assessment, and coordinate with HR on fair and compliant interviewing. Decide in advance how the panel will record evidence and resolve disagreement.

• OPM: Structured Interviews

Build candidate communication into the plan

Name the person responsible for updates, the interview stages, expected timing, and what candidates will learn at each step. If the timeline changes, give a direct update. A well-organized process respects the candidate’s time and makes it easier for the employer to maintain consistent expectations across a panel.

This is where CTG’s approach can help. We learn the employer’s mission and how the clinical role works, then build a focused search and present a selective shortlist with context on clinical fit and the clinician’s priorities. The introduction is a starting point for a decision, not a substitute for the employer’s interviews or credential checks.

• See CTG’s process from role brief to hiring decision

Use the brief as the source of truth

Keep one current version for the recruiter and the hiring team. Update it when the scope, schedule, location, or requirements change, and make sure the candidate-facing description matches. Before launch, read it as a clinician would: can the person picture the work, understand the requirements, and decide whether the opportunity fits?

Cornerstone recruits permanent roles across behavioral health and community care, with PMHNPs and specialized behavioral-health nurses at its core. Related searches are considered selectively after role scope and candidate fit are clear. A sound brief helps both sides see whether a focused search is appropriate before time is spent on introductions.