Jackie’s Journey: Behind the Scenes of Shaping the Candidate Experience

About Me

My name is Jackie Schierenberg, I live in Tempe, AZ, and I am the System Vice President of Candidate Experience at CommonSpirit Health. I lead the Sourcing, Talent Branding, and Talent Analytics efforts on the National Talent Acquisition Team. One of the most exciting aspects of my job is storytelling. I love collaborating with our incredible employees and sharing their stories to inspire others to consider a career at CommonSpirit. This storytelling aspect adds a personal touch to our recruitment efforts.

You'll find me embracing the joy of family time and staying active outside the professional realm. Whether it's cheering on my kids at their track meets, crafting intricate jewelry pieces, or watching my favorite sports teams with my family and friends (Go Broncos!), I find fulfillment in a variety of activities. A fun fact about me is that I am a retired roller derby skater. As much as I loved the thrill and excitement of roller derby, I enjoy the balance and mindfulness that hot yoga brings to my life these days.

How do you use technology to collaborate with others and ensure a positive and personalized candidate experience at CommonSpirit Health locations nationwide?

Collaborating to create a positive candidate experience is essential for attracting talent and maintaining a strong employer brand. We leverage our applicant tracking system to streamline communication and processes with candidates, hiring managers, and our talent acquisition team.

Creating a personalized candidate experience in a large organization can be challenging due to the scale and complexity of our organization. Last year alone, we hired over 18,000 nurses. To address this challenge, we implemented advanced job descriptions (AJDs) tailored to our nursing community. These visual job descriptions provide essential information and share career paths, success profiles, benefits, and even personal video messages from employees.  

In our quest to enhance the candidate experience, we've found that videos have become a powerful tool for amplifying employee stories. Videos allow employees to share personal testimonials, achievements, and unique contributions. There is a sense of pride and belonging among our employees. As we share these videos across our social channels, career sites, and email campaigns, they help us attract talent, inspire others, and strengthen our employer brand.

What attracted you to want to work at CommonSpirit? Why do you stay?

I joined the organization over 17 years ago. Shortly after I started, my family and I had a series of medical emergencies that allowed me to witness firsthand the high level of care and kindness given to our patients each day. We were healed and comforted in our most tested moments, and these experiences helped me to realize the impact we can have in the lives of our patients. CommonSpirit is where you can work alongside individuals dedicated to their cause and some of the most respected in the field. Our role is to ensure competent service with the compassion of an old friend. Humankindness helps us all become better human beings.

Working in healthcare is very rewarding. Understanding the direct link between the "candidate experience" and the "patient experience" gives me a profound sense of purpose. It's knowing that our work in Talent Acquisition contributes to improving patient care and, in some cases, even saving lives.

Working at CommonSpirit has changed my life. The professional growth has enabled me to advance my career; I started as a contract recruiter but was always allowed to expand my skills. The work environment is supportive, I have built personal connections who share common values, and there is a focus on our well-being. Working here has elevated my career and enriched my life with growth and meaningful relationships. If you're seeking a workplace where your contributions matter and where you can make a difference, explore a career at CommonSpirit Health. Your journey towards purposeful work and personal fulfillment awaits: https://bit.ly/3CJN36B