VIDEO: A VA insider talks recruitment and staffing during COVID

Russ Peal, director of workforce recruitment and retention services at VA, recently gave an inside look at health care recruitment and life at VA in Talk About It Tuesday, our weekly live chat on LinkedIn.

After retiring from a 23-year career with the Air Force, Peal worked in physician/provider recruitment for private industry before joining VA more than a decade ago. He calls VA a “great place to be.”

“We have a mission of caring for America’s heroes that I don’t know that anyone else in the world shares,” Peal told Mike Owens, VHA marketing specialist and host of our weekly “Talk About It Tuesday” broadcast.

Working alongside colleagues who share this rewarding mission felt like a homecoming of sorts for Peal.

“Coming to VA was almost like putting on a uniform again,” he said. “There’s nothing like being in an environment where those values and that mission is shared.”

In his current role, he focuses on developing and implementing strategies to fill mission-critical clinical and nonclinical occupations.

He touched on how his job has changed since COVID-19 began, with the entire recruitment industry turning to virtual solutions and VA ramping up hiring to meet new staffing needs.

“Probably the thing I’m most proud of is how quickly our agency was able to make the shift,” Peal said.

At VA, video chats with recruiters and video interviews with hiring managers have replaced face-to-face meetings.

“We’ve been successful at maintaining a personable experience. The big thing on our end is to make hiring and recruitment experience as personable as possible,” Peal said.

Work at VA

At VA, we’re always looking for top talent, ready to take on a rewarding career caring for Veterans.

• WATCH the Q&A with Russ Peal.
• SEARCH for a job opening.
• FOLLOW VA Careers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Glassdoor.
• CHOOSE VA at www.VAcareers.va.gov.