Why the shortage is permanent
Damage dealers can be judged on a number, and playing one is mostly about your own character. Tanks and healers are judged on everyone else’s survival, and they take the blame first when a pull goes wrong. Fewer people want that responsibility, so fewer people roll for it, and the ones who do have their pick of guilds.
Treat healer and tank recruitment as a permanent activity, not an emergency. The moment you have exactly enough is the moment before someone’s schedule changes.
Understand what they are looking for
Ask any experienced tank what they want from a guild and the answer is rarely loot. They want a raid that starts on time, a leader who explains the pull before it happens, and a group that does not turn on them after a wipe. Healers want assignments that make sense, a raid that does not stand in avoidable damage, and a loot system that does not leave them last in line for the pieces they need.
In other words, they want to be treated as a team rather than a resource. Your recruitment message should show that you understand this.
Write openings that speak to them
“Need healers” is not an opening. “One healer for Tuesday and Thursday, druid or shaman preferred, joining a healing team of ten with a dedicated healing lead” is. The note field on an opening is the place to say who leads the healers, how tank gear is prioritised, and whether a new tank would be a main tank or an off-tank from the start.
Be specific about the role. Some guilds list a tank opening when they actually need an off-tank who will deal damage half the night. Say so. The right applicant will not mind, and the wrong one will not waste your time.
Grow them from within
The most reliable healer you will ever have is a long-time member who was already in the guild as a damage dealer and respecs because they trust the group. Keep a list of members with a healing or tanking off-spec, support them with gear when it would otherwise be sharded, and give them low-stakes practice in dungeons and alt runs.
Roster entries on your guild page can record a member’s role as flexible. Use that field honestly and you will know your own depth before a crisis.
Search the player directory properly
The player directory can be filtered by role, availability and faction. Tanks and healers who are looking for a guild have usually said so, and their profiles show their raid-night availability. Read the whole profile, then use the invite button with a short, personal note that names your raid nights and your healing or tank lead.
A generic “we are recruiting!” invite gets ignored by exactly the people you want most. A note that shows you read their profile does not.
Keep the ones you have
Retention is the cheapest form of recruitment. Rotate tanks between main and off-tank duties so nobody is stuck on the boring job forever. Make sure healers are not always the last to get their set pieces. After a rough night, thank the tanks and healers in front of the raid. It costs nothing and it is remembered.
When a tank or healer does leave, ask why in a calm conversation. The answer is usually about one of the things above, and it is usually fixable before the next one leaves for the same reason.