5 Tips to Choose the Right Healthcare Recruiter

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Who is going to be the one to help you find your next healthcare professional travel position? Who is going to help you negotiate the top pay packages and prime housing options? Who will be the one to help you land your dream permanent position?

Your healthcare recruiter, that's who!

Whether you're a licensed physician who works as a traveler, a traveling nurse, or a healthcare professional seeking out a solid permanent position, the healthcare recruiter you chose to work with is going to have a major impact on the outcome and quality of your next medical job.

What should you look for in a recruiter? How do you know if a healthcare recruiter will work to help advance your career or be out for his/her own best interests? Here are five tips to help you choose the right healthcare recruiter for you.

[Read Also: Working with Recruiters as an Advanced Practice Clinician]

Look for Experience

How long has the staffing specialist been doing this job? How does he sound on the phone? Does he sound like a robot reading a script? If so, you might want to steer clear, as this is a good sign that your healthcare recruiter is still fairly new to the job and might not feel as "at home" or comfortable with the job as would a healthcare recruiter who has been doing this type of work for at least a year or more.

Interview Your Healthcare Recruiter

While you may be used to having your healthcare recruiter interview you, you should also interview your healthcare recruiter at the same time. Find out how long she has been doing this type of work. Ask her how many other healthcare professionals she manages at a time. A recruiter who's dealing with several dozen doctors or nurse practitioners might have a difficult time adding another to her roster.

Pay Attention to Response Time

A good healthcare recruiter will do his absolute best to always get back to you in a timely manner. If it is off-hours or a weekend, it's understandable if he cannot get back to you immediately, but be leery of any healthcare recruiter that makes you wait 48 hours or more for a response (especially while you are on assignment or in the last phases of closing on a permanent position).

[Read Also: Why Working with a Physician Recruiter Can Land You Your Dream Job]

Gauge Availability

We all have lives outside of work. That's a given. It would be unfair to expect your healthcare recruiter to be available to you 24 hours per day. However, a good healthcare recruiter will give you an option on how to contact her during off hours. Whether it's an instant messenger app or text messaging, listen to how your potential recruiter recommends you contact her outside of the Monday to Friday, nine-to-five schedule.

Determine Flexibility

Every single healthcare professional seeking out a travel or permanent position has different needs, skills, credentials, experience, etc. How flexible is your potential recruiter with your needs? Is he willing to listen and do his best to meet all of your requirements for your next travel or permanent job? A good recruiter will flex with you and go out of his way to see that your expectations are met.

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At HospitalRecruiting.com, we connect job seekers with top healthcare employers across the nation. Whether you are trying to fill a position or looking for a top-paying job, we're here to help. Check us out today.