The medical industry is a worker’s market right now: physicians, nurses, and other professionals have left the industry in droves due to burnout from the Covid-19 pandemic, and many of those who remain are considering a career transition. This means that if you’re looking for a new opportunity, you can take your pick from an enormous array of choices spread out across the country, many of which are offering highly attractive salaries and bonuses to lure you in.
However, selecting a new role isn’t foolproof, and you may find yourself joining the 28% of healthcare professionals who are dissatisfied with their current job if you don’t carefully analyze each offer and make a calculated decision. This might seem impossible – how will you know the work conditions before you’re onboarded? – but it’s actually easier than you can imagine when you work with a medical recruiting firm to get connected to the right opportunities for you.
Working with a recruiting firm, such as The Medicus Firm, can reduce these concerns by ensuring that you have a realistic conception of your potential position, and they’ll help to match you with only those roles that best suit your needs. But you can only get the most from your recruiting firm if you’re intentional with this relationship, and if you keep these particular considerations in mind.
Be honest with your needs and expectations
A recruiting firm’s goal is to create great matches between companies: they are an intermediary between physician and facility, helping to ensure that both parties are satisfied when they decide to work together. However, a physician search company can only do this if everyone is transparent with their needs – including you, the job seeker.
It’s easy to think that you should just agree to anything that the recruiter asks you in order to cast a wide net; in some instances, this is understandable, because if you’re too picky, you may have nothing to choose. However, there are enormous shortages all across the country for healthcare professionals, so you have the unique privilege of being incredibly discerning in your job hunt.
Explain to your local recruiter exactly what you’re looking for in a position, including whether you’re looking for full-time work or another job designation, as well as how much overtime you’re willing to accept and whether you’re comfortable being on call. You should also discuss your overall salary expectations, as this will ensure that your recruiter doesn’t bring you jobs that are vastly below your paygrade.
Remain responsive before, during, and after the recruiting process
Good communication isn’t just about describing your needs, but about listening and responding in a reasonable manner if the recruiter needs further information from you. Not only does this ensure that you can be quickly placed in a role, but it also shows the recruiter and the company that you respect their time, and you’re serious about finding the right fit.
This element is especially important for medical personnel, as the employer may need license or certification numbers, references from previous supervisors, and other details to ensure that you are legally permitted to practice medicine and that you have not had any serious disciplinary actions taken against you in the past.
You shouldn’t hesitate to provide feedback during the job search, as well. Has the recruiter continually provided leads that didn’t work? Do you notice a common trend amongst those that you disliked? You and your recruiter may need to make further refinements to your parameters so that you’re not wasting time on interviews for jobs you won’t take, so point out if you see something amiss in the listings you’re provided.
Don’t forget to keep in touch afterward as well: you should consider the recruiter another colleague in your professional network, someone who you can rely upon should you ever need to find a new job. Recruiters will often reach out to those candidates they think are especially qualified when they find a great opportunity, even when the individual isn’t actively looking; this could get you an even better position sooner than you thought.
View this as a collaborative process, and you’ll find an excellent opportunity
It’s easy to think that the recruiting process is a one-and-done deal: you tell the recruiter what you’re looking for, they send you offers, and you interview for the ones they have sent. This is certainly possible, but it won’t garner you the greatest advantages in the job market; it can lead to lackluster results that may suffice but not satisfy. Instead, you need to see you and the recruiter as a team, working to find you the right opportunity in tandem with the medical facilities that are seeking new staff. With good communication, honesty, and mutual respect, you’ll find your dream job with the help of a great recruiter who deeply understands your specific needs.
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