5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Travel Nursing Recruiters
In our last blog post, we discussed how to find a good travel nursing recruiter. Once you’ve found a good recruiter, there are steps you can take to get the most out them. Remember, recruiters are constantly juggling multiple candidates. They often need to determine which candidates merit the most value for the recruiter’s time. You want to make sure that you’re at the top of that list.
Clearly communicate with your travel nursing recruiters
First, be decisive and clearly communicate your priorities. However, remember that recruiters are sales people and they’re treated as such by their employers. As a result, they’re going to try to convince you of things you may not want to be convinced of. Don’t let them bowl you over. It’s in everyone’s best interest for you to clearly state your priorities whether they be related to travel nursing pay, location, or any other variable.
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Your travel nurse recruiter will appreciate that you’ve narrowed down the field of possibilities. They may still contact you with jobs that don’t entirely meet the criteria, but that’s ok. They probably have a good reason for doing so. Simply decline the opportunity if you’re not interested. They’ll appreciate the fact that you’re decisive up front because it will save everyone time and trouble in the long run.
Follow through with travel nursing recruiters
Second, follow through during the entire process of securing the job. In the beginning of the process be sure to meet timelines that you’ve communicated. For example, if you let the travel nurse recruiter know that you will complete the job application and skills checklist by a certain time, then follow through or reach out to explain any delays. Failing to do so gives the impression that you’re not a serious candidate. Also, always be available for travel nursing job interviews or be sure to return calls for interviews, particularly those interviews that you agreed to be submitted for. Missing interviews weighs heavily on recruiters. Their supervisors and the hospitals have a tendency to place blame with the recruiter. Besides, you may want to work with the hospital in the future even if you’re not interested at present.
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Be diligent on your travel nursing job
Third, be diligent during your assignment. Make sure that you’re a prompt, productive, and positive member of the hospital’s team. Also, make sure that you comply with the company’s time reporting, compliance, and credentialing policies. Recruiters will fight tooth and nail to keep good travel nurses on board. Additionally, do everything you can to complete the assignment. Recruiters certainly realize that things can sometimes go really bad on an assignment, but terminating a assignment should be the absolute last resort. It too weighs very negatively on the recruiter.
Refer new candidates to your travel nursing recruiter
Fourth, send your recruiters referrals. Like all business people, recruiters love referrals. There may be no better way to let recruiters know that you think they’re doing a good job than sending them referrals. It shows that you’re willing to stick your neck out on the line for them. It adds to your value in a way that will make you a recruiter’s top priority.
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Better yet, most if not all companies have referral bonus programs. So you’ll get paid for sending referrals to your recruiter. I’ve seen referral bonuses as low as $250 and as high as $1500. Of course, you only get a bonus if the referral signs a contract with the company. And even then, the bonus is contingent on the referral actually working. Different companies have different policies for paying out their referral bonuses. For example, some companies will only pay the bonus if the referral completes the total number of hours in the contract and others will prorate the bonus by the hour. In any case, you’ll want to ask your agency about their referral program because they will most certainly have one.
Provide full disclosure to your travel nursing recruiter
Finally, give your recruiters the courtesy of full disclosure regarding your job search process. Keep them in the loop as to your status and progress with finding assignments. If you’ve been submitted for an assignment, let your other recruiters know. It will motivate them to hunker down and find something for you quickly and they’ll be gratified that they don’t waste their time on the same assignment that you’ve already been submitted for. If you’ve accepted a assignment, let your other recruiters know. They’ll be disappointed, but keeping them in the loop is the professional thing to do and will ensure that they contact you for your next assignment.
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You may think it might be difficult to manage all of this communication, but recruiters are fine receiving quick email updates. Send updates to all of your recruiters at once using the BCC feature in your email service to minimize your time. Or, you can use BluePipes to help you manage your communication with your recruiters. BluePipes allows you to connect with your recruiters and, once connected, you can send them messages through the BluePipes messaging service. It’s a great way to avoid giving out your personal email address. In any case, following these suggestions will ensure that you get the most out of the recruiters you’ve deemed the best.
