Healthcare Traveler – October, 2010

Landing assignments in a competitive market

As I mentioned in this column a few months ago, the demand for travel healthcare professionals is starting to pick up. That said, landing the best assignments still requires a competitive edge. Based on my many years of experience in the industry and on conversations I’ve had with travelers over the past few months, here are six suggestions for making yourself more marketable and getting the engagements you most want—even in today’s somewhat challenging environment.

1. Stay current with advances in your profession. Securing the minimum number of continuing education credits needed to keep your license in good standing is just the beginning when it comes to keeping abreast of advances in your field. The most professional travelers go above and beyond the basic requirements. They attend skill-building workshops, subscribe to journals, and add to their clinical toolbox by acquiring advanced qualifications, certifications, and credentials.

2. Maintain an impressive resume. The quality of this document may well be the deciding factor when it comes to how seriously you are considered for a given assignment. Update your resume frequently, make sure expiration dates for licenses and certifications are current, offer a complete picture of your educational and employment history, and triple-check the document for typos and formatting errors. If need be, hire someone to make your resume look neat and professional. First impressions count.

3. Excel in interviews. Most hospitals interview prospective travel candidates by phone before signing on the dotted line. In a phone interview, your job as a traveler is to answer questions succinctly and honestly, be both professional and warm, demonstrate equal measures of confidence and humility, and sell yourself without being pushy. Here again, details matter. Have a copy of your resume in front of you during the interview, along with whatever details you already know about the assignment. Be prepared to pose a few good questions, as well as answer the ones you’re asked. Thank the interviewer for his or her time as you’re saying goodbye. This may all sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised by how many travelers try to “wing it” on a phone interview. Don’t do that. Be sure to follow up with your agency recruiter immediately after the interview to let him or her know how it went and if you’re still interested in the assignment.

4. Pay attention to details. It’s not uncommon for the tiniest details to get in the way of matching a traveler with a dream assignment. An unreturned phone call, an unread e-mail, a schedule mix-up, or references who are listed but unavailable to respond to a client’s request for information can all spell trouble when time is of the essence (and in this business, time is always of the essence). Stay on top of the little things and the big ones will fall into place.

5. Plan ahead. Especially if you’re a full-time travel professional, map out your schedule as far in advance as possible. In today’s environment, engagements may be shorter than the traditional 13 weeks to which many travelers are accustomed. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to keep your calendar full and schedule assignments—regardless of length—to minimize travel time and distances. If you only have a week off between assignment A and assignment B, wouldn’t you rather spend it at home or on a beach somewhere instead of driving from, say, Arizona to Pennsylvania? Thought so.

6. Develop relationships with recruiters. Securing the best engagements requires knowing what you want and what you’re capable of, as well as being clear with recruiters about what you will and will not accept (locations, clinical work areas, shifts, hourly rates, etc.). Developing solid, long-term, honest relationships at a few high-quality agencies will help ensure that you interview for and land assignments that are a good fit for you, both professionally and personally. Travelers who take their careers seriously are still being offered plenty of work. Put the ideas presented here into action and you’ll be among them. And keep in mind, too, that the travel healthcare professionals who “stick it out” through this momentary lean period will be well-positioned to thrive as demand continues to improve in the months and years to come. Contact a NATHO (natho.org) agency recruiter for more ideas on how to position yourself for success, now and into the future.HT