The travel healthcare industry has been growing steadily for several years. Just because there’s growth doesn’t mean each agency operates the same way. Just as there are different hospital cultures, there are different ways that staffing companies operate as well.
At AB Staffing, we are focused on finding the right medical professionals for the positions we have open, in the places where you want to work. We might not be able to get your dream job now, but we promise to keep looking while you explore new places and job opportunities.
If you’ve weighed the pros and cons of being a travel professional and have decided you’d like to find an agency to help you with the next steps. Before signing with the first one you contact, consider these healthcare recruiter red and green flags.
Healthcare Recruiter Red Flags: What to Avoid
Our team of recruiters is dedicated to staying connected with you from the moment you contact us and throughout each of your contracts. We contact you however you’d like to be contacted whether it’s via email, text, calls, or a combination. Avoid healthcare agencies that:
- Send automated messages to follow up with you. If it’s an automated message about a meeting, that’s fine, but they shouldn’t be sending impersonal or basic texts to you about specific jobs, housing details, and pay. It’s not a secure message and just isn’t professional.
- Tell you that you must work with them exclusively. This limits you to what they have to offer and could force you into a position that isn’t a good fit for you. It is for them because they’ve filled a position and likely don’t have your best interests in mind.
- Push contracts to you that don’t align with your desires and career goals. They’re just trying to close the sale. They probably don’t care about your career aspirations or goals as a traveler.
- Stop follow-up after you begin a contract. They’re just in it for the money and once the contract is fulfilled, they move on to the next candidate. They don’t care about you reaching your goals or being happy at your job.
- Call you on a work phone without a predetermined meeting time. If they aren’t abiding by your request for how you’d like to be contacted at the beginning of the relationship, then how will they be once you are onboard with them? There’s a good chance they won’t listen to you later.
- Recruiters with non-branded email addresses like @gmail versus @companyname. This could be a sign that they aren’t a legitimate recruiting firm and are possibly a scam.
As a firm with more than 20 years of experience, we understand industry standards and do our best to abide by them. We know you’re likely interviewing with multiple agencies; it’s the culture of the business. We work to make sure we’re the ones you select if we mutually decide you’re a good fit for our job openings. We never want you to feel trapped or ignored by our recruiters, so we contact you when and how you prefer.
Healthcare Recruiter Green Flags: Let’s move ahead!
When you work with AB Staffing, you’re working with a nationwide leader in travel nursing and healthcare recruiting. As such, we are dedicated to creating the best experience for our travelers, recruiters, and staff. As you’re researching our competition, we offer these green flags for agencies with whom you’d want to work…and hope you choose us!
- Transparency in communication about pay, facility details, location, housing, and any other areas that are related to your contract. Always ask questions. If you don’t feel confident in the answers you’re getting, ask for clarification. Your team should be able to answer questions for you.
- Consistent follow-up is key to feeling supported whether you’re signing your first contract or 20th as a traveler. Recruiters who follow up with you are the ones with whom you want to work. They will, or should, communicate with you on assignment, and be available when you have questions.
- Give autonomy to the healthcare provider while you’re working at a medical facility. That means we work to place you and answer questions about the contract, but the day-to-day operations of the job are left to your on-site manager. We can of course still help if you have challenges with coworkers or managers.
- Positive reviews from previous travelers. If they’re working with their clients, they should be asking for online reviews and receiving good ones. They don’t all have to be five out of five stars but should give you an idea about the company before you contact them.
As a longtime healthcare recruiter, we strive to show green flags to our prospective travelers. We understand we may not have the right position for you today, but we’d like to stay in touch when the right opportunity presents itself. That means getting to know you, consistently communicating with each other, and being transparent about the details.
