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Recent graduates, residents and fellows can use a variety of methods to find – and hopefully secure – potential job opportunities: networking with their peers and mentors, visiting helpful websites, attending conferences and working with medical staffing agencies.

Working with a medical staffing agency

When utilizing staffing agencies, starting is as simple as calling the agency and making a connection. Once you’ve decided which staffing agency to use, it’s important to share the important considerations you, as the candidate, are taking into account.

For many candidates it comes down to geographic location, “I need to be in a specific state because that’s where my family is, where my parents are, where my spouse’s family is, etc.” For others, motivations may coincide with a potential job opportunity that will help minimize and/or eliminate cumbersome student loans. With this information in hand, a staffing agency will do its best to match a potential job to each candidate’s criteria.

How to get noticed and placed

If you decide a staffing agency is the best tool for you, what’s the best way to get yourself noticed and placed? Jim Fuller, vice president of Delta Physician Placement, offers the following five tips for candidates so they can “stand out from the pack” at a staffing agency.

1. Have a well-executed curriculum vitae. As a new candidate at a staffing agency, it’s crucial to have a curriculum vitae that is concise yet all-inclusive without any gaps in regards to schooling and past work experience. It should be easy to follow, in chronological order and professionally done without any misspellings or other easy-to-fix mistakes. Make sure any certifications are included such as PALS, BLS or ACLS certification courses or whether or not you’ve received PALS, BLS or ACLS recertification and if you are currently certified.
2. Clearly articulate interests and career goals. Be as specific as possible when describing your career aspirations and what’s important to you in a job. Do you see yourself in a private practice or employed by a hospital? Do you need to be in a specific area of the country? Are you looking for the highest compensation position and are open to different geographic locations? The better you understand your own needs and wants, the more likely a staffing agency will successfully match you to a potential employer.
3. Do your research. Do your part to learn some of the basics about the organization, the position, the community and other things that influence a company’s structure and mentality. A candidate who has done some research can get potential employers excited because of the interest he or she has shown.
4. Maintain consistency and professionalism. Make sure you’re honest and consistent when working with recruiters. Following through with phone calls and interviews demonstrates a necessary level of professionalism to potential employers. If something changes, make sure the recruiter and employing entity are promptly informed.
5. Share your work history and personal interests. As a candidate, don’t forget to let the staffing agency know about outside work or experiences you’ve had. Have you been part of any research projects? Were you a chief resident? Perhaps this isn’t your first career; what prior careers have you had? Have you completed any relevant certifications courses – such as a BLS, PALS or ACLS certification course? What are your personal interests outside of work?

How to choose a staffing agency

Not all staffing agencies are alike. There are two basic types: contingent agencies, which work by sending a candidate’s curriculum vitae out to as many potential employers as possible; and full-service agencies, which profile potential job opportunities in communities they represent, gather all relevant information and in essence, function as an extension of the client or employing entity.

It’s up to you to determine which type of staffing agency will work the best. Make sure to do your own preliminary research on different staffing agencies to ensure your needs as a candidate are best met and the agency is the best match for you.

Preparing yourself for employment may require getting up-to-date certifications in relevant areas through PALS, BLS or ACLS certification courses. Look for PALS, BLS or ACLS online recertification options if necessary. Health Ed Solutions can be a valuable partner is this task. For more information, view the Health Ed Solutions course catalog.