Recently, we were asked “Who are the Most Important People for a Travel Nurse to Know.” Although we know there are several that are critical, we immediately knew that the most important one was the recruiter.
When you work for a Travel Company, you don’t actually see the people you are working for and with on a daily basis. You are in a hospital on assignment. Your point of contact with the travel company is your recruiter. So it is critical to your success to get to know your recruiter. The right match for you makes your job easier.
A good recruiter is accessible. When you are calling into your travel company you want to be able to speak with your recruiter – and you want the same recruiter not a new one every time you contact the company. You need to develop a relationship with your recruiter as it is a key for your long-term success. You should make sure that your recruiter understands your career and travel goals.
During the interview and hiring process, you should learn the mission of the travel company and what expectations you need to meet/exceed for their performance expectations. You will go through an in-depth screening and hiring process all of which further cements you in place. At this point, you are on the way to really getting to know and trust your recruiter (this also includes trust in the company and its on-boarding/office team).
Your recruiter will also be honest with you in communicating what the company can and cannot do for you. This includes your rate of pay, tax-free allowances, and bonuses. Make sure your recruiter is presenting you with tax-free allowances that are within government guidelines – you don’t want to end the year owing a lot of taxes. A trustworthy recruiter will make sure that you are properly paid and compensated – they will not shuffle money from your hourly rate to tax-free allowances to make it appear you are making more money.
Your recruiter (or their support team) will supply you with complete benefit information. At Fidelity On Call, we strive to provide our team of elite travel nurses with the best in benefits. Our team members receive affordable insurance with low deductibles, free dental, free life, access to short-term disability and a lot more.
Because you have supplied a complete job history, skills inventory, references and more, your recruiter has the information necessary to present you for assignments that are a skills match and fulfill your travel goals. However, a good recruiter will never submit you for an assignment until he/she has gotten your authorization to do so.
Once you are submitted to a facility for a potential assignment, your recruiter will facilitate a conversation between you and them.
You now meet another important person and that is the Nurse Manager at the hospital. The Nurse Manager will interview you, tell you about the hospital, the floor and their expectations. This phone call provides an excellent opportunity for you to get to know the Nurse Manager and to ask any questions you may have.
Once the facility has accepted you and you are working there, you will continue to develop this relationship along with the many friendships you will form as you work for the next 13 weeks in their hospital.
However, your relationship with your recruiter doesn’t “pause” when your assignment starts. If you have a concern regarding the facility or the company, you will contact your recruiter. If it is an after-hours emergency (legitimate), your recruiter should still be available for you. Furthermore, your recruiter will also let you know if you are the issue. For instance, you are at a facility that is working short – you knew this before you were assigned and were told the nurse/patient ratio – but now it is an issue for you. A good recruiter – one who truly knows you – will be able to counsel you on how to appropriately handle this or any issue.
Before your assignment nears completion, your recruiter will be contacting you with your next travel opportunity. From the start of your travel career until the day you decide to seek another opportunity or retire, your recruiter is truly the most important person you can know.
