While every travel nurse recruiter sets out to accomplish certain things each day, it is a rare occurrence when they go according to plan. With the job market for nurses and other healthcare professionals being so competitive, the successful recruiters are those who can adjust on the fly and stay as organized as possible.
One such successful recruiter is Supplemental Health Care’s, Christina Leigh Jacobs. Christina has a strong customer service-oriented background which serves her extremely well in the world of recruitment. She was recently promoted to Senior Recruiting Manager and is also a Certified Training Specialist. We recently talked to her about how she structures her day and her advice for being a successful recruitment professional.
What Does a Travel Nursing Recruiter Do?
How do you try and structure your day?
“It is usually very challenging to have a structured day as a recruiter. If any day is more structured than others, it would be Monday because it is time sheet day. We are very focused on making sure time sheets are accurate and submitted promptly to ensure that our nurses are getting paid for their hard work.”
What does your day look like?
“Recruiters are pulled in many different directions. The activities are different when we are working with a nurse who is actively on assignment, as opposed to the process of recruiting and submitting new nursing candidates. Whether it is following up on submissions, setting up interviews, or working with the compliance team to ensure a nurse can start an assignment in a timely manner.”
I would imagine it is difficult to coordinate schedules due to different time zones, etc.?
“We have a national reach, so nurses are being recruited from around the country, for positions in all 50 states. We know everyone is busy these days and it is important to be respectful of working around when nurses are available to speak. I never want to call or text if I know the nurse is working or sleeping. When you do get a feel for someone’s schedule, it is easier to set specific times to speak with them, find openings, build pay packages, and other things related to their employment. I try to stay focused on one person at a time to give them my full attention.”
What are the qualities of a successful recruiter?
“Communication is the key! When you are able to coordinate times to speak with your nurses, it makes it easier to establish a bond and a relationship with your nurses. One of the most important things a recruiter can do is deliver on their word. Trust is critical between the recruiter and a nurse, and the best way to establish that is by getting to know them on a personal level. Where are they from, what is their background, family situation, why are they traveling, what about kids, and pets, etc.? If it matters to your nurse, it should matter for you. Another part of recruiting that is difficult to achieve, but is critical to your success, is staying organized. Even though you may be pulled in different directions, if you are going to put yourself in a position to deliver on your promises, you have to develop a system to keep yourself organized.”
If you are a nurse or allied healthcare professional, visit Supplemental Health Care on the web and use our powerful job search tool to browse the many opportunities we currently have available. Or reach out to a recruitment professional, like Christina, today. SHC has opportunities for recruiters and staffing managers as well.
