As 2015 begins, we are excited to continue working with some of the best travelers in the world. Our employees are dedicated professionals that love their jobs no matter what challenges the day brings. Have you ever wondered what separates a good travel employee from a great one? From my experience over the last ten years, it seems every employee who regularly receives great reviews or client feedback share these five traits.
- Excellent attendance. You must be present. Cal Ripken played in 2,632 straight baseball games earning him the Iron Man nickname. In most cases as a traveler, you will be asked to work a three-month assignment, which equates to working 75 days. To put that in perspective, if you have perfect attendance during your assignment you’re at only about 3% of what Cal Ripken did during his Major League career.
- Be flexible. A prestigious institution contacted me about an upcoming need. After going over the precise duties the person needed for the position I asked, “What is the one trait that is most important outside of technical skill?” Can you guess what they said? They wanted somebody who was flexible – somebody who didn’t make them feel like they were imposing when they asked them to do something different than what was originally planned.
- Be helpful. Asking your manager “Is there anything else you need?” can seem like a simple thing to do, but it makes a big impression. Many times they may not have anything else to do but the fact you asked will really stick out in their mind.
- Be engaging. Offer constructive feedback or advice. This one can be tricky. If the department is having issues with a certain protocol or procedure and you have a solution, it’s not a bad thing to let them know about your past experience. The key is doing it in a polite way. Let them know you aren’t saying what they do is incorrect, but that you have seen things done successfully a different way.
- Donut buying ability. Okay, this is a cheap one and not necessarily a trait but most departments always have good things to say about visitors that bring food. I often tell employees I work with to bring a box of donuts on the second and last week they are on an assignment. It starts and ends things on a good note.
Follow these tips and your feedback from our clients will be stellar. In addition, your coworkers will remember you being a strong branch in the tree we call healthcare.
By Richard Timmerman, Aureus Medical Group, Imaging Division