Question: Is it okay to work with multiple travel recruiters?
Answer: Yes, it’s perfectly okay to work with multiple recruiters!
Just like no two travelers are alike, no two recruiters are the same, and you may need to work with a few before you find one with the communication, style, personality, and work ethic that meshes best with yours. There are so many benefits to keeping your foot in the door with multiple agencies, and if you’re curious about the proper dos and don’t of juggling a couple of travel nursing or allied health recruiters, then you’ve come to the right place.
Pros of Multiple Recruiters:
⦁ Access to a wider pool of job opportunities.
⦁ Can help you discover what type of agency or recruiter is best for you.
⦁ You’re more likely to find jobs in your specialty where and when you want.
Working with a couple of different recruiters helps you cast a wider net for jobs and puts you on the fast track to discovering exactly what you want (or don’t want) in a recruiter or agency. With more job options, there’s a higher chance of finding travel assignments that meet more of your criteria, like a super specific location or a popular shift type. As you start to see more opportunities roll in, it’s important to go with the job that makes the most sense for you and can help you achieve your travel goals.
Cons of Multiple Recruiters:
⦁ More people, jobs, and paperwork to juggle.
⦁ It requires more time and energy from you.
⦁ You may always be wondering what else is out there.
Sometimes the grass isn’t greener, and you don’t need to mess with a good thing! If you have a recruiter you wholeheartedly trust, love your agency, and consistently get quality offers – hold on tight! Balancing multiple recruiters means extra reference checks, skills assessments, onboarding, paperwork, and more. That may be two or three times the effort you simply don’t need to spend.
What to do when working with multiple recruiters:
Here are some best practices to consider when talking with numerous recruiters.
⦁ Be upfront and transparent.
Nicely let each recruiter know you’re also talking with other agencies and are not interested in being exclusive. They’ll appreciate the honesty, which can help build a good foundation of trust. When you have that, you know your recruiter truly has your best interests in mind while searching for your next travel assignment.
⦁ Talk specifics.
Working with a recruiter is a two-way street. When you’re open about exactly what you want, hope, and need to get out of each travel assignment, you give your recruiter a chance to deliver! Lay all your expectations on the table, ask your most important questions, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised just how far a quality recruiter will go for a quality traveler.
⦁ Communicate quickly and clearly.
Most misunderstandings are entirely preventable, and a quick phone call can do wonders to clear up any miscommunication. When you and your recruiter communicate quickly and clearly, it will make the whole process much easier.
What NOT to do when working with multiple recruiters:
Try to avoid these three traveler faux pas when looking for your next travel assignment.
⦁ Never lead a recruiter on.
It’s never okay to lead someone on; recruiters are people, too! They spend hours of their workday on you, between phone calls, getting to know you, intake and onboarding, job search, and submittals. As soon as you know you can’t or won’t accept a job from them, let them know! That said, you are never obligated to stay with a recruiter/agency if it doesn’t feel right. Trust your gut, give it a fighting chance, and if it’s just not for you, then move on.
⦁ Don’t try to double your chances.
While it may seem like better odds to submit for the same job through multiple recruiters, it can raise a red flag to the hospital’s hiring manager. By trying to maximize your chances with the perfect assignment, you’re also wasting your recruiter’s time and energy.
⦁ Don’t try to price shop.
Different companies will offer different compensation, benefits packages, and placements, so of course you’d want to find the best option that checks your most important boxes. However, it’s never a good idea to pit recruiters against each other for a better pay rate or to take a job to another recruiter.
Finding a recruiter you trust may be even more important than the agency they represent, so it’s always in your best interest to talk with as many agencies as possible. Over time and with experience, you’ll learn what you like best (or wish to avoid!) in a travel healthcare recruiter and how to navigate the pros and cons of healthcare traveling. In the end, what matters most is knowing that every one of your recruiters has your best interests at heart.
Would you like to get in touch with an Aureus Medical Group travel recruiter? Chat with someone today!