The Advantages of Using a Medical Recruiter for Your Job Search

A specialist medical recruitment agency can be a vital ally to help you find your next job as a doctor or dentist at any stage of your career from fresh medical or dental graduate to experienced general practitioner or specialist. Medical recruitment professionals seek to understand your career goals to enable a successful match for you with a healthcare organisation which requires your specific skills and experience.


A recruitment agency has direct access to a wide network of employers on a national and often international scale and a broad selection of job opportunities. This often includes roles which are not advertised elsewhere. A recruitment agency also has insights and information about local, regional and international job markets and knowledge of new projects and trends. Keep reading to learn how medical recruiters can ease the job search process and help you find the right opportunity.


Medical Recruiters in Action

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates a projected shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. However, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face, to varying degrees, difficulties in the education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce. Most countries report a shortage of doctors and dentists with some specialties, such as psychiatry and general practice, seriously impacted.


Yet despite heightened demand for doctors and dentists, the search for a medical or dental job is not always easy or fruitful. Physician demand and remuneration varies greatly by speciality and location. This is where medical recruiters have an advantage. Their national and international connections to healthcare organisations create an unrivalled depth of global reach and local knowledge which few medical job candidates could achieve alone.


Medical recruiters can help candidates understand the market, prioritise their preferences, and set realistic expectations. A dedicated recruiter proves beneficial to physicians in many common scenarios, including those outlined below.


International Relocations

Relocation for a new job brings fresh challenges but an international location magnifies these considerably. A new country, culture and healthcare system requires a process of adaptation and acculturation. Obtaining a licence to practise medicine or dentistry and a work permit can be a time consuming and complex process.


This is where a medical recruiter can provide expert assistance with in depth knowledge of international healthcare organisations, healthcare systems, job markets and remuneration combined with competence in the processes of professional regulatory authorities and immigration procedures.


Dual-Doctor Couple Seeking Two Jobs 

Husband and wife couples seeking medical jobs in the same location have a difficult job search. Some employers refuse to hire two members of the same family but will not always make this explicit. Medical recruiters have an advantage here. Their local knowledge of healthcare organisations enables them to identify those which are amenable or even delighted to make a double hire.


Target Location

Doctors and dentists who seek jobs in a specific location can benefit from the medical recruiter's insights into the work culture, remuneration, recruitment processes and skills requirements of local healthcare organisations enhancing their job search and decision making capabilities.

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4 Advantages of Working with a Dedicated Medical Recruiter

The examples above demonstrate how medical recruiters help candidates in these specific circumstances, but what does all of this mean for you? Keep reading for four benefits of working with a dedicated physician recruiter.


1. Well-Connected Medical Recruiters Know Where the Jobs Are

Odyssey's medical recruiters are not only working to find doctors and dentists as candidates for their active searches,  they are also in regular contact with a network of international healthcare organisations which share their staffing plans and indicate job openings which may be coming soon. Our recruiters can therefore anticipate and measure recruitment trends and recruit for jobs which are not yet advertised.


2 Healthcare Recruiters Provide a Unique Perspective

Odyssey Recruitment is a dedicated recruitment partner to the healthcare clients we serve. Our recruiters contact and visit our clients to learn about the job vacancies and organisational plans. They also learn about the people, the work culture, and the community.


Our recruiters also speak to hundreds of doctors every week, and through those conversations, they stay aware of market trends and glean insights into the cultures of many organisations. This means our recruiters can give each candidate detailed information about what it is like to work for the organisation and also help the candidate emphasise the traits which are most important to the client.  For this reason, it is especially helpful to have a dedicated medical recruiter on your side.


2. Medical Recruiters Share Job Search Advice

Expert medical recruiters aim to understand each candidate's goals and motivations and offer advice about the design of an appropriate job search.


4. Medical Recruiters Know What It Takes to Get the Job

Dedicated healthcare recruiters will not only advocate for your candidacy, but they can also expertly guide you through the recruitment process, providing advice on the drafting of your CV, working with you to improve your interview skills, and even helping you negotiate the best offer.


Beyond this general guidance, a dedicated recruiter knows precisely what it takes to impress their clients. They may share what is especially important to the client and guide the candidate to demonstrate that specific skill or trait.


As a dedicated recruitment partner, the team at Odyssey Recruitment loves working with doctors and dentists and helping them find an employer who will meet their needs. Whether they apply to jobs we have advertised or simply reach out by phone or email to introduce themselves, we are always delighted to meet new physicians, learn their stories, and eventually match them with their ideal job opportunities.


If you are embarking on a medical job search, register your CV and contact our recruitment team.


CANDIDATE CONDUCT WHILST WORKING WITH RECRUITMENT AGENCIES


  • Professional Conduct: Treat the recruitment agency as if it is a potential employer.

    This will ensure that the recruitment consultant receives a favourable impression of you as a professional, reliable candidate and a great representation of the agency. It will also give you good practice before meeting with a potential employer. Respond promptly to communication.

  • Communication is key: Provide full contact details

    Ensure that you are readily contactable should your recruitment consultant need to alert you to new jobs or schedule interviews at short notice.  Provide full contact details including your home address, landline and mobile number, email address and any frequently used social media links. 


    Make sure that you also have your recruitment consultant's contact details so that you can brief your consultant about any sudden change in circumstances.

  • Job Search: Manage your expectations

    Understand the prevailing market conditions for your skills and manage your expectations about the availability of jobs and remuneration packages offered by employers. 

  • Your CV: Current and well presented

    Provide a current CV, targeted to the job for which you are applying. An out of date CV, inappropriate for the job implies sloppiness.

    Ensure that the contains details of your qualifications, professional registration and a full employment history. Explain any gaps in employment longer than 4 weeks. Include achievements and information to help you stand out.


    Format your CV professionally avoiding coloured fonts, photographs and tables.

  • Job Interviews : Thorough preparation

    Prepare thorughly for job interviews by taking the following actions: 

    • research the location of the job and the employer 
    • prepare your technology for zoom and other virtual interviews ensuring that you have sufficient light, battery charge on compter, tablet or smart phone and an adequate camera and audio system
    • prepare your responses to standard interview questions
    • prepare 3-6 questions which you can ask  the interview panel.
  • Job Offers: Realistic Negotiations

    Define the goals of your job search and your red lines. What is essential to you and what simply desirable? What is negotiable and what non negotiable? Maintain focus and persistence in your job search but be realistic about what can be achieved in a given market and adapt to circumstances.

    Aim to achieve a good outcome for all stakeholders. 

18 July 2024

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