CRNA Headhunters/Recruiters

alintanurse · May 14, 2005

I recently worked with a recruiting agency and was very pleased with them. One of the advantages is they are privy to job openings that you would probably not know of otherwise.You're right that one of the disadvantages is that the employer may not want to pay their fees. If anything you will learn how to present yourself in an interview and you can continue to look on your own too.

jwk · May 15, 2005

I can see using agencies for locum tenens work but why would they be necessary for permanent positions? All it takes is a few phone calls, emails, or letters to find out if positions are available at any hospital or group you might be interested in working with.

I don't know that any agency is going to be aware of job openings that might not be found otherwise. A group or hospital might use an agency if they're getting desperate for help, but again, if you call them and ask if they're hiring, they'll be more than happy to talk to you.

My group could hire 10 anesthetists now (interested? give me a call ). But we'll never use a recruiter or agency, and we turn them down daily. We'd rather use that money for signing bonuses and salaries to the anesthetists, not pay it to an agency.

Businessman · May 16, 2005

I have been contacted by an anesthesia staffing company that provides a job hunting service. Their fees are paid for by the employer and not by me. My question is, does using a recruitment agency limit my choices if employers are not willing to pay recruiters fees?
I think having someone else do the leg work and negotiate a contract has pros and cons. What are others opinions on this?
Will I put myself at a disadvantage by using a recruiter or will they help me increase my job options and negotiate a better package?
They make it sound great, but I do not want to get burned! Looking forward to people's opinions on this. Thanks.

Trauma Nurse,

Use them I (if nothing else) as a resource: they know avg. salaries in various parts of the country, potential benefits you haven't thought about, etc.

Talking to them does not preclude you from seeking employment on your own.

Today, the demand outstrips the supply: the agencies using recruiters are in dire need of people (most of them, anyway).

Arrow 1 · May 18, 2005

Most agencies work a little differently from one another when it comes to perm placement. As far as my agency goes, we dont actually charge any fee to either the RN or the facility. What usually happens is that the RN will work a few shifts at various facilities in their home area, once they decide they want to go staff we get them in contact with the proper personel to do so. Its a favor to our clients at both ends, any company overhead is covered when the RN does shifts while their looking for that perfect position. Any agency (unless its strictly a perm position agency) that charges a fee is simply hunting for profit, unfortunatly you may be looked at as nothing more than a money making machine, just make sure you ask plenty of questions when signing on with an agency, and above all, use your better judgement.

kmchugh · May 21, 2005

I have twice found new positions through a recruiter. On the other hand, I once turned a position down because of a recruiter who was lying. As a rule, CRNA placement agencies (i.e. headhunters) are paid by the hospital or group that is contracting their services. I've never heard of one that required the CRNA to pay, and I would not use one that did.

Start with Gaswork.com. Try to find positions in areas in which you want to live. However, not everyone posts to that site, so there are some positions that are out there that only the recruiters know about. In my experience, recruiters shortened my job hunt, but there are a few things you need to be aware of. All of these go back to the fact that the recruiter does not get paid until they place a CRNA in a position. They are going to tell you how wonderful the position is, how great the people are, and how you get paid top dollar. So, as they are speaking, remember to get figures, not platitudes. The recruiter, regardless of what they tell you, is going to do everything in their power to get you into the position, period. If they placed CRNA's in the position before, all of whom quit within a month because of working conditions, they are not going to tell you that. My suggestion is that you have some firm figures and benefits in mind before talking to the recruiter. Know what salary range you want, as well as what benefits you are expecting. Let the recruiter know what your expectations are.

The one position I turned down because of a recruiter was because they simply lied to me. I had specific figures in mind, and what I wanted and what the hospital could offer were simply not compatible. No fault of either the hospital or myself, but the recruiter kept pushing me to take the job anyway. I finally had to tell him to quit calling me.

Just remember that you are in the driver's seat.

Kevin McHugh

Edited to add: Most places are going to pay your expenses to come for an interview. Take advantage of that. Go there, let them wine and dine you (and your spouse). Also, take a look around town on your own. This may be your new home, so be sure you can be happy there, both at work and when you are off.

alintanurse · May 21, 2005

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I don't know that any agency is going to be aware of job openings that might not be found otherwise. A group or hospital might use an agency if they're getting desperate for help, but again, if you call them and ask if they're hiring, they'll be more than happy to talk to you.

I am speaking from personal experience--I was notified of a position that I was qualified for in a local hospital 10 min. from where I live that was neither advertised nor given out over the phone. If the agency that I was registered with had not informed me of this position --I would never have known about it.

DreamweaverSRNA · May 23, 2005

I have narrowed down my choices to a couple of the larger anesthesia recruitment agencies, and I am going to use them for my job search in the months to come in addition to supplementing their leads with those I find on my own.

I am too busy with school and clinical and studying for boards to be exchanging emails and phone calls with every prospective employer that might meet my criteria. I have very explicitly written out what are non-negotiable terms of my employment (like I definitely want to do some OB, so I won't consider any job where CRNAs don't provide OB services or the hospital has no L&D), what parts I am willing to negotiate about (call, weekends, time off for good behavior), and what I am seeking in terms of compensation and benefits.

Also, I highly recommend actually meeting the recruiters in person. I did this by attending last year's AANA meeting. I chose a couple of people who seemed honest and always returned my calls and emails. Students beware: I met many more who seemed like they would sell me down the river to make a quick buck for themselves!

jwk · May 24, 2005

I have narrowed down my choices to a couple of the larger anesthesia recruitment agencies, and I am going to use them for my job search in the months to come in addition to supplementing their leads with those I find on my own.
I am too busy with school and clinical and studying for boards to be exchanging emails and phone calls with every prospective employer that might meet my criteria. I have very explicitly written out what are non-negotiable terms of my employment (like I definitely want to do some OB, so I won't consider any job where CRNAs don't provide OB services or the hospital has no L&D), what parts I am willing to negotiate about (call, weekends, time off for good behavior), and what I am seeking in terms of compensation and benefits.
Also, I highly recommend actually meeting the recruiters in person. I did this by attending last year's AANA meeting. I chose a couple of people who seemed honest and always returned my calls and emails. Students beware: I met many more who seemed like they would sell me down the river to make a quick buck for themselves!

Sooner or later, you have to meet your employer, whether you use an agency or not. That means YOU have to do something - the agency can't do everything.

MOST good employers simply will NOT use agencies (no offense to agency people reading this post). Many good employers are actively recruiting but don't use agencies. I'm sure you get brochures in the mail from hospitals and anesthesia groups all the time. And by restricting yourself just to agencies, you will miss out on MOST job opportunities. As I stated in an earlier post - we would rather give the money we would pay an agency to the employee.

Look at Gaswork.com, as others have already suggested. There are TONS of jobs on there, many of which give plenty of info about the job. No offense, but EVERY student has clinicals and boards to study for. IMHO, leaving it all up to an agency to do the bulk of the legwork for you would be a minus if I was interviewing you. It indicates a lack of initiative on your part. From an employer's perspective, I don't care how good you are, but if you don't act like you're at least a little interested in talking with us, then we're just not going to be interested in you.

And if you don't already know this, there are NO perfect jobs out there. EVERY job has pros and cons, even the great ones. If you're too rigid in your criteria, you won't find a job at all. Sure, in many areas of the country, anesthetists have an almost unlimited list of job offerings. But don't make yourself an unsuitable candidate by being too rigid and expecting someone else to do all your legwork for you.

Just my 2 cents, but I'm involved in the interview and hiring process with my group, so I do have an employer's perspective.

Laughing Gas · May 24, 2005

I can see using agencies for locum tenens work but why would they be necessary for permanent positions? All it takes is a few phone calls, emails, or letters to find out if positions are available at any hospital or group you might be interested in working with.
I don't know that any agency is going to be aware of job openings that might not be found otherwise. A group or hospital might use an agency if they're getting desperate for help, but again, if you call them and ask if they're hiring, they'll be more than happy to talk to you.
My group could hire 10 anesthetists now (interested? give me a call ). But we'll never use a recruiter or agency, and we turn them down daily. We'd rather use that money for signing bonuses and salaries to the anesthetists, not pay it to an agency.

Have to agree with JWK on this one. You are including a middleman for no reason. We are in such short supply that most groups are happy to have you sitting down talking with them. The group I am with will wine, dine and show you a good time just for showing interest. Really no need to involve third parties IMO.

DreamweaverSRNA · May 25, 2005

Appreciate the feedback JWK and LG. But, for me, using a couple of agencies in addition to my own search on Gaswork just makes sense for my own personal situation at this time. I don't consider it to be lack of initiative, I think it is a smart use of the limited free time that I have until my rapidly-approaching graduation. Anyone who can make it through a CRNA program has initiative and drive to spare, in my mind!

I am lucky to have a husband with a flexible profession that will continue to be the primary breadwinner even with my CRNA salary, so I am not chasing a paycheck or benefits. What I really want is a collegial, teamwork-based group that allows me to push my own drugs, participate in all sorts of clinical cases, and do regionals, OB, and peds. In addition, we can literally move anywhere in the country.

I don't think it's fair or honest to allow a bevy of prospective employers try to out-do one another by wining and dining us. I want to have an honest, straightforward dialogue about what working with the group is really like, and I don't need someone to foot my bar tab to do that.

I understand that many employers dislike using agencies. It's expensive and often turns up less-than-suitable candidates. On the other hand, they can occasionally negotiate on your behalf for a better package than you might get by negotiating for yourself. I know a student whose recruiter negotiated a large sign-on bonus and an additional two weeks of vacation in exchange for starting on a certain date and working 4 weekend shifts per month for one year. She's happy as a pig in mud. Could that student have negotiated that on her own? Perhaps, but if you are not one who enjoys that sort of negotiation, you could be selling yourself short.

Again, appreciate the insight. Must show some initiative now and read about ENT surgery!