Direct Hire recruitment agencies

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, Palliative Care.

I'm having a very difficult time obtaining an RN job in my state, due to not having any RN experience. I was planning on relocating to Dallas, Tx and seeking the help of recruitment agencies that "direct hire" for healthcare facilities. Has anyone had any experience (good or bad) with these types of agencies? Do I have to sign a contract with the agency for a permanent direct hire position at a hospital? I'm not familiar with how recruitment agencies work and don't want to make a very bad decision. Any advice will be appreciated!

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they work fine, here's how it worked for me, this was several years back. the employer basically paid a headhunter fee to the agency. i also received a signing bonus, relocation money, travel expenses for the interview, etc.

this all happened years ago when the words "nursing shortage" were real, those words aren't real now.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, Palliative Care.

Thanks for replying! I think that'll be the route I pick. There's a lot of competition out here for the limited RN jobs that require no previous RN experience, and I need all of the help I can get.

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Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

Personally, I think in this market it is best to apply to each hospital directly. Just as many hospitals have stopped using or cut back on using "agency" nurses, the same cost cutting measures apply to those willing to spend the money on headhunters. No one wants to give the added dollars to a 3rd party. Not to say you couldn't get lucky, but in today's market, it may be the only hospitals that have headhunters working for them are the ones that cannot get any employees locally because they have a terrible reputation. I think applying directly is the best, and if there is not a position posted, then type a good cover letter and mail it along with a resume in a good format to the nurse recruiter at every hospital in the location you wish to relocate to. Dallas is a very large place, with the DFW metropolitan area being made up of sooooo many smaller towns-Arlington, Denton, Plano, and the list goes on and on and on. Just pull up a list of all the hospitals there and go to their website and start looking.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

katkonk is absolutely right.

For heaven's sake, do NOT pay any money for this "service". At this time, no one is using outside recruiters except for specialty and executive positions. They just are not needed because we have a surplus of applicants for every open position.

You will have the best results from working directly with potential employers.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, Palliative Care.

I just have to be patient and wait for my Texas license, then I can really start applying for these open positions. Thanks everyone for your advice!

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they work fine, here's how it worked for me, this was several years back. the employer basically paid a headhunter fee to the agency. i also received a signing bonus, relocation money, travel expenses for the interview, etc.

this all happened years ago when the words "nursing shortage" were real, those words aren't real now.

These agencies or recruiters can vary in quality.

They are still active. Due to the economy and job market, some may be recruiting for "difficult to fill" positions, so it pays to take a very close look at the job, working conditions, etc. You may want to have a legal person look over any contract before signing it.

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