questions about recruiters

[wahine_kine]

Hi all! I was looking at the forums the other day and was very interested with all the information posted so, decided to join allnurses! I am thinking of changing gears and do travel nursing. I have 6 years experience in the OR of a very busy Level 1 trauma center. Is it hard finding travel jobs in this area? Also, I am not sure as to which company is the best company to sign up with. I've read of Sagent, American Mobile, CCTC, and RN Network from other posts. Anyone else has any other companies to recommend, especially for a "newbie" like me?

My main question, though, is aside from which companies are the best, it seems that the recruiter plays an important role in deciding which company is best or which assignments seems best for the individual. I've seen people talk about recruiters often, in their posts. What is up with recruiters? How do you get the "right" recruiter for you? What are they suppose to do for you, anyway? If it's not working out with you and the recruiter, can you ask for another one? And if so, will that hurt your options for assignments, or the relationship with the company? (They seem scary to me...:uhoh21:) If anyone can help with any of the above questions, I'd really appreciate it! Much thanks

[KatieBell]

Recruiters are really not that big of a deal. For some people, I guess though, they are. The recruiter is your link between the company and the hospital. They submit you, sign you, and continue to be your touch point for just about everything.

Not hard to find jobs in the OR.

Some companies have the recruiter as the person to tell you what actual positions they have (which I dont like because you never know whats available, and those on line lists are rarely up to date), then they make sure your paperwork is in order, and work with hospitals to find you a job.

A good recruiter is going to be aggressive, so that you get the best possible placement for you. this means they may even call hospitals in an area you want to go that aren't posting needs currently, but they will do that in a way that doesn't annoy HR (quite a talent). They will not push you to take assignments that might be "too much" or out of your scope, or out of an area you want. They will follow up on details and make sure all the "promises" of the company come true.

Some recruiters will call you constatnly to 'provide support" etc. I must admit, i am not one who wants hand holding and I finally had to tell one of my past recruiters to simply stop calling unless there was something I needed to do- a form to fill out etc.

One of the best ways to find a good recruiter is to ask other travelers. Yes you can change your recruiter, but I found when i wanted to do that, ti didnt work out very well.

Since i rarely talk to my recruiter, it doesnt seem to matter to me how nice or fun she is, we talk when I am working on getting a new contract, and then after that, pretty much i dont hear from her for 13 weeks unless there is a problem....my main concern is that she secures me the contract I want, and so far she has done that. So many people try to make their relationship with their recruiter more personal , but if you keep it strictly business, things tend to work very very smoothly.

[wahine_kine]

KatieBell, thank you so much for your response. That was very useful info and cleared up any "fears" about recruiters. I guess you can kind of get a feel for the recruiter, right? I'll surely keep some of those things in the back of my mind as I delve into this new direction in my career...