As a physician you hold many responsibilities, but that also includes the responsibility of creating professional relationships with physician recruiters or the organization. More than likely you do not have a representative that can help cultivate a relationship on your behalf. This means that you are responsible for the relationships and connections that you build. So, how can you build a strong professional relationship with a potential organization or recruiter?
Respond to the recruiter or liaison. This sounds like a given, but with busy schedules, it becomes easy to forget to respond to an email that is no longer marked as unread or forget that the phone call came in earlier that day. If you tend to forget about read emails, mark that email as unread so it will show if you filter to unread, or flag the message to show that you need to read and reply to it. Many recruiters will reach back out if they haven't gotten a response to the first couple of emails or calls, but if it becomes a trend of you not responding they may move you from their active candidates' list.
Be honest with the recruiter. Once again, you are responsible for how you market yourself to the organization. If there are certain requirements that you do not meet or skills you have, do not try to lie to meet the standards. This can backfire on many levels, and if you are caught lying on your CV, during an interview, or another time this can cause you to be disqualified from not only that position, but other opportunities with that organization or recruiter as well. Many organizations keep notes on candidates to note how recruitment is going or where the recruitment ended, so it can follow you for years to come.
Ask questions that you have. Asking questions about the organization, location, or job itself can help convey your interest level to the recruiter. As questions come up reach out to the recruiter and have a quick chat with them, by speaking with them you will be able to not only answer your question, but also help them understand what your concerns are. By asking your questions, this will prevent you from assuming answers or cause you to conduct unnecessary searches to find information that may not be useful.
Do not lead the recruiter on. It can be difficult to say you are not interested, but you should not lead a recruiter on thinking that you are an interested candidate. Whether it be the opportunity itself, staff, or location that is not what you are looking for, let the recruiter know that you are not interested. It is also important to let them know in a professional manner that will not ruin your chances with them in the future.
Many physician recruiters do not want the doctor who skirts their calls or won't respond to emails because this can be indicative of future interactions with staff or patients. Having a good relationship with your physician recruiter can not only make you feel better about the opportunity you are applying to but also help open doors to you in the future. Even if you do not get the position that you applied for with the organization, they might be able to help you find another position within the organization or even reach out to other recruiters to see if they have a position for you.
Looking for more career search tips? Check out PracticeMatch Career Resources!
Hayley Woszczynski - Physician & Program Relations Manager. You can stay connected with me on LinkedIn for all of the latest PracticeMatch articles and upcoming events.