Did you use a head hunter to find your job?

[MasterintuBater]

As I start the job search, I'm just weighting the pros/cons of how to do my job search. Essentially, I'm starting with preferred geographic locations and just calling up ED Directors and sending out my CV. Am I making a mistake by not hooking up with a staffing group? I couldn't find much info on a search of these threads.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[FoughtFyr]

As I start the job search, I'm just weighting the pros/cons of how to do my job search. Essentially, I'm starting with preferred geographic locations and just calling up ED Directors and sending out my CV. Am I making a mistake by not hooking up with a staffing group? I couldn't find much info on a search of these threads.

I sent "cold call" emails followed by snail mail letters to the top 10 places I wanted to work. All of them were positively recieved.

- H

 

[docB]

I did but I was really looking at a particular job I found out about by cold calling and was then directed to their corporate head hunter. Some goo info in this stuff in some old threads so I'll link.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=293280&highlight=recruiter

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=228152&highlight=recruiter

 

[Apollyon]

I found my job on two fronts (and you're not going to believe one of them):

Around the same time, I had gone to ACEP a year and a half ago, and, in the program, there were advertisements for this group. I also met with a recruiter (that was not part of the group) at the job fair.

The "around the same time" was that I found my job here on SDN. No kidding. One of the infrequent posters (but frequently lurking) posted a thread, and I contacted him, and, between ACEP and this fellow, it worked out - wonderfully.

Now I see that the group has a rather robust recruiting program going on without having to use a recruiter, and (from what I know) all of our most recent hires have come from word-of-mouth. I, myself, can't say enough about it. For me, it's as close to my dream job as I could have, well, dreamed of. (This I say on day #2 of 5 off in a row, with only one schedule switch - that was brought to me.)

 

[bartleby]

Some places that are looking to hire have already signed an agreement with a particular headhunter which you'll have to then use, but in many cases, the ED director is looking passively and not signed anyone. If you cold call them and hit them at this time, things can work out great for you. The downside of signing with a headhunter is that anyone who hires you owes them a significant finder's fee... often $10-20k. This can be a significant downside for a director who can choose between you and your headhunter (and losing an extra $20k to hire you) or someone unaffiliated whom he does not have to pay a finder's fee. Given that they don't really do anything that you can't do with a little elow grease and effort, you should consider just working by geographic area.

Headhunters have a job to do and a business to run, but don't sign anything until you've asked your program director's advice and thought things through. They're like vampires: they can't come in until invited, but once invited are with you forever.

 

[Lola713]

I'm going to enter my 3rd year of residency on July 1 and am wondering when the appropriate time frame would be to start looking into jobs. I am primarily going to be looking into southern CA. Any ideas for those that have done this previously? I am currently on East Coast.

 

[EctopicFetus]

start early. It is tough to get to SoCal from the east coast and the job market is semi tight. There is no harm in doing it early.

 

[bartleby]

It really depends. Especially if there is going to be travel involved in you going out and seeing places for yourself (mandatory), I would get working early. Even if they thank you for sending your CV along but they don't know about openings yet, you're better off getting your name out first and checking back in with them every month or so to stay at the top of the stack of papers on their desk.

 

[obgynthoughts]

As I start the job search, I'm just weighting the pros/cons of how to do my job search. Essentially, I'm starting with preferred geographic locations and just calling up ED Directors and sending out my CV. Am I making a mistake by not hooking up with a staffing group? I couldn't find much info on a search of these threads.

Avoid recruiters like the pest! they only have the leftover jobs that nobody else wants. Remember that employers have to pay 20K to a recruiter for their "services". Who wants to do that when they can get cnadidates for free? Good jobs are given out for free, they have enough applicants. So, if a job comes through a recruiter, there is something wrong with that job! And recruiters are by far too busy selling you that job. they will gloss over bad sides just to make you close the deal and many other drawbacks.
the best way to find a job is to send your cover letter and CV to every single doctor in the area you want to work! That is less time consuming than calling. Of course you can email if you have the addresses. You can buy the addresses and also in part the emails from companies like InfoUSA.com and other list providers, the merge this list with your cover letter in Word.

this way you find many more jobs than recruiters

 

[obgynthoughts]

Some places that are looking to hire have already signed an agreement with a particular headhunter which you'll have to then use, but in many cases, the ED director is looking passively and not signed anyone. If you cold call them and hit them at this time, things can work out great for you. The downside of signing with a headhunter is that anyone who hires you owes them a significant finder's fee... often $10-20k. This can be a significant downside for a director who can choose between you and your headhunter (and losing an extra $20k to hire you) or someone unaffiliated whom he does not have to pay a finder's fee. Given that they don't really do anything that you can't do with a little elbow grease and effort, you should consider just working by geographic area.

Headhunters have a job to do and a business to run, but don't sign anything until you've asked your program director's advice and thought things through. They're like vampires: they can't come in until invited, but once invited are with you forever.

It is not true that "some places have signed up with recruiters!"
Who told you that nonsense, must have been a recruiter. Nobody, but nobody will be unhappy about a candidate who presents for free, meaning without a recruiter! Always apply to the places you ewant to work, froget the whole recruiter thing, it is a non-issue. candidates DO NOT NEED RECRUITERS and they DO NOT BENEFIT from recruiters. period. Employers who cannot fill positions because they are unattractive need recruiters. Nobody else needs recruiters. you do not need a recruiter. You can do the job search perfectly well by yourself and much more successful than with a recruiter. 80-90% of practices refuse to work with recruiters because of their high fees. By working with a recruiter, you automaticaclly eliminate all those practices and jobs that they simpy cannot get. The immoral thing about recruiters is, they do not tell you about their limitations! They never tell you that they cannot get the attractive jobs, because the attractive jobs fill themselves. Recruiter give you the BS answer "Oh, that area is oversaturated". Nothing could be further from the truth. "oversaturated" areas are pertty much all the attractive cities, all the areas near downtown, the waterfront, the hip places, universities. When have you ehard a recruiter offering a job at Harvard? Offering a job in downtonw Boston? Or maybe in Manhattan? Or in a well paying private practice in Miami? that does not happen. the jobs recruiters have are all "one hour from" the city where you would like to be, or with "easy access" to your favorite city and other such nonsense euphemisms.
Stay away from recruiters!

 

[GeneralVeers]

One of the south Texas recruiters took us out for dinner at a nice restaurant, and gave us their presentation. I'm not at all impressed with them, and everything they can do, I can do myself by just calling or sending an e-mail to hospitals.

I would stay away from these guys, except as a last resort. Also, if you want to practice in an "undersaturated area" then perhaps you can take advantage of the recruiters. Often they will give you income guarantees for 3 years, and some will even pay you $2000 per month in residency.

 

[docB]

Recruiters are not evil but they also are not working for you. You have to treat them like what they are, salesmen. I don't think they are to be avoided like the plague. But take everything they say with a grain of salt and do your own due diligence before you sign on for a job.

I work in a great group that is part of EmCare. So if you're interested in my group you'll get referred to the corporate headhunters at some point because they take care of all the background check, travel stuff for us.