Finding a job as a subspecialist - head hunter?

[nope80]

Questions about job hunting - I am in my last year of fellowship and have a few generic questions about the job search.

Do people typically start looking the fall before they want to start? Is there a typical "season"?

Also, if you are looking out of state (east coast) what is the best way to search? Any recommendations for headhunters or general pieces of advice when using them?

thanks!

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[NotAProgDirector]

Headhunters -- remember that they are like used car salesmen. They will only sell you what's on the lot, even if it isn't what you need. Some big institutions have in house headhunters (although then we call them "Talent Acquisition") and they are fine to talk to, but they will only hire you for their gig.

Never, ever give a headhunter your cell phone number. And never, ever post your CV online on one of these search websites. One of my residents just made that mistake and now receives over 100 calls from headhunters per day. Get a disposable cell if you want, and use a disposable email account if you're going to use headhunters.

 

[drfunktacular]

Don't underestimate the power of cold-calling. If there's a place you want to live, identify practices in your specialty in that area and call them up. The worst they can say is we're not hiring right now...


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[nope80]

Thanks for the advice! this is valuable information. Are there certain main headhunter organizations that one should contact? Also is there a typical time period (season)?
Also, for people that want a little time off after fellowship is over - how much time do they typically take before starting new job? Ideally I would perhaps like to take 2-3 months (don't know if that is usual) but then how do people handle health insurance?

 

[InvestingDoc]

I second the power of cold calling. I searched for a job in a saturated market and by cold calling (well emailing and then calling) I eventually got an interview and a job offer.

Just know that if you take time off, which most people do, that you might be waiting a while for that first paycheck to come in. Jobs that are based heavily on RVU and production may take weeks to pay you after you see a patient. This is dependent on how long it takes insurance to pay out or what your contract is like for your RVU pay structure. Figure this into your living expenses if you plan on signing a contract like this.

For health insurance I went to united healthcare and they have temp insurance that I paid $105 a month for till I started my job. I only needed it for one month post residency and the cost was totally reasonable. However, my coverage was more of a disaster only plan as I do not have recurring health expenses so your cost may vary.

I started to look for jobs around September, signed in December and started work month. Let me know if you have any more questions. I posted my thoughts on a guide to finding your first job here on my blog.

 

[jdh71]

I got my job by sending emails to the the physician recruiters in places I was interested and asking if they were hiring my specialty.

Start looking now. Hell I started sniffing around in May before the end of my last year.

 

[nope80]

Thanks for all the replies!

Is there a danger in casting wide net? For instance if I contact a hospital now to see what the options are but then lets say in 2 years or whenever go back to them, will I not be taken seriously? Ie should one be limited in their search from the very beginning?

Also, how much time do most people take off?

Lastly, if one is looking for a part time job is this something you should be very clear about from the very beginning or negotiate that a little later to avoid potentially turning people off?