Job Placement Groups

[Noyac]

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How many of you are using or planning to use a head hunter group to find you a job?

 

[chesterfield]

How many of you are using or planning to use a head hunter group to find you a job?

You are unlikely to find a good job with the help of a recruiter. They have one goal making money off you by placing you in a position they represent. They get paid more to place you in garbage positions. Good jobs at good location often are filled without the help of a recruiter. Not using a recruiter will make you a better candidate since many groups would rather not pay the $25K+ fee the recruiters get for placing a candidate in a position.


Recruiters do not care about being honest and will say anything to get you to sign up for their jobs. I once dealt with a recruiter who I specifically told I did not want to work for any Anesthesia Management Company or other absentee ownership situations or group that played the partnership game or who churned through anesthesiologists. The recruiter bragged about his 20 years of experience in the industry but refused to ever acknowledge knowing of any location that churned through anesthesiologists. Every location that he told me was an Anesthesia Management Company or a group with a reputation of abusing its employes. He even had the audacity to call me and yell at me for canceling an interview at a place that had a strong nation reputation for playing the partnership game. I canceled an interview upon hearing that the group had just fired their last half dozen partnership candidates after three years of service just before they were scheduled to make partner.


If you are a new graduate and do not understand the market recruiters will take advantage of that and try to shovel there worst garbage on you. Just last year I was told by a recruiter that 160K was a very good salary and if I was willing to work Q3 or Q4 call I might get as much as 200K. Whenever I deal with a new recruiter they invariably start with the garbage jobs, the low paying holes that churn through people. After wasting my time with the garbage and after firmly restating my goals they occasionally can find something that is reasonable but even then what the recruiter has to say about the location and what I learn from a phone call, site visit or some basic background reasearch are as different as night and day.

 

[pmichaelmd]

I ended up working with one and she seemed pretty fair. I chose a position that I think I'll be happy with, although it's an employed position.
She didn't shovel the garbage jobs at me and wouldn't let me interview at a position that offered less than $300k base. She may get a pretty good commission for placing me as she did, but I think she did a good job fo getting things rolling. She also did all of the "grunt" work in terms of getting the place to give me what I wanted in the contract and fought with the hospital physician recruiter on my behalf. Thanks to her, I now have tail covered, 8 wks paid vacation, $300k base with $50k sign-on, etc., etc.

Guess I'll see for sure when I start next year, but I've had a positive experience with the whole process thus far.

Thanks for all of your input guys as I've learned a lot from reading your posts...

Cheers,
PMMD

You are unlikely to find a good job with the help of a recruiter. They have one goal making money off you by placing you in a position they represent. They get paid more to place you in garbage positions. Good jobs at good location often are filled without the help of a recruiter. Not using a recruiter will make you a better candidate since many groups would rather not pay the $25K+ fee the recruiters get for placing a candidate in a position.


Recruiters do not care about being honest and will say anything to get you to sign up for their jobs. I once dealt with a recruiter who I specifically told I did not want to work for any Anesthesia Management Company or other absentee ownership situations or group that played the partnership game or who churned through anesthesiologists. The recruiter bragged about his 20 years of experience in the industry but refused to ever acknowledge knowing of any location that churned through anesthesiologists. Every location that he told me was an Anesthesia Management Company or a group with a reputation of abusing its employes. He even had the audacity to call me and yell at me for canceling an interview at a place that had a strong nation reputation for playing the partnership game. I canceled an interview upon hearing that the group had just fired their last half dozen partnership candidates after three years of service just before they were scheduled to make partner.


If you are a new graduate and do not understand the market recruiters will take advantage of that and try to shovel there worst garbage on you. Just last year I was told by a recruiter that 160K was a very good salary and if I was willing to work Q3 or Q4 call I might get as much as 200K. Whenever I deal with a new recruiter they invariably start with the garbage jobs, the low paying holes that churn through people. After wasting my time with the garbage and after firmly restating my goals they occasionally can find something that is reasonable but even then what the recruiter has to say about the location and what I learn from a phone call, site visit or some basic background reasearch are as different as night and day.

 

[chesterfield]

Guess I'll see for sure when I start next year, but I've had a positive experience with the whole process thus far.

You don't have to risk starting off with a black mark on your resume by going to a place you dont' know what is really going on. Instead of just hoping for the best be proactive and do a little research. You can be discreet and have your best buddy make the calls so you don't risk loosing the job but take the time to talk to all of the people who have left in the last three years.

When I hear 50K sign-on bonus, I get worried. That money is probably not yours until you have to worked there at least two or more years. Most people do not make it more than a year at their first job so if they give you that cash don't spend because you will have to pay it back if you decide this place is not for you.

If you are seriously considering the group you need to contact the people who have left to get the real information about how the group treats its employees.

 

[pmichaelmd]

You don’t have to risk starting off with a black mark on your resume by going to a place you dont' know what is really going on. Instead of just hoping for the best be proactive and do a little research. You can be discreet and have your best buddy make the calls so you don’t risk loosing the job but take the time to talk to all of the people who have left in the last three years.

Yeah, you are absolutely right. I did a little research (not quite the depth you suggested in your other post) and liked what I found. I have no spent some time with the members of this group outside of work and they seem like a good bunch.


When I hear 50K sign-on bonus, I get worried, that is money, which is probably not entirely yours until you have to worked there at least two or more years. Most people do not make it more than a year at their first job so if they give you that cash don’t spend because you will have to pay it back if you decide this place is not for you.

Again, correct. The sign-on loan is over 3 years...forgiven 1/3rd every year. I don't plan on spending it just in case I don't stay the entire time, but I think I will. I picked a little town in which I'd like to set up roots. I may be a little optimistic and naive, but I'm hoping it remains a good fit for me and my family.

Why do you think people don't make it for more than a year at their first jobs? They figure out they're getting screwed and leave? Things aren't what they first hoped for?

Thanks for the advice,
PMMD

 

[Noyac]

Why do you think people don't make it for more than a year at their first jobs? They figure out they're getting screwed and leave? Things aren't what they first hoped for?

There are a whole host of reasons that people don't remain at their first job. For me it was the lure of money and vacation that got me to sign at my first gig. I figured it out after 2 yrs. I wanted a better location mostly b/c I spent all of my vacation traveling to my more desirable locations. Now I live in my most desirable location and still make one hell of a living. I was not screwed by my previous job, I just wanted more from my home town.

My one bit of advice for new grads is to go somewhere that is busy, very busy and a job that does every case you can imagine. You will quickly find out if you can cut it anywhere with regards to the job. I learned soooooo much from my first job and wouldn't trade it for anything. Consider it your fellowship if you want but you have all heard some of us say that new grads have some things to learn, speed, decisions making skills, dealing with surgeons/administrators, etc. etc. I can't emphasize this enough.

 

[jetproppilot]

Why do you think people don't make it for more than a year at their first jobs? They figure out they're getting screwed and leave? Things aren't what they first hoped for?

Thanks for the advice,
PMMD

I think one of the biggest reasons, PMMD, is that its really hard to know what you are getting into until you are there. Hence my emphasis on trying to use buddies/former resident colleagues who are already in the group you are looking at/etc.

Having a mole who knows the real scoop of a prospective group's successes/failures is as close to the truth as you're gonna get. Getting info from someone you know won't mislead you.

Unfortunately most times this isnt possible....since the likelihood of having a mole in the exact geographical area you want to end up in is slim. So, again, its very hard to judge whether a job will satisfy your needs until you work there.

On another note, I completely agree with Noy's above post.

Your first several years outta residency will make you a great anesthesiologist if you are working with a busy, efficient group that does the entire gammet of cases....hearts, vascular, pedi, ortho with lottsa regional, etc. This is where I really perfercted my craft. My previous gig made me deft, fast, efficient, and gave me the experience I needed on how to run an OR...how to anticipate, how to keep surgeons happy, when to make a big deal out of something and when not too, etc etc.

Very well said Noy.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

The placement services may have their place in finding a job, but I still believe the best way to look is to do the snooping yourself and using your alumni links in the area you desire to give you background info.

I used it when I was looking when I first got out and the comments I got about different groups in a variety of states ranged from Shang Gri La to Hell.

 

[Tollway]

The placement services may have their place in finding a job, but I still believe the best way to look is to do the snooping yourself and using your alumni links in the area you desire to give you background info.

I used it when I was looking when I first got out and the comments I got about different groups in a variety of states ranged from Shang Gri La to Hell.

UTSW has been my knight in shining armor (in a very manly non-gay kind of way).