Practice match?

[jeckhyde12]

Hey guys, this may be a bit long, but I just want to know if I screwed myself over or not.

I was at work, things were hectic and i wasn't quite in my right mind. I got a page from someone asking me to call them, so I did. It was a lady saying she was part of a service that helps residents find job opportunities after they graduate. I assumed they were affiliated with my hospital since she paged me directly and knew some of my information.

I should have been more suspicious from the start, but I didn't think much of it until she asked more and more questions. I finally asked if this was a service through my hospital or if she was affiliated with my hospital. Of course she said no and that she was part of the practice match services. By that point, it was already a bit late.

I didn't give out any really important information like my SSI or credit info. Nothing like that, but I did give my address and phone number.

So has anyone ever signed up with this group? Is this some sort of scam? I'm worried right now and kicking myself that I wasn't more aware of what was going on.

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[Smurfette]

Hey guys, this may be a bit long, but I just want to know if I screwed myself over or not.

I was at work, things were hectic and i wasn't quite in my right mind. I got a page from someone asking me to call them, so I did. It was a lady saying she was part of a service that helps residents find job opportunities after they graduate. I assumed they were affiliated with my hospital since she paged me directly and knew some of my information.

I should have been more suspicious from the start, but I didn't think much of it until she asked more and more questions. I finally asked if this was a service through my hospital or if she was affiliated with my hospital. Of course she said no and that she was part of the practice match services. By that point, it was already a bit late.

I didn't give out any really important information like my SSI or credit info. Nothing like that, but I did give my address and phone number.

So has anyone ever signed up with this group? Is this some sort of scam? I'm worried right now and kicking myself that I wasn't more aware of what was going on.

That happens. It was a recruiter, and they are notoriously sneaky about getting hold of unsuspecting residents. Same thing happened to me during residency. You have no obligation to this person; don't sign anything. You may start getting job ads by mail or email, but the bigger annoyance is phone calls from recruiters. If you're not interested, don't pick up or just block the number(s). Recruiters get a finders fee for getting you a job, and should never charge you anything (your employer pays; if they want $ from you, RUN). You may be able to negotiate a higher salary if your employer doesn't have to pay a fee for hiring you, and they are often more interested in matching you to get their commission that making sure it's a good fit. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use them (although most good jobs are word-of-mouth--you don't NEED a recruiter), but it does mean you have to figure out what's best for you and don't let them push you in the wrong direction because they are trying to profit.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

As mentioned, this is nothing "bad". Except if you gave them your cell phone number, be prepared to be bombarded with calls. If you still have their contact information, I would recommend contacting them and telling them to remove you from their database -- unless you want lots of calls about random jobs you may (or may not) have any interest in. They may not remove you anyway - they get paid if they refer you somewhere, and don't lose anything if you get bombarded.

For others that may read this, a word to the wise. If you're going to use recruiters to help you find a job, create a disposable email address and a disposable temporary phone number linked to your cell. This way, if you get annoyed (or find a job), you can drop all of them and they can't get in contact with you anymore.

 

[mvenus929]

They did this to me when I was on my first senior month, in the middle of doing an admission. The operators actually got yelled at for letting the call through. It's not anything bad, you'll just get lots of emails and some phone calls from recruiters looking to place you in a job, and the amount of both will increase during your last year in residency. I looked at the emails to see what sort of positions were open, but have since found a job, so I've been unsubscribing to the emails and don't get them nearly as much anymore.

 

[jeckhyde12]

Thanks for the replies! I feel a bit better now. I was thinking about calling the person back to see if they would take me off their list, but that probably won't change much. If anything, I'll see what they have to offer.

 

[FutureInternist]

Only once (after MANY requests to not call me) did I put up their number on Craig's List offering Justin Bieber tickets

 

[Goro]

Only once (after MANY requests to not call me) did I put up their number on Craig's List offering Justin Bieber tickets