I’ve written a couple blogs on becoming a traveler and continuing to be a traveler but I think we should talk about “the after”. The average length that people spend in a travel healthcare career is 1.5 years. This means that after about 4-6 assignments people go full-time somewhere. Now the “somewhere” depends on a lot of factors including your experience, your registries, and where the jobs just happen to be at the time you are looking. That being said, many travelers forget to think about travel as being a really long job interview. Imagine that you are a hiring director and you are looking for a Lead Tech, a traveling nurse, or a supervisor…would you rather hire from the outside or from the inside? You would be correct if you said “from the inside.” What you probably didn’t think of is that you as a traveler are “from the inside”.
The reason any organization usually wants to promote from within is because those hires already know the work product and the client already knows what they are getting as opposed to hiring from outside, which can frankly be a crap shoot. You have an incredible opportunity to network and not only can you do it from the inside, but get paid while doing it! That’s right – Aureus is going to pay you while you network. Every travel assignment should be an opportunity for you to network for your next job.
So with that in mind, I’ve put together a list of things you should absolutely do from the start of every assignment and make sure you accomplish before the end.
1. Make friends with everyone, from the techs and supervisors to the managers, directors, and the HR manager. Get their personal phone numbers and email addresses. You can explain that you want to keep in contact with them. You can even be so blatant to say “Geez, if you ever had a position open up, I’d like to know about it.” Make sure they have your information. Ask if you can use them as a reference and get letters of recommendation from them.
2. Use LinkedIn, and “connect” with them if they belong to the social network.
3. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you can be friendly all day long but if you don’t do a great job, that is not going to help you in your search. The long-time travelers in the industry all have a few things in common. One of them is that they get requested back 2-3 years after they were at a facility. That happens quite a bit, and it only happens when you make an impact and are an amazing example of “the perfect employee”.
I’ve written before about travelers getting job offers at the end of an assignment. And that happens very frequently, but what can also happen, if you play your cards right and network while on assignment, is that you will start to receive calls with job offers long after your assignment is over. When you are filling out applications online, and your reference is the director of the sister hospital, that stands out.
Let me give you an example of that phone call:
Hiring Manager: “Good morning, Mr. Director. I just received an application from a person who worked as a traveler there six months ago. They listed you as a reference. Do you remember Jane Doe?”
Reference: “Yes! She was amazing. I tried to offer her a perm job, but she was a traveler and didn’t want to settle down at that time. Is she available? I’d take her in a heartbeat.”
I realize that some of you may be laughing right now, but that example above does happen.
I cannot tell you how many travelers I come across that can’t tell me the name of the hospital, who the director was, what the last name of the lead tech was, or even the hospital’s phone number. You can be a great traveler and have an amazing personality, but if you can’t supply basic information to a potential employer, you are just hurting yourself.
Keep good records, keep in contact, do a great job, make an impact, and above all network! Trust me, it’s a pretty cool feeling when someone comes to you with an offer that you didn’t even have to apply for…and better yet, it’s not that hard to make happen.
Andy Hanneman is an Account Manager in the Diagnostic Imaging division of Aureus Medical Group. Quite a bit has happened in the past year for Andy, as he got engaged, married and built a new home. On his down time, he enjoys mis-using powertools (according to his wife), never-ending trips to Menards or Lowes, and learning how to use his newest acquisition…a snow blower. When he is not working on his house, Andy enjoys spending time at the gym, movie theatre, or simply watching TV on the couch with his beautiful wife!
800.456.5857 ext. 6054 / ahanneman@aureusmedical.com / Twitter
Nice article, but it would be nice if there were any Rad Tech jobs- travel or otherwise. Tonight we will hear the President give his address. I’m sure he will talk about how we need to get people to work AGAIN!! And Mr. Rubio will then tell everyone how bad his plan is, and tomorrow we will still be a crippled nation because we have 535 highly paid members of government who still act like children, and still take kickbacks from their buddies at the banks, insurance companies, universities, and medical centers. I for one have lost faith in this country anymore.
I’m on the waiting list right now but I work at a hsitopal as a tech. I have my CNA certification and they started me out as a sitter the money isn’t too bad. I’m casual pool so I make more than the regulars but have no benefits. The good thing is that I make my own schedule and the only requirement is I have to work 4 shifts a month minimum. I usually sign up for 3 days a week and then call to see if they need me when I want more hours. You can work 4 hour shifts to 16 hour shifts. I’d check into something like that they are more willing to hire nursing students, so you’ve got that going for ya.My sister is a nurse.. she couldn’t handle any more than 20 hours a week when she was in school.