For therapists interested in travel healthcare, it’s common to reach out to current travelers as well as recruiters to gain insight on what specific facilities look for. As a traveler, your responsibility is to fill a temporary need in a facility. Because of that, interviews and what Directors look for could be different than when applying for a full-time position.
In order to provide a better understanding, we connected with one of our direct clients to gain insight into what facilities look for in travel therapists.
“As a director of rehab services there are three primary traits that I look for when interviewing for a travel therapist position: do they like what they do, are they quick to learn new processes, and do they get along well with others? Their resume tells me what clinical skills they have, but you have to read between the lines to determine if they will be a good fit for the department they will be needed in.
The first thing I generally ask the candidate is how long they have been working as a traveler and what some of their favorite locations have been. Setting a casual tone helps both parties reveal their true personality, and the answer will help me determine how much the candidate enjoys traveling. Next, I will ask what the different EMRs are that they have used. Their response can reveal how much technical knowledge they have had to process and whether or not they were able to use that technology effectively. Somewhere in between some small talk and point blank questions about efficiency and skills, I will ask them about friends that they have made in their travels and if there have been some people that they didn’t like very much. I may particularly ask if they got along well with the supervisors.
All of the above questions open the door to a deeper understanding of what type of person the traveler may be. You can’t know everything about someone you just met over the phone, but it’s important that both the interviewee and interviewer have an open and honest conversation. After all, it’s just as important for the one doing the interview to sell themselves and their facility as it is for the traveler to try to land the right job.”
All and all, what a specific facility looks for in a traveler could differ depending on many factors. However, keep these items in mind for your next interview and you will be on the pathway to success.