3 Things to Look for in a Travel Nurse Recruiter
January 30, 2023
post written by Dan Kashulines
If you’ve been looking into becoming a travel nurse, you’ve probably heard that the right recruiter (or agent) can make all the difference. There is a lot of truth in this, as your recruiter will likely remain your point person after you are hired. This means that if you have any questions or concerns during your contract, your recruiter will likely be the person you turn to, so you want to be able to trust them. In this blog post I’ll talk about three things to look for in a travel nurse recruiter.
you want a recruiter who is candid
First, you want to find someone who is upfront and honest with you. When you’re just starting out as a travel nurse, there’s a huge learning curve and you want someone who is on your team. Your recruiter is someone that you want to be able to trust and feel comfortable going to with all of your questions. In your preliminary conversations with a travel nurse recruiter, you want to be thinking about how they’re talking to you. Does it sound like they’re trying to cover things up or give pat answers? Do they want to avoid talking about certain things, or do they just not seem very straightforward? If something feels off while talking to a recruiter, this should give you pause.
On the other hand, you also want to be careful of the person that seems to be overly candid. Some recruiters try to paint the picture that they are the only one who is being truly honest about travel nursing. This is a strategy utilized to try and convince you that you can only trust them, so that you won’t bother with other recruiters. Sometimes this can be dangerous too. Ideally, you want someone who is friendly (but not overly flattering), honest (but not trying to make a show of it), and straight to the point without being harsh.
your recruiter should take your goals seriously
Another thing to look for in a travel nurse recruiter is that they care about you achieving your goals and want to help you do that. As a travel nurse, you have a unique opportunity to work and make a good amount of money, all while seeing new places. But if you’re like me, you still have goals for your career long-term. It is good to be ambitious and forward thinking, but that can be more difficult both for you and for your recruiter. For this reason, some recruiters will make little of your goals so as to make their jobs easier.
Perhaps you never want to work nights, maybe you have a minimum pay that you’re willing to accept, or you have some specific requirements with how far you are willing to travel to your assignment. Some of these things are quite reasonable, but it can depend on how attractive you are as a job candidate based on your level and area of experience and how long you’re willing to wait it out. Do the research to know what is an unreasonable request based on your experience and based on the market. Don’t just trust every recruiter that says your goal is unreasonable.
In talking with your recruiter, do they listen to what you’re saying you want in a contract? Do they take the time to consider your preferences or are they quick to dismiss your comments? Obviously there are times that we as nurses can be too picky and maybe our goals are a little too ambitious for where we’re at in our career, but you want someone who is willing to hear where you’re at and work with your preferences to help you get an ideal job.
you want a recruiter who advocates for you
The last thing I want to suggest when looking for a travel nurse recruiter is that you determine their willingness to advocate for you. You may run into trouble during a contract or have concerns before you start a new contract, and the person you bring these concerns to will be your recruiter. You want someone who cares about your success and is willing to fight for you when things don’t necessarily go as planned.
An example I can think of was before one of my contracts when the hospital cut my rate. I was brand new to travel nursing and so I didn’t know the ins and outs of what was normal, so I had a lot of questions when my pay was suddenly much lower than originally promised. When I brought the concerns to my recruiter, he had some answers, but he didn’t have all the answers. Still he knew I was concerned, so he made an effort to get answers to the questions I was asking and helped us get the opportunity to go higher up in the agency to voice our concerns.
In a more recent contract there were some stipulations being made by the hospital that seemed honestly pretty outrageous and put me in a position where I could easily be taken advantage of. When I spoke with my recruiter about this, he was willing to reach back out to his supervisor who communicated with the hospital and changed a clause in the contract so that I would be better protected. In these two instances not everything went according to plan as far as I was concerned, but when I brought my concerns to my recruiter, he was willing to get answers for me and advocate for me. If your recruiter isn’t willing to negotiate or isn’t willing to be patient with your questions, you may want to look elsewhere.
To sum it up, it can be a little intimidating trying to make sure you have found the right recruiter. Besides considering these things, I think one of the most important things is that your recruiter is friendly. You want someone who you can talk with, who is kind to you, and who cares about where you’re coming from. There is no perfect recruiter, so just do your best to be conscious of these things when you’re signing on. Don’t stress about it too much though, you can always request a new recruiter later on if you need to, whether you’re changing agencies or not.
Having a good recruiter makes a huge difference, but the world of travel nursing can be tough. There have been numerous lawsuits against several travel nursing agencies lately, so you need to watch your own back a bit. Do your research, try your best to know your stuff, and always be ready to ask more questions and advocate for yourself.
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