The best physician recruiters are those who take special care of their clients and candidates. Sometimes exceptional customer care is long-reaching and profound; at other times it is a simple act that smoothes the way for others. Simple acts of good client service are a way of life for Eskridge & Associates, and in the spirit of simplicity, we’d like to offer 26 service principles that we work towards each day.
Accommodate
We strive to accommodate our clients’ special requests. A client may need an orthopedic surgeon who also has experience in phlebotomy, an unorthodox combination; due to travel plans, the client may need to set a first interview with a candidate at a conference room in an airport. When we meet unusual needs, we become more valuable to our clients – and they are more likely to recommend us to other colleagues.
Bear With
Bear with your clients at all times, and try to understand their point of view. Employment is one of the most important facets of life, and when difficulties arise in the hiring process, recruiters need to be sympathetic and offer solutions.
Connect
It’s important for recruiters to connect with their customers. When we know what is most important to our clients and candidates, when we understand career goals and identify the client’s work environment, we can be much more helpful in matching employee to employer. Such understanding comes from a good personal connection.
Distinguish
We distinguish ourselves from all other recruiters so that we are the clear choice for clients. Our board-certified recruiters, quality care, and extra offerings such as travel planning services, allow us to stand out in the recruiting crowd.
Engage
Recruiting is about much more than just filling a job order – the recruiter must engage the client and the candidate in the search process. A candidate who is prepared for an interview will be able to discuss skills, strengths, and qualifications with intelligence and enthusiasm. Clients who make time for the search process and who know how to conduct a good interview will be much more successful at identifying the right physician.
Follow-Up
Eskridge & Associates doesn’t leave the assignment behind once the job is filled. Follow-up is key to a good working relationship; we want to be sure that our interview and analysis processes work for the best placement of the candidate and the satisfaction of both parties. We check in at intervals to be sure any challenges are easily resolved and that the assignment is working over the long haul.
Guide
As board-certified recruiters, we are the experts in employment, and can guide the employment process. We can help iron out details related to employment law and guide physicians through immigration processes, long-distance relocation, or the transition from an urban to a rural practice setting. We are able to guide employers through legal interviewing practices and agreements for all varieties of direct hire and locum tenens arrangements.
Help With the Details
The recruiter is the liaison between employer and employee, and our job is to help make the hiring process easy. We nail down the details like where the physician should park for the interview, and whether he or she will need a security badge to enter the hospital. We can plan all the travel arrangements for a cross-country interview. We will checking references and credentials, so the client has the assurance of meeting only qualified and recommended candidates.
Interviews
Booking interviews is one major goal in recruiting. All our efforts in matching clients’ requirements to candidates’ skills and personality lead to an interview. For this reason, we spend time with the client to help the hiring manager prepare an interviewing approach that will uncover critical information. We also work with physicians to be sure they can clearly communicate their skills, work ethics, and experience during an interview.
Jargon Translator
Our clients may not know the details of National Interest Waivers for foreign physicians might need to become eligible for hire, or the meaning of the legal phrase “defenses to contracts,” but recruiters must be able to decode these terms so physicians and hiring managers can easily understand them.
Knowledge
Again, recruiters are the experts in employment. Even if a recruiter doesn’t know something, he or she knows where to find the answers.
Learning
Even if a client/candidate match doesn’t work out, there is still something to be learned from the experience. A skilled recruiter asks the right questions to identify the lesson in the situation: Were the requirements defined clearly enough? Did the manager have a misunderstanding of the qualifications? Did the physician need more time to prepare for an interview?
Maintain
By maintaining a high level of consistent service, we give our customers assurance that we’ll be there for them, year-in and year-out.
Network
Many of the best recruiting opportunities come from a well-developed network. The best recruiters maintain extensive networks of professionals they can call on for assistance. Recruiters can also help job-seekers identify their own network of contacts that can be of use during the search process.
Opportunity
Good recruiters look for every opportunity that might help their customers. Through networking and search tools, they keep on top of the industry; by knowing their customers’ requirements and qualifications, they can easily identify the right opportunities.
Professionalism
We hope this one needs no explanation!
Quick Response
Our goal is to return each call or email as quickly as possible, even if we have no news to offer.
Referrals
It’s a fact that people who receive excellent service will recommend that service to colleagues. We strive to exceed our customers’ expectations so that they are proud to refer us to others.
Smile
We recruiters’ have a lot to smile about – we’re helping people with decisions that will fundamentally affect them and their families! Each day, we work to improve the lives of the people we represent.
Truthful
Honesty is still the best policy – especially when customers’ employment is involved.
Updates
During a job or employee search, frequent updates prevent anxiety, confusion, and lack of confidence. Our goal is to share information as soon as we receive it. If we have nothing to share, we keep in contact so that our customers know they’re on the top of our minds.
Value
A recruiter adds value to the job search process by taking care of all the details – allowing the physician and hiring manager to focus on their goals and daily duties. In addition, recruiters have access to many job-related resources that are unavailable to individuals, including tools, networks, and employment information sources.
Willingness to Change
Good recruiters are not tied to just one approach. We analyze our processes and are willing to try new options if it will help the search efforts.
“X”-amine the Market
We’re stretching the word just a bit, but recruiters must stay on top of all market news. New legislation in the medical field; changes in the workforce; trends in healthcare – we continue to study our field so that we always offer well-informed advice.
Yardstick
The 26 principles listed here are the measurements for excellent recruiting. You should be able to expect all of these characteristics in someone who is helping you in your search for qualified professionals or work that meets your career goals.
Zealous
Recruiters should be passionate about their work – any job where you have the ability to change lives is a job you should approach with zeal.
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Bob Eskridge (bob@eskridge-associates.com) is the President of Eskridge & Associates (www.eskridge-associates.com) which specializes in the placement of physicians in both locum tenens and direct hire placement opportunities nationwide. Bob is one of a handful that has five industry certifications. He is a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC), Certified Temporary Staffing Specialist (CTS), a Certified Physician Recruiter (PRC) and a Certified Employee Retention Specialist (CERS) through the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS). He is also a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) through the American Staffing Association.
Bob Eskridge is also President of Eskridge Worldwide Travel (www.eskridgewwtravel.com) providing travel services for physicians as well as Eskridge Consulting (www.eskridgeconsulting.com), a practice helping others to realize their childhood dreams of becoming physician recruiters.