Working with In-House Physician Recruiters
February 2000
By Bonnie Darves
Editor’s Note: “In-house recruiters play an important role in matching prospective applicants with appropriate positions. Developing good working relationships with these individuals can enhance your marketability and understanding of prospective jobs. Effectively communicating past accomplishments and future career objectives in interviews with in-house recruiters is crucial for successful job placement.”
— John A. Fromson, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at MetroWest Medical Center
They have the inside scoop, so ask questions and be candid about your career and personal goals.
Physicians looking for their first position out of internship or residency, or eyeing a new career challenge are likely to encounter in-house recruiters — professionals who work directly and exclusively for the hospitals, health systems, or large clinics they represent. Knowing what to expect and how best to work with these recruitment professionals can be key to finding the right position.
Location, Location, Location
Physicians new to the market are well advised to narrow their field before beginning their job search in earnest, says Tim Skinner, Director of Physician Services for Franciscan Skemp Healthcare Mayo Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin. “I tell physicians who are just starting that they don’t know what they don’t know. That is why it is important for job-seeking physicians to make connections with practicing physicians and to look at different types of practices as they try to determine where they want to go geographically,” says Skinner, who recruits between 20 and 40 physicians a year, and frequently lectures on job-search skills for physicians.
When the parameters have been set, physicians should make sure their CV is polished, up-to-date, complete, and of course, error-free. The latter is vitally important, Skinner says, because even a few misspellings “can give the wrong impression — that you don’t pay attention to detail. We take notice of all misspellings and question time gaps in CVs we receive. If you finished training in 1996 and traveled to Europe for two years, put that in. Otherwise, the gap could be a red flag.”
An Impressive CV
Skinner also recommends keeping the CV straightforward and its packaging simple, defined as the use of good, quality, plain white paper (which can be easily photocopied) and the absence of fancy folders or “off-size” materials. The CV should contain a logical sequence of education, training, and job skills, and possibly something about personal and career interests. The latter, he says, can help recruiters obtain a “mental picture of the candidate” as well as a sense of whether the job would be a good fit. “If I’m recruiting for a position in rural Iowa, and someone writes in a CV that he grew up in a small town, and likes to fish and raise horses, I might be more inclined to follow up with that physician,” Skinner says. He adds that including a career objective at the top of the CV is a good idea, providing it’s fairly specific. For example, rather than stating the objective as “to use my excellent skills to provide high-quality patient care in a family practice setting,” the physician might write: “I wish to provide the full service of family medicine, including OB. I like to perform some procedures and have a special interest in sports medicine.”
Making Contact
When physicians begin contacting in-house recruiters, they should keep in mind that the recruiter’s mandate involves more than just finding the best qualified physician for the position. He or she is also charged with making a good personality match between the candidate and his or her prospective physician colleagues. Communication plays a large role in helping recruiters determine how well a particular candidate might fit in, says Scott Lindblom, president of the Association of Physician Staff Recruiters and Manager of Medical Staff Services for Dean Health System in Madison, Wisconsin. “Of course, we’re looking for physicians who have good skills and who have done well in their residency programs. But we also want physicians who can communicate well with patients and colleagues — and you can get a good sense of that during initial phone conversations and interviews,” Lindblom says. “It’s important to be mindful of how you sound on the phone.”
Sense of Commitment
In addition, in-house recruiters are usually looking for physicians who are willing to make medium to long-term commitments, at least 5 to 10 years. “We owe it to the doctors we’re recruiting for — and to the hospitals, of course — to bring in the right physician, someone who really wants to stay in the community,” says Christine Bourbeau, Physician Services Liaison for Bristol Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Bristol, Connecticut. “We are really hoping the physicians we recruit will stay here until they retire.”
Because of their knowledge of the community and their close ties with their institution’s hiring physicians, in-house recruiters are in an ideal position to provide a complete picture of the practice opportunity. Bourbeau notes that before a candidate is scheduled for an onsite interview, she will already have provided a great deal of detail about both the position and the community. “We give the doctors a strong knowledge base about the opportunity, the hospital, and the community — so that they really have a sense of what the job will be like,” Bourbeau says.
Skinner encourages physicians working with in-house recruiters to go to great lengths to tap the recruiter’s knowledge of both the practice opportunity and the community. “They should remember that we work in the organization and live in the community, so we can give prospective physicians a very clear picture of what life will be like — and we encourage them to ask us those questions,” he says.
Tips for Making the Most of the Process
Obtain a basic understanding of how in-house recruiters work. Hospital or health system recruiters use a variety of methods — called “sourcing” in industry lingo — to attract potential physicians, depending on whether the opportunity is for department director or a newly created associate position in an affiliated medical practice. Sourcing includes medical journal advertising, contacting residency program directors, sending out special mailers, and following up on leads from colleagues or staff physicians. For the record, even if a physician is not interested in the opportunity when the contact is made, it’s not a bad idea to keep the recruiter’s materials and contact information for future reference.
Be prepared to share career objectives as well as personal and family concerns. Because the recruiter is intent on making a good match, he or she will not only ensure that physician candidates are qualified for the position, but also that the prospective medical staff member is a “good fit” for the organization. To that end, physicians should expect to be queried during the interview about their work styles and career goals, personal interests, and even personality issues.
The interview arranged by an in-house recruiter will likely be an extensive and comprehensive process. In addition to meeting with potential physician colleagues, and hospital board members or community representatives, as appropriate, the recruiter will take the candidate on a tour of the community — including schools, if requested. “It’s a very personal process. The itinerary is developed for the individual — and if [the candidate] is bringing along a significant other, I might plan a separate itinerary for that person,” Bourbeau says.
Ask about other resources that may assist in relocation. In-house recruiters can offer a wealth of information about the community, readily providing resources that the candidate might spend hours uncovering on his or her own. Most in-house recruiters will also provide some guidance for spouses or significant others, including sources of job leads, as a service to the candidate.
NOTE: The author, Bonnie Darves, is an independent health care writer based in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
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