Recruiters Worthwhile?

[chasingthatPAdream]

Hi all,

I am back at the job search and wonder if anyone has any experience with securing a job though a recruiter. What are the pros and cons?

Thank you in advance.

[Reality Check 2]

I have posted this many times on many threads. The utility of a head hunter is limited in my own opinion.

The world is globally technologically connected and social media (insert huge eye roll) is mainstay.

If you know where you would like to live and what you want to do - you can network pretty easily.

For perspective, I graduated before the Internet and cell phones were still 50 cents a minute and installed in your car.

Use the state PA association and their website. Use the specialty organizations like PAs in the VA or PAs in Urology or whatever. 

Practices who are recruiting know about all this interconnectedness and should use it to their advantage. Any PAs they employ should be able to help find good candidates. 

In my own experience, practices using head hunters are trying to dress up a problem and find an unwitting candidate. 

Nothing is secret anymore.

If I found a practice as a patient or a potential employer, I would look up the docs and PAs on the state websites for sanctions, violations, years in practice. Then find the practice website. Then look them up on social media - look up the practice, look up the individuals. I do read YELP reviews and so on. They are amusing mostly - you can smell the drug seekers quickly but when you see 15 1-star ratings in 6 months and see similar verbiage - uncaring, won't listen, etc......... you get a clue.

If I dared to apply and interview - I would ask to talk directly to a PA working in the practice. If they won't let that happen - off I go.

If I get a glimmer that ANYONE related to the docs works in the practice - Alpha Mike Foxtrot - Adios. NOTHING can ever come of a spouse/child/sig other/mother/father working or managing a practice. 

I am no longer shy or naïve or restrained:

Why is this position open?

How many have held it in the past?

What is the staff turnover?

Do you use RVU model or straight salary?

What is the average workweek?

Again, I need to speak to one of your team currently working.

Nutshell - a head hunter is not usually needed and could be a red flag to a hard to fill job. Hard to fill implies a lot of things - it is the WORST town you could imagine, the worst docs, the worst corporate medicine (redundant as that is).

Use the tech you have first - I don't think a head hunter is the way to go 99% of the time.

Just my opinion.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Reality Check 2

[sas5814]

I have to echo the above. Unless it is a unique position (read specialty or sub specialty with unique requirements) why would an organization need an outside headhunter? It is pretty easy to find lots of good candidates...maybe too many. 

It is possible it is a small practice or group who doesn't want to bother with doing their own leg work. That is less and less common these days.

In house recruiters are different. They manage recruiting for large organizations that have constant turnover and need. They pay their own freight by the work they do.

Recruiters get paid to put a body into a job. I did some casual recruiting when I was self employed. It was a side gig and I made a little money at it. Mostly I just leveraged my fairly significant contacts to put employer together with employee. If they got hired and stayed 6 months... I was golden. If they left before that I either didn't get the rest of my fee or owed a refund.

I haven't dealt with recruiters except for locums companies in a long time. They were always a mixed bunch with a lot of shady characters. I had one I had known for years try to get me to take a 90 day ride with a neurosurgeon including OR time and I have never worked anything but primary care. He was going to get paid hour by hour for however long I managed to not get fired.

If you use recruiters use ones recommended by people whose opinions you trust and then be skeptical of anything they tell you. Verify everything and then verify it again.

As LeAnn said talk to PAs that work there or have worked there and ask for referral to other second tier current or former employees so you know they haven't handed you off to a yes man.

You don't have to be paranoid. Just be careful.

[SedRate]

A colleague recommended Lyle staffing. Honestly, though, word of mouth and networking are the best job search tactics, IMO. 

[iconic]

Next to useless.

[bike mike]

I agree most of the time they are not needed but my current job I have because of a headhunter. My current employer was ONLY considering NPs. They initially rejected my application but he did go to bat for me and got them to take a second look at my resume and I got the job. Now they have hired a second PA. 

[iconic]

30 minutes ago, bike mike said:

I agree most of the time they are not needed but my current job I have because of a headhunter. My current employer was ONLY considering NPs. They initially rejected my application but he did go to bat for me and got them to take a second look at my resume and I got the job. Now they have hired a second PA. 

That's nice. I talked to recruiters who have zero clue about what a PA is and how we are different from NPs.

[SedRate]

11 hours ago, iconic said:

That's nice. I talked to recruiters who have zero clue about what a PA is and how we are different from NPs.

And have zero clue about the actual job they're recruiting for.