The Submission Process
The Five Steps for Healthcare Recruiter Positions
Staffing in the healthcare world is a revolving door of opportunities. Medical positions can be full-time, part-time, per-diem, permanent, ongoing, contract, etc. Landing a job as a healthcare professional may seem simple and finite, and for the most part, it is. However, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t realize. That’s where Talent Acquisition Managers come in handy. We make your job of finding and securing a position as easy as possible. Let’s look at the step-by-step process from start to finish of how we do this.
At Premier Medical Staffing Services (“Premier”), we pride ourselves in hiring only the best and brightest candidates to provide to our hundreds of clients across the country! That means it all starts in one place.
1) The Application
Since Premier is a Joint Commission accredited company, we follow the quality standards put in place by The Joint Commission, and in some areas, we strive to exceed them. Before we make an investment in your future as a healthcare professional, you first have to go to our website and complete the customary application. Even if you aren’t 100% certain you want one of the healthcare jobs posted online, once you fill out an application, you have the ability to call our office and speak directly with a Premier healthcare Talent Acquisition Manager. We do our best to answer any questions, handle any concerns, or simply guide you in the right direction. By first filling out the application, it allows us to have the best possible understanding about you as a person, and what you are looking for in a healthcare career.
3 Important Questions Asked on Healthcare Job Application
- Who are you?
- Your name and contact information gives the healthcare recruiter the ability to share with you opportunities you might be interested in even if there wasn’t anything specifically available at the time of your application.
- What is your experience?
- Our healthcare clients can sometimes be very picky. We need to be able to see your past healthcare experience to identify if you meet the requirements for our clients and the position.
- Need to have a minimum of one year of licensed experience per Joint Commission standards.
- What is your integrity like?
- This assessment gives healthcare recruiters an inside track about you as a person, and it gives insight about what kind of employee you will be.
1.5) The Competency Testing and Skills Checklists
As you can see, I ranked this at number 1.5 on the order of completion, and not a full #2. The competency testing completion varies depending on region, but it always occurs before step #3. Competency testing and skills checklist provides the recruiters at Premier more information about your knowledge, skill set, and experience as a healthcare professional. These tests are important because in order for us to work with you, you are required to pass. Unfortunately, I have seen professionals with years of experience fail miserably because they didn’t take the testing seriously. Be sure to take your time and think about your responses.
2) The Interview
As I mentioned earlier, we have opportunities all over the country, and are receiving multiple applications every single day. We do our best, but it is truly impossible for us to meet face-to-face with everyone due to time, cost, and location. This is why a majority of our interviews are via phone. Typically the interviews last 15-30 minutes and involve discussions about the clients Premier works with, compensation, benefits, availability, requirements, next steps and more. Phone interviews and face-to-face interviews carry the same weight in the healthcare staffing world because the majority of our contact with a healthcare professional will be via phone, and we are looking to hire the best candidates to represent Premier Medical Staffing Services in the field. It is very important to present yourself professionally when in an interview with any healthcare recruiter because this is the first impression we are going to have of you.
3 Phone Interview Tips with a Healthcare Recruiter
- Be on Time
- Punctuality is always important.
- Arrive on time if you’re coming to the office, or be sure to answer the phone when we schedule an interview.
- Be professional
- This includes everything from dress to speech.
- Stick to business attire or scrubs (as a healthcare professional) when completing a face-to-face interview.
- Do not interrupt your interviewer.
- Be courteous and wait your turn to ask questions.
- When on the phone, make sure there is nothing around to distract you (children, other work, or other people).
- While multi-tasking may be considered a positive attribute, when you are looking for a new job, undivided attention for 15 minutes should be given to your interviewer!
- Be Respectful
- Respect is one of the main values in Premier Medical Staffing’s repertoire and as such it is an expectation that all staff adhere to the core values.
- A disrespectful candidate will likely not proceed in the process.
For more information about our Mission, Vision and values, visit Premier Medical Staffing Services’s About Us page.
3) The References
In order to bring the best candidates to join our team, we will always complete a check of 3 credible references before submitting our healthcare candidates for any opportunity.
Your references must fit the following criteria.
- Must be a medical professional
- Must have worked with you within the last 2 years
- Speak to your skills and ability as a healthcare professional
- At least one of your references must be a superior or supervisor.
- CNA can have LPN or higher
- RN can have a charge nurse, manager, supervisor, etc.
References provide our HR department with valuable insight about your professional background. We review certain work characteristics such as punctuality, skills, professionalism, adaptability, and more. When providing a reference to a healthcare recruiter, it is very important that you let them know the recruiter is going to contact them so the reference can expect a phone call.
Getting permission from your references demonstrates a higher level of professionalism from our candidates (something that is noted when processing your file). This is the longest step in our process, as the reference does not always get back to us quickly. We typically try to contact your reference 3 times before asking you for a new reference or contact your original reference to remind the person to call your healthcare recruiter back.
4) The HR Pre-approval
The internal Human Resources department at the healthcare facility makes the final decision about your job application file. They look at your interview notes, tests, skills checklists, references, license verification and more to determine if Premier Medical Staffing Services is able to proceed with your job application. When Premier is given the go-ahead for your application, your Premier healthcare Talent Acquisition Manager will follow-up with you in regards to the next steps of submitting you to one of our clients. Healthcare clients require everything we’ve already gathered from you throughout the process, and we provide them with the best impression of you we can give.
If we cannot proceed with your profile, HR does not tell the recruiter why, as this reason is confidential. This step takes anywhere from 1 to 5 days depending on your discipline, location, and other circumstances.
5) Profile Submission
Congratulations! You have finally made it to the step you’ve been waiting for and your profile has been submitted to the client. Sometimes the client gets back to us in a few hours and sometimes it takes a few days. We will follow up with them as needed and hopefully you’re on your way to a fantastic new opportunity with Premier!
I know you’re thinking that this seems like a lot of work, but I promise it doesn’t take as long as you’d think. The application, skills checklist, and competency testing are all things you can complete within a few hours. The rest of the process is completed based on how much flexibility you have for an interview and preparation your references received.
Remember, these job submission steps are put in place for us to find the perfect candidate to represent Premier Medical Staffing Services in the field.
Please take a few moments to check out what we have to offer. If you’re interested in learning more about our open positions, search through our large list of healthcare job opportunities online.