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          Audrey Becker 
          2341 Seven Pines Suite 5
          St. Louis, MO 63146

Phone: 314.878.6888
Toll-free: 877.583.3255
Fax: 314.878.1827
Audrey@ObOnly.com

WORKING WITH A RECRUITER (continued)

How important is money? How heavy is your repayment obligation? The recruiter may discuss signing bonuses, incentive formulas, buy-ins and payor mixes, all of which can affect your financial welfare.

What are the requirements of your family? The recruiter can explore job opportunities for your spouse, investigate schools for your children, ascertain the availability of religious facilities, and determine the distance to the nearest lake, beach or ski slope.

Some recruiters dedicate themselves to just one specialty, working only with OB/Gyn's for instance. Such focus allows them to know the field in depth, to understand the medical climate for the specialty in each state, and to work as true consultants to physicians.

If you doubt the value of such advice, consider the writer or agent typically receives fifteen percent for similar advice. For you as a young doctor, however, the problem lies not with the value of the service being offered but with the fact that too many people are offering it. You cannot work with everyone who calls. Instead, you must make the questioning process reciprocal and "feel out" the recruiter. Is the caller knowledgeable? empathetic? ethical? Is this a person with whom you could work confidently and comfortably, someone you could trust to advise you on a major career decision?

It is your future at stake, and you should retain control of the process.

What's in it for the Client?

For the client, the advantage of working with the contingency recruiter is obvious. There is no "up-front" cost, no monthly statement, no bill to pay unless the recruiter presents a candidate who is hired. In essence, the client is initially represented, free of charge, by a recruiter who describes the client's opportunity to qualified doctors who might otherwise never know of it.

If a doctor shows interest in the opportunity, the recruiter will send a C.V. to the client. If the interest proves mutual, the recruiter will coordinate initial phone conversations, collect references on the candidate, verify availability dates for interviews, assist in drawing up an itinerary, and follow through with both parties at the end of the visit. If the interview goes well, the recruiter may eventually facilitate negotiations or even assist in drawing up a contact. Only when that contract is signed and delivered does the recruiter get paid.


What's in it for the Recruiter?

The contingency recruiter is paid not for effort but for success, and every recruiter has experienced the frustration of having a deal fall apart at the last minute. The process is fraught with infinite variables, the competition is fierce, and the right match can be elusive. Considering the pitfalls, it is no wonder that the recruiter experiences a sense of triumph when a deal closes. "My client" and "my doctor" are phrases spoken with possessiveness and pride.

The best contingency recruiters do good work for both candidate and client and, in return, make a good living. The poor ones don't last long.

For a physician looking toward an uncertain future, the proper contingency recruiter can be invaluable. To make best use of such a recruiter, you must be prepared to enter into an open and honest relationship. Find a recruiter who listens to what you say and replies sincerely and intelligently. Then arm the recruiter with as much information as possible about your background, your present circumstances, your dreams. The labyrinth of opportunities offered by hospitals, clinics, groups and HMO's stands before you. The contingency recruiter can guide you through it.

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