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When a Recruiter Calls

By Calvin Bruce

Consider this scenario. While at work one day, you receive a call “out of the blue” from a physician recruiter working in your specialty. He indicates that he wishes to share some important information with you concerning an exciting practice opportunity. Obviously, you cannot talk freely on the job and indicate such to the recruiter. No problem. He mentions that he can phone you at home that evening for a strictly confidential discussion.

Should You Listen?

Is it worth your time to talk to a recruiter, a virtual stranger, on matters that may or may not interest you? Yes, it is. For one thing, the recruiter may have received your name as a good referral source—or perhaps as a prospective candidate for the position in question. If that’s the case, you should be flattered that a respected colleague would pass along your name confidentially.

No matter how busy you are, it behooves you hear what the recruiter has to say. After all, it doesn’t cost anything to listen. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you learn. There are other compelling reasons why it’s good to welcome a recruiter’s phone call.

•  Job security is relative. No matter how secure a person thinks his or her job is, the reality is that workplace situations change, and a job that appeared to be very secure at one moment in time can become less secure the next.
• “Opportunity only knocks once,” as the old saying goes. You never know what a career opportunity entails until you investigate it thoroughly. There is no obligation to accept a position that is offered to you, but obviously you can neither accept nor decline a job that is NOT offered.
• Even if the current position is not of interest, other opportunities might be worth pursuing. That’s why it’s beneficial to establish good rapport with experienced recruiters who will look out for your interests.

What to Say

No matter how much the recruiter knows about you already, he will want to learn more about your background and qualifications in order to determine how much of a “fit” there is with respect to the search parameters guiding his efforts.

To make the conversation most productive, it’s helpful to match the information you obtain with specific, documentable facts about your professional accomplishments and qualifications. Start by asking the recruiter to explain the practice opportunity and the profile of the “ideal candidate.”

At that point, you can discuss your background and skills more appropriately. The key is to zero in on particular professional achievements that can establish you as a highly desirable candidate in the eyes of both the recruiter and the client he represents.

One bit of cautionary advice. As you share information about yourself to establish your prospective candidacy for the position, keep in mind that you don’t need to discuss every factual tidbit about yourself. The recruiter doesn’t need—or want—to know your entire life story. Rather, he seeks answers to a number of key considerations in evaluating you as a new recruit:

• Fundamental qualifications as a practicing physician
• Range of clinical skills / modalities you can comfortably handle
• Short-term and long-term professional goals
• General compensation expectations in making a move
• Relocation parameters and preferences
• Family concerns (i.e., spouse’s employment situation)
• Timeframe for making a career move
• Personal views concerning “counter-offers”
• Whether you are actively or passively job hunting
• How your search is proceeding if you’re actively looking
• How this job stacks up with other opportunities you’re considering
• What would constitute a “golden opportunity” for you
• How cooperative and communicative you will be as a new recruit.

With this information in hand, the physician recruiter can better steer the immediate conversation and subsequent course of action deemed appropriate by both parties. By mutual agreement, it may be wise to “pass” on this opportunity—or to pursue it vigorously.

How to Proceed

Conscientious recruiters are concerned with one thing: Making quality placements. It is not in their best interest—or anyone else’s—to waste time with nonessential matters. If you are interested in the position discussed and possess the requite qualifications, take the recruiter’s lead in establishing matters of mutual interest and advancing your candidacy.

Here are some specific guidelines for investigating opportunities presented by experienced, responsible agency recruiters:

• Safeguard your current employment situation. Job hunt confidentially.
• Investigate opportunities selectively. Don’t “spread yourself thin” by being presented for every job opening in your field.
• Allow the recruiter to represent you. He knows how to move the search along on your behalf.
• Respect good manners and protocol. Let the recruiter call the shots on major matters such as scheduling interviews and timely follow-up. Get the recruiter’s permission to contact the client directly.
• See your potential / limitations from the recruiter’s standpoint. Experienced recruiters know how to “package” you as a desirable candidate and help you sell yourself effectively.
• Make yourself as marketable as possible. Little things can make a difference as you compete with other physician candidates for specific jobs.
• Realize there is no perfect job. Be open-minded about considering practice opportunities. Evaluate each one on its own merits and look at the broad picture.
• Don’t prematurely rule out an opportunity. As the process unfolds, you will become more certain whether it’s in your interest to pursue matters.
• Be clear about your career expectations. Recruiters have a problem with indecisive candidates who constantly change their goals and expectations.
• Cooperate and communicate fully. In representing you to prospective employers, the recruiter needs to count on your wholehearted cooperation and timely communication above all.

By establishing a good relationship with a recruiter, you can avail yourself of many fresh career opportunities that might escape your attention. It is definitely advantageous to be on the “radar screen” of an experienced recruiter who has your best interests in mind than to job hunt on your own, especially if you are gainfully employed with limited time to explore opportunities.

Suppose you’re not interested now

There is, of course, no guarantee that what the recruiter wishes to discuss in the initial conversation will be of significant interest to you. If you are absolutely convinced that the practice opportunity does not “push your hot button,” keep in mind that another opportunity might. For that reason, it pays to stay in the recruiter’s good graces and keep the doors of communication open. Who knows? The next call from the recruiter might focus on the “golden opportunity” you have been awaiting for a long time. By befriending the recruiter, you can maintain an inside track into learning about opportunities unbeknownst to you otherwise.

Another way to befriend the recruiter is to recommend someone else who might be a better fit for the opportunity, such as a current or former colleague. Successful recruitment depends on effective networking, and trustworthy candidates play a vital role in expanding resourceful communication networks.

Remember: As you look out for the interests of a professional colleague, someone will do the same favor for you.

When a recruiter calls, listen politely and follow your instincts. You have nothing to lose—and much to gain—in considering fresh employment options. A single phone call may, in fact, open up new and exciting vistas of career exploration.

If you choose to pursue an opportunity, do so wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. The end result might be receiving an offer that is too good to turn down. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?