The Job Search Process
Physicians often have questions about the job search process.
This seasoned recruiting firm executive has answers that will
help you understand the system and search with confidence.
By michael p. broxterman
You’ve made up your mind—it’s time for a change. Perhaps you want fewer hours, more money, a new challenge
or a change of scenery. Or maybe your goal is to live closer to family or
shorten your daily commute. Whatever the inspiration, you are entering the job
market eager to seize the best opportunity.
But before launching your search, review “Job Search Steps” on page 50. Whether you’re seeking your first position out of residency or you are well into your
career, this illustration and the guidelines that follow should help you
understand what to expect and what is expected from you throughout the search
process.
Guidelines
Here are some suggestions to help prepare you and establish your expectations
throughout the search process:
• Prepare your CV and send it to the recruiter of your choice. Include references
for your interview.
• When a recruiter contacts you, be sure to note that person’s name, phone number, and e-mail address. Be prepared to discuss your CV,
skills, and experience as well as your geographical preference in terms of
region, type of location (rural, metro), type of practice, type of work, etc.
• The recruiter should also talk with your spouse to learn about his or her
professional needs, and discuss with both of you any other family preferences
such as education, religious needs, etc.
• The recruiter should call you back to discuss specific opportunities. This may
take anywhere from a day to two months, depending on supply and demand.
• When a recruiter finds an opportunity that interests you and the related
employer expresses mutual interest, an interview is scheduled. Some employers
prefer to conduct a phone interview prior to scheduling an on-site interview
while others proceed directly to the face-to-face. Prior to your first
interview, the recruiter should provide you with more details about the
position and the surrounding community.
• Ask your recruiter if the employment contract is available. If so, review it
BEFORE visiting the facility.
• Attend the interview and take your family with you to visit the community.
• After the interview, make your decision within 48 hours. Provide feedback about
the opportunity to the recruiter—what you liked, didn’t like, any concerns, etc.
• If you decide to accept the opportunity, salary and contract negotiations
begin. If you do not accept the opportunity, the recruiter continues to search
for another opportunity for you. If your decision is yes but with certain
considerations, what we call a “Yes-If” decision, your recruiter will mediate to help work through the concern or
request as needed.
Once the employment contract is signed, you can begin the process of moving to
your new position. If you need to be licensed in the state where you will be
working, ask your recruiter if he or she can assist you with licensing
services. You will need to proceed as soon as possible. It can take anywhere
from six weeks to three months to acquire your license.
Timeframe to expect
Generally speaking, it takes three to six months for a physician to obtain an
acceptable offer, so you should plan your search with this timeframe in mind.
However, this is not a set-in-stone formula. Numerous variables from supply and
demand to your credentials and job parameters affect the outcome.
Be aware that searches for advanced-specialty positions typically take longer.
Also, your acceptable parameters will affect the timing. As a general rule, the
more limited your parameters, the longer the search and the fewer the
opportunities. Likewise, the broader your parameters, the more opportunities
will be available to you and the less time it will take for you to be placed.
If you are a resident, you should begin your job search one-and-a-half to two
years prior to graduation. This longer lead-time allows you to explore
different job settings and types of opportunities so you can better determine
your optimal work environment. Employers who are interested in hiring residents
know that the job search starts early, and they plan accordingly.
Many employers are willing to wait one to two years for a chosen resident to
finish training before starting to work. However, this situation will not only
require a commitment on the employer’s part but will also require the resident to sign a legal document showing her
intent to work for the employer upon graduating from residency.
Variables to Consider
Many factors will affect the timing of your placement. Here are a few of the
most common ones with suggestions you may follow to help speed up the process.
• How many opportunities
Uncertain about how many opportunities you should evaluate before making your
decision? Here are some general ranges to guide you. An experienced physician
usually has the time to seriously consider about three opportunities, while a
resident will look at five to six opportunities. A resident usually has a
little more time to job hunt and wants to explore a wider variety of
opportunities. Experienced physicians have more clearly defined parameters for
the types of job opportunities that will suit their needs, so they tend to look
at fewer positions before making a decision.
• How quickly to decide
Another timeframe factor is how long it takes you to make a decision once you
have been offered a position. Employers usually want to proceed as quickly as
possible. They have invested a lot of time and money to bring the candidate to
the interview, and their facility is losing money every day it operates with an
open position. There-fore, a reasonable timeframe would be two to three weeks
from the date you received the official contract. If the desired physician
candidate takes longer than three weeks to accept or decline the offer, the
employer will likely move on to the next candidate.
• Contract review and negotiation
Once both parties express mutual desire to proceed toward employment, a contract
must be issued and negotiated. This can be the longest portion of the hiring
process. The contract must be written, reviewed, and mutually approved. Each
step of this process can consume substantial time.
To expedite this process as much as possible, promptly return all phone calls
and handle all paperwork. Only involve those who are absolutely necessary to
the process, and make yourself accessible to the recruiter in order to keep the
process moving forward.
It is most important that you have all pertinent information prepared and
readily accessible. Be forthright and open with the recruiter regarding
potential snags. Doing so may be the greatest single factor in streamlining the
timeframe and ensuring you the best possible opportunity.
Use your recruiter as you would a real estate agent, and draw on the firm’s unlimited resources. Take advantage of their wealth of expert knowledge,
in-depth experience, and abundance of opportunities. His job description is
focused on making a good match between you, the physician candidate, and the
hospital or medical practice looking to hire a new physician. An experienced
recruiter will take the guesswork out of the search process by providing you
with all the information you will need to make an informed decision throughout
each step of the search process.
Next step? Take action and start your search. You should be as informed as a
seasoned veteran. Now work on that signature so you can sign the golden
contract.
Michael P. Broxterman is the COO of Pinnacle Health Group, one of the nation’s largest physician recruitment firms, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. He can
be reached at mbroxterman@phg.com.
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