Market Yourself in Polished, Professional Manner
The job market can be tough. Depending on what kind of experience you have and where you’re looking, even NP jobs and PA jobs can be hard to find. While healthcare fared the recession better than most other industries, that doesn't mean nurse practitioner jobs and physician assistant jobs are everywhere. If they were, you wouldn't see ads such as the one on this page (right panel) from Craig's List.
Consider this: Craig's list can be a great medium for finding a local yard man or child care provider. But few in professional occupations use it as their first option for self-promotion?
Why not? First of all consider your prospective customer -- the employer. Do you really believe they have the time to dig through Craig's list postings every day? Let's face it, the Craig's list interface is not one of the most user-friendly and certainly the environment has been seen to be "questionable" for some categories of employment. Do you want this type of "brand-association?"
Even among the newest social media tools, there is some question as to how much time Hospital/Clinic administrators and recruiters can spend to find viable candidates. And each tool also has its best use. For example, Twitter might be used to promote a hospital job fair. It seems to do a great job of promoting the gathering of people. LinkedIn is great for checking references and referrals on candidates -- many times without ever having to pick up the phone themselves.
But when it comes to finding candidates for either full-time or temporary (locum tenens) staffing, many employers today post to their website and to a site where they believe they can get the attention of high-quality professionals. Because those methods can sometimes be overwhelming (especially in a cluttered job board field), more and more administrators are looking to recruiters when they have open positions.
In the case of AdvancedPractice.com, the employer has developed a working relationship with the recruiter at AdvancedPractice.com. They know that all of the paperwork, certification and malpractice insurance information has been covered between AdvancedPractice.com and the provider well in advance -- thus saving them a great deal of work.
If the administrator were to screen candidates from Craig's List or another board, they would have to do all this themselves.
The added advantage for the Provider is that when you choose Locum Tenens, you can test the environment out in advance. If you like it and the employer wants to bring you on full time, the recruiter and AdvancedPractice.com work out a buy-out agreement and the Provider is then free to work directly as an employee. However, if you prefer more freedome and flexibility, you can work with your AdvancedPractice.com recruiter to move on and try a new position.
If you need help marketing yourself, before considering Craig's list, contact AdvancedPractice.com at 877.740.0404 and ask to speak to a recruiter.
Does Craig's List Market You in the Best Light?
Consider methods you choose when promoting yourself as a professional
This from a recent posting on Craig's List:
Master's prepared Nurse Practitioner with many years of NP experience will be available for nurse practitioner employment as of August 2011.
I am hard-working, adaptable, and appreciated by patients and colleagues.
Education and experience: 1990 BSN (RN employment in NICU, PICU, and Travel Nursing).
2000 Master Science of Nursing (Primary care option/Nurse Practitioner), graduate with distinction.
My Nurse Practitioner employment has ranged from Pediatric nursing jobs to HIV/AIDs care. I have also worked Adolescent Health, Women's Health and OB/Gyn nursing jobs.
