What Makes a Good Travel Nurse Recruiter?

When you call around to find the right agency, you will more than likely be assigned to what they call a “recruiter.” This person is your contact person and is responsible for your travel experience. I don’t know how many times I have heard travelers say the recruiter (not the company) makes all the difference. I believe this is true to a certain extent.

I also believe that a recruiter can sometimes be limited by the efficiency and organization of the company in which he or she works. For instance, your recruiter may have trouble getting your paychecks to you on time if the company they work for has a lousy accounting department of which they have no control over.

However, recruiters do have ways of working with travelers that can soothe their uneasiness and make their experience more enjoyable. What are those things? How do you know you have a great recruiter when you may only have experience with one or two so far?

Recently, HT magazine published a revealing article about recruiters. They asked travelers to elect their favorite recruiters and explain why those recruiters are so great. As I assessed their descriptive responses, I found out that great recruiters must be willing to go “the extra mile” and be great problem solvers. Other than that, the primary characteristic travelers want in a recruiter is one that shows genuine concern for their welfare and experience. These recruiters demonstrate genuine concern by calling and checking on their travelers while on their assignment, listen carefully, and make sure the assignments are a good fit for their individual clients. Furthermore, a concerned recruiter responds quickly to situations, is supportive, kind, and returns your calls. While the demonstration of genuine concern was the main factor, other factors included such things as: professionalism, availability, dedication, effectiveness, knowledge, understanding, positive, thoughtful, personable, and good communion skills.

When you consider how many clients recruiters may have at one time, it makes one realize how hard a good recruiter has to work. Does this make travelers want or expect less from their recruiters? I would guess not, but it is nice to gain some insight into the profession. Being a good recruiter is not an easy job.

Recruiters love it when travelers give something in return. It makes their job more meaningful. You can do simple things such as send them pictures from your assignments and refer other travelers their way. You may have to search before you find one of these “diamonds in the rough”, but then once you do ......stick with them and let them know how wonderful they are. After all, they make your travel experience possible and you make their job possible and hopefully more enjoyable as well.