Working With a Staffing Agency Tips

Looking for a nursing job can be overwhelming. Submitting hundreds of resumes, searching job postings and waiting for the phone calls to roll in. But fortunately, you don’t have to manage the process yourself.

When choosing a staffing firm, whether a travel nurse agency or per diem staffing agency, it’s important to select a company that specializes in the healthcare industry. A travel nurse agency or per diem staffing firm can help match you with employers looking for travel nurses, short-term per diem staff, or even permanent healthcare staff in a variety of specialties – like pediatrics, dermatology, physical therapy, or oncology. Clinical One recruits exclusively for the healthcare and travel nurse industry – which allows them to have access to more employers. Clinical One’s job board will give you access to jobs that aren’t posted on mainstream job boards. Once you’ve created a partnership with Clinical One and completed their online application, they’ll start matching you with your dream jobs.

Whether you just graduated from college or have several years of experience, it helps to have a few tips before applying for jobs. Complete an online application for a travel nurse company or per diem staffing company like Clinical One. Be sure to include all educational history and previous work experience, and then self evaluate your skills by completely a skills checklist for every specialty area where you have worked. If you have letters of recommendation from previous employers, be sure to email those to your recruitment specialist once one has been assigned.

Once it’s time for the interview, focus on those skills that are most applicable to the position you are applying for. Answer questions by giving real life examples of situations you’ve encountered on previous positions and how you were able to successfully work through them. And don’t forget to ask your own questions as this shows an interest in the facility and the position that you are interviewing for, and gives you an opportunity to paint a better picture of what the assignment would entail. And don’t forget…never talk negatively about a previous employer. Most candidates know it's poor etiquette to talk negatively about previous employers – but how should you handle the situation? Make sure you put a positive spin on your response. For example, your previous manager had a different type of management style; however, it helped you grow as a professional and learn to work with different personality styles.

When interviewing for a healthcare position, you’ll need to play up strengths that are unique to the healthcare industry. For example, if you’re applying for an ER nurse position, you’ll need to demonstrate your ability to handle emergency situations and balance a large workload. Here are three interview skills to master before starting to interview.

Emphasize your skills as a team player. As a healthcare professional, you’ll be working as a team to achieve the highest level of patient care. When interviewing, make sure to call out examples of your ability to operate seamlessly in a team environment.

Getting along with other employees and personality types. An employer may be interested to know how you handle working on a team with staff members that have personality styles that may conflict with yours. When answering this question, it’s important to give concrete examples. Emphasize your ability to offer solutions instead of propelling the problem.

Dealing with being short-staffed. Employers in the healthcare industry are often short staffed. When interviewing, make sure to emphasize situations when you effectively dealt with a large workload on a small team.

If you’re working with a travel nurse agency or per diem staffing agency such as Clinical One, make sure to discuss the employer’s needs before attending the interview. This will allow you to tailor your responses to interview questions – boosting the chances of landing the job.

When your resume and job application are in front of a hiring manager, you may only have seconds to make an impression. This short amount of time will determine if you’re invited to an interview or put in the “do not call” pile. For this reason, it’s important to make a good first impression.

Before contacting a travel nurse agency or per diem staffing agency, make sure to update your resume. Include all professional certifications and put your most impressive accomplishments in the first ¼ of the resume. Often a recruiter will decide within seconds if you’re a good fit for a potential employer.

Partner with a staffing firm that specializes in healthcare placements. Choosing a company that specializes in nursing jobs, allied health jobs, or other healthcare jobs will make it easier to find potential employers. Clinical One already has relationships established with healthcare facilities allowing you access to jobs that might not be available on mainstream job boards. Visit www.clinicalone.jobs to complete the application, upload your resume, and search open jobs.

Whether you work for a hospital, private practice or nursing home – it’s important to know what you’re worth. Professionals that have solid salary research are in a stronger negotiation position. This will allow you to negotiate the best compensation package possible.

The first step in determining your salary is to investigate salaries in the local area. For example, if you’re a nurse applying to hospital positions, contact the human resources departments at the local institution in your area. They should be able to provide a salary range based on level of experience and education. So, if you receive an offer less than market value, you can negotiate it with your salary survey information.

It’s also important to partner with a travel nurse agency (or per diem staffing firm if looking for local shifts) like Clinical One since they specialize in placing healthcare professionals and can help you determine an appropriate salary for the position. You can also ask which industry pays the most. Sometimes, government agencies or private firms offer higher salaries.

The demand for registered nurses has never been higher. Many candidates prefer temporary positions, allowing them to “try a facility or position out” before committing to a permanent position. These positions are also good for those interested in work that is less permanent in nature – like travel nursing.

A great place to find temporary nursing jobs (such as travel nursing jobs) is a staffing firm. Clinical One specializes in placing nurses in temporary positions, such as travel nurses, per diem or contract, and when you are ready to go permanent they can assist with that, too. And since they have relationships established with healthcare facilities across the country, it can make it much quicker to find these positions.

Although nursing is one of the fastest growing occupations in the nation, it doesn’t mean that it’s easy to get an interview. Applicants will still need to make sure their resume and online application stands out so they can land a job.

Tailor your resumes to the medical specialty. For example, if the position will be in a pediatric or oncology unit, rewrite your resume to include skills specific to this area. This will avoid getting your resume dumped into the “unqualified” pile because your skills aren’t a good match.

Create a highlights section. When a travel nurse recruiter reviews a resume, they often make decisions in this section. For this reason, it’s important to include your most impressive accomplishments in the first couple of paragraphs. This will entice the recruiter to read further.

Partner with a staffing agency. Clinical One specialize in placing travel nurses. They can help match you with employers and ensure your resume is up to par. Update your resume and application on Clinical One's job board and be sure to complete a skills checklist for each of your areas of expertise. Include your most recent work experience and all educational history.

As students near their completion of college, they begin to prepare themselves for the job search. Some people are proactive in their job search approach, sending a blanket mail-out of resumes to places he or she might like to work. Unfortunately, resumes can get lost in the shuffle that way. Other people sit at home, searching the Internet for jobs, but don’t spend a lot of time in the hospitals and clinics themselves. This approach to job searching can work, but you could be wasting your time applying for vaguely written job descriptions that really don’t tell you much about that particular employer.

If you’re a recent graduate, consider sending one application to a travel nurse agency like Clinical One. Clinical One can help bridge the gap between online job searches and personal interaction with potential employers…and it’s all FREE to you! Once your qualifications have been confirmed, references checked, and criminal record check completed, you’ll be able to start applying for jobs that appear on the Clinical One website. If you have any specific questions about job postings, a Clinical One recruitment specialist will be able to help. In fact, the recruitment specialist practically becomes your mentor, guiding you to appropriate jobs based on your needs, career goals, and qualifications.

If you’re interested in really getting connected to the job market, and working in a variety of interesting, rewarding positions, go to Clinical One to get started. You’ll save yourself time, worry, and the frustration of independent job searching.

The benefits of accepting travel nursing jobs go far beyond the paycheck. If you’ve been contemplating becoming a travel nurse, or seeking temporary nursing employment through a healthcare recruitment agency, consider the following benefits:

1) You’ll get to make new friends in different parts of the country. Just think…when vacation time rolls around, you’ll have a place to go!

2) The benefits of working with Clinical One in your quest for a travel nursing job includes health & dental benefits from day one, a free, completely furnished apartment to live in while you’re on assignment, and free continuing education.

3) Save money! Without having to put your hard-earned cash into rent, you can put that money aside for a rainy day.

4) Earn more money! Clinical One will give you bonuses for referring your friends and family. As long as that person qualifies and successfully completes their first assignment, you’ll get your bonus.

5) Working in travel nurse jobs give you the opportunity to branch out on your own, exploring your own independence and freedom.

6) Pump up your resume! Every travel nurse job assignment you complete is one more line of experience to add to your resume.

7) Work in prestigious teaching hospitals, with some of the best doctors and nurses around.

8) Work in some of the country’s most exciting cities, or most picturesque towns.

9) If you’re looking for travel nursing jobs, go to Clinical One for assistance.

A career as a travel nurse gives you an opportunity to travel across the country. But competition for these positions is often high – making it important to be creative in marketing yourself.

Partner with a travel nurse agency. Clinical One specializes in placing travel nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals in travel jobs. This will allow you access to positions that aren’t available on mainstream job boards. Update your resume and application on www.clinicalone.jobs and be sure to complete a skills checklist for each of your areas of expertise. Include your most recent work experience and all educational history.