Gypsy,
I’m a brand new traveler and seeking my first contract. My recruiter has asked me to contact the nurse manager to request an interview. I thought that this was something that is set up via the Travel Nurse recruiter? Am I crazy? I don’t feel comfortable ‘cold-calling’ the hospital. What should I do?
Kathy
Here is the skinny on this new practice of some Companies having you, the potential employee, call the Nurse Manager for an ‘On The Spot interview!!! I currently work in a very Traveler Friendly Hospital. I decided to talk to a few Managers that I have had a previous connection about this practice. I spoke with 6 Managers that manage Units of various sizes, Critical care to Low risk, Trauma Centers & Community Hospitals. Managers were from 1 Magnet Hospital NYC, 1 Trauma Center in GA, 1 L&D unit in GA, 1 NICU in TX. 2 ER in MA. Keep in mind these are Managers I have worked with or have met before. I got one common response when I took them off guard with the question… “How do you feel about a traveler calling you for an interview?”
‘What??’ All 6 said it was a No-No !! 4 of the 6 said they don’t return any Travelers calls unless they are currently working on their unit.
All communication should be between the hospital Account Manager & the Agency. Some Agencies have encouraged me to get ahead of others agencies submitting nurses for the same position or get a foot in the door of that facility. But is not their Hospital’s policy to bypass the Account Manager.
IN ATL, the NICU manager said only this morning she had a call from a NICU RN that was told to call her Company to call her to set up an interview. She said she didn’t like to be caught off guard, she didn’t know who she was talking to, She had not reviewed any potential nurses’ files & when she called HR to get more info, the Agency which she named did not even have an affiliation the hospital. Now some Excellent NICU nurse will never get interviewed because her file may never get to the manager’s desk.
This was an eye-opener for me. I have never been asked to set up my own interview. I have been asked to provide available dates & times for a phone interview with the manager. Maybe some of the Recruiters here can shed some light on this new practice. We should not be placed in a situation to hear ‘Who are You? & why are you calling? We need to be assertive with our Recruiters & let them be Recruiters!
Do you have advice for cold calling? Comment your advice or tips for cold calling below.
