What Recruiters are Looking for in a Travel Therapist

Being a travel therapist is an adventure like none other. It provides flexibility, excitement, and an opportunity to see locations all over the country. The following are the five areas recruiters are looking at when hiring a travel therapist.

1. Being Open

One of the most important things a recruiter looks for in a travel therapist is how open they are as far as location. When a travel therapist is only open to a very specific area, San Diego for example, it greatly limits the chances of them finding a job. There are only so many hospitals/facilities in each city. If none are looking for help then the therapist is pretty much out of luck. An ideal traveler is licensed in several states and is pretty much open to all areas. 

2. Experience

Obviously experience for travel therapy jobs is another key factor that recruiters look for in a candidate. The more experience a traveler has, the more likely they will get an interview and offer when competing with other candidates.  Placing new grads is a challenge but very possible. It is important for new grads to be as open as possible as popular areas will always take someone with experience over a new grad.

3. Pay Expectations

Most recruiters/staffing agencies strive to get the highest possible travel therapist pay for their candidates. The amount the therapist makes will depend on location, setting, their experience, and the amount the agency can charge the facility. It sometimes makes it hard to work with a traveler with unrealistic pay expectations.

4. Responsiveness

The relationship between a recruiter and travel therapist is very important. The most important aspect of that relationship is communication. A recruiter likes a candidate who quickly gets back to them via phone, text, or e-mail. There are often times when a recruiter might need a quick answer from the candidate they are working with. For example, if a job pops-up in a location the therapist wants, the recruiter will need to tell them about it and get their OK to submit. The longer it takes the therapist to respond, the less chance they have of getting the position.

5. Loyalty

As recruiters, we understand that many therapists choose to work with more than one staffing agency for travel therapists. However, working with just one can make it much easier on the therapist as well as the recruiter. Not always, but usually all staffing agencies get the same jobs. If the therapist is working with several different companies, they will constantly be called by all of the recruiters they are working with and will have to decide which company they’ll want to submit them. When working with just one staffing agency, there is far less confusion and the therapist can usually get submitted faster to jobs they are wanting.

About the Author: Steve Turner, Senior Recruiter has been with Cirrus Medical Staffing since October 2010. Prior to joining Cirrus he was in financial sales for four years. Steve was born and raised in the Atlanta, GA area and still lives there today.

To learn more about travel nursing and travel nursing job opportunities, please visit Cirrus Medical Staffing.

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