Screening prospective travelers
As we continue our ongoing search to find qualified and quality healthcare professionals, we should regularly ask ourselves,
Is this someone I would want taking care of me, my friends, or my family members?
This answer we instinctively come to can oftentimes be a strong indicator as to whether a prospective traveler is someone we want representing Atlas. We all share in the responsibility to make sure that patients in our client facilities are well cared for - it could be the difference between life and death.
Qualifying a new prospect comes down to asking the right questions!Key questions to help us qualify prospects:
- How did you first hear about Atlas?
- What is most important to you in choosing an agency to work with?
- Which specialties have you worked in over the last year?
- their departments you're comfortable to float to while on assignment?
- How open are you to working evenings and overnights?
- Which certifications and state licenses do you hold?
- Have you traveled as a healthcare professional before?
- If so, who did you travel with?
- What did you like best about working with them?
- What were some pain points that led you to work with someone else?
- When are you looking to start a next assignment?
- Will you need to give notice to a current agency?
- If so, how long?
- Are there any benefits that are particularly important to you?
- What other agencies are you currently working or communicating with?
- Do you have a preferred method of communication; phone, email, text, carrier pigeon?
- How will you get to your assignments?
- Do you have reliable means of transportation?
- What questions do you have for us at this point?
Identifying potential red flags - The onboarding process can cost thousands of dollars per new traveler, not only for Atlas, but for our client facilities as well. We must do our due diligence to determine whether someone is a good fit for us and avoid bringing on someone who will not represent Atlas in a positive light. We do not have to close every new prospect. Trust your gut instinct!
Key potential red flags to watch out for:
- Are they available ASAP?
- Were they terminated or fired from their last assignment?
- Have they expressed problems getting along with their current agency or recruiter?
- Do they have multiple gaps in their recent employment history (within the last year or two)?
- Are they showing poor communication skills in your initial correspondence?
- Does seemingly every decision first need to be run by their partner before making a decision?
- Is it proving difficult for them to provide references?
- Are they unwilling to consent to Atlas contacting any/all of their previous employers?
- If unwilling, why not?
Solving problems and adding value - We continually look for opportunities to show our prospects why they should be choosing Atlas over a competing agency.
Ask directly - what's their primary motivation for traveling right now?
- Seeking greater financial compensation?
- What are they earning currently vs. what would they like to be earning?
- What are their main financial obligations?
- Paying a mortgage or other loans?
- Supporting children or elderly loved ones?
- Saving for retirement?
- How long can they comfortably hold out for a next job without income?
- Do they have a preferred location or region?
- How far away are they willing to travel?
- Are they looking for a change of pace to their lifestyle?
- How do they picture their life differently as a traveler?
- What are their main interests or hobbies when not working?
- Are they seeking career advancement?
- Where do they hope to be in the next few years?
- Looking to escape hospital politics?
- Do they have knowledge in multiple departments of a hospital?
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