Getting Started

Read your material before you call. Confidence in your own numbers, dates, and skill set means you can answer questions instead of scrambling. Recruiters read hesitation and use it - if you don't know the answer, you tend to get frustrated, and that's exactly when they push you into a deal you didn't intend to take.

Never call blindly off a list of jobs. Read the job description first. If the ask is outside your skill set, don't call - taking underpaid work because you lack a skill trains the market to pay you less. Build a hierarchy of which jobs to pursue first.

Know what matters to you before you know what the recruiter is offering: finances, location, setting, weather, contract length. If you can't answer these, you're not ready to move on from your current position. You have a reason for seeking this job - usually the best income - so pursue it deliberately, in a nurturing way.

The recruiter isn't your friend, but they aren't your enemy either. They have families and quotas of their own. There can never be hard feelings on either side. Set your "musts" and "wants" up front so they become the frame around every conversation.

Before approaching a recruiter, research the client - the actual hospital or system. Practice for the interview and have alternative offers in mind. Know which concessions you're comfortable asking for and which you're comfortable making. Start with the least important concessions and work up to the important ones.