If you are seeking a career in the healthcare sector, taking a temporary position makes a great deal of sense.  Perhaps you are a physician, nurse, laboratory technician, administrator or support person who already has at least some experience in your chosen line of work.  Accepting a temporary employment position allows you to get a first-hand impression of the workplace, the patients or clients, and the roles and personalities of the current staffers.  It’s an ideal way to find out if a hospital, physician’s office, laboratory or other setting is the right one for you on a long-term basis. It certainly lowers the risk of making a bad choice – both for you and the healthcare organization.

A temporary staffing position can be even more valuable if you are making a career change into healthcare. Let’s say you recently earned your nursing degree or lab tech credentials. In that case, a temporary position allows you to get your foot in the door with a potential long-term employer.  It lets you develop and use your skills and training, so that you have practical on-the-job experience to go with your degree or credentials. That gives you more material for your resume and a potential reference from the temporary employer if you decide to continue your career search elsewhere.

In both situations, you can be on the job, building your confidence, earning money, and putting your skills to work helping others – without necessarily making a permanent commitment. Instead, you have flexibility in regard to scheduling and in the length of a temporary assignment – an important consideration if you have young children or are planning to start a family.  That flexibility is also important if you may need to relocate in the not-too-distant future.  If you are interested in temporary employment in the healthcare and  insurance sectors, All Medical Personnel can help you achieve your goals!

Having a strong social media presence is an important aspect of a healthcare job search strategy for administrators, physicians, nurses, lab techs, therapists and other professionals.  Recruiters today regularly visit LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take a closer look at a potential job candidate.  Therefore, your information on those sites needs to be accurate and up-to-date, while highlighting your skills and experience.  Here are several suggestions for developing an effective strategy.

• Make a list of all your social media sites (including older ones like Friendster or MySpace) and see what your profile looks like.  You could do a quick online search for your name to be sure you have all the sites, and uncover any potential surprises. Remember that a recruiter can also do a quick search on your name.
•  Update your profiles to reflect your current position, skills and accomplishments.  Make sure to highlight information that will support your job search, such as “15 years of hospital nursing experience,” or “strong financial skills including A/R management.”
• Be sure you have appropriate privacy settings for Facebook, particularly if you have uploaded personal photos or comments that you don’t want a potential employer to see.  Do the same thing for your Twitter account.
• Consider uploading a YouTube video where you discuss your accomplishments and career goals.  This gives a recruiter a chance to “meet you” prior to a face-to-face interview.  Include a link to your video in your job search emails or other social media accounts.
• Join relevant social media groups, including business, alumni and civic organizations.  It gives you a chance to network online, and make new professional contacts. It won’t get you a job, but it might open the door to your next interview!