How to find your next job
Finding a Job
doc cafe, practice link, google search, indeed, can post about self/CV
What steps to take to prepare:
- First make sure the CV is solid and current; evaluate a trusted colleague’s
- Most places do not discuss compensation 1st (they want to feel you out first)
- Read about whatever the company is including their values and location
- Communicate interest
- Send them your CV
- Communicating with them is similar to dating (they want someone that wants them back)
- They want to make sure you would be an asset to them and be productive with paying you the least amount of money
- Generally a place will have you interview with administrative staff and potentially other staff members that you would work with directly
- Assume everyone you are speaking with has some type of value in your interview process (social work, RN, APPs, MD, NPs, business manager, office staff, HR, etc)
- Prior to COVID you would physically come in to interview; make sure you are well presented (clothing etc)
- Communicate in a professional manner even if doing a video call or phone call
- If doing video find a quiet place with good lighting and put the camera on a sturdy table
- Make sure you thank them for the time spent
- You are generally in a power of position; they need you more than you need them in many instances
Recruiters:
Keep in mind that private recruitment is taking a cut of whatever you would otherwise receive from that facility; inhouse recruiters associated with a facility just recruit for the facility.
Questions on interview today:
- Ask people about why they continue to work there?
- What are the positives and negatives about this place?
- What type of obstacles do they routinely see?
- What is the patient volume?
- What type of supportive staff is currently available?
- How is work divided?
- How is call coverage divided?
- What is the average workload?
- What is the average call workload?
- Where do the patients generally come from?
- What type of person are you looking for?
- What type of insurance programs do patients have?
- Who would fit this position well?
- What type of meetings are required or expected and at what frequency?
- What type of support services do you offer patients (clinic/dayprogram etc)?
- Time off structure
- Benefits information from HR
- Do you have student loan repayment?
- What type of pay structure do you have?
- Do you have a type of bonus structure?
- How do you evaluate your staff performance?
- How would you manage a disagreement between clinicians?
- What process do you have in place for unprofessional behavior of staff?
- What professional growth activities do you have?
- Is leadership receptive to change and feedback?
- How is the company financially?
- Have any areas had to close in the company?
- Are there any cultural changes in the company?
- What is something you wish you had known before working here?
- How is the work life balance?
- Are there any major changes coming?
- What hobbies are you into when you are not here?
- Where do people generally try to live near here?
Contract Negotiations:
- Know going in what you are worth; merritt hawkins has data, medscape has data, other docs can tell you, they use a regional pay rate data set
- RVU vs salary vs private practice (private practice will always be higher)
- Compensation ranges based on location, patient load, type of place (academic pays less, gov pays less, private pays more)
- Example: salary for an employed job could be 220k-400k, working for yourself can be 500k-600k
- Monetize your time (see related article about this)
- Sign on bonus is common depending on location and type of medicine ranges from 10k to 100k or more. If out in the middle of nowhere can be extremely high but usually tied to a certain amount of time devotion in the position.
- They will send you the lowest offer first
- If you have other offers you can use this for leverage; job 1 says 250k vs job 2 says 289k. The worst they can say is we can’t match or go higher.
- Time off or call and other aspects could also be negotiable. What is on the table: employee vs contractor, compensation, bonus, relocation, call amount, PTO, how long the shift is, supervising others, administrative time, teaching time, non compete close , radius of non compete, vestment of retirement, etc.
- They may have some type of hook to keep you (retirement vesting 1-5 years, moonlighting restrictions, repay bonus 1-5 years, competition restriction 5 miles to 20 miles for X amount of years)
- You can get a lawyer to look this over if you wish ($300 to $500)
How to find your right job and maintain a good work/life balance?
Depends on what you are looking for. If you have a high workload this should come with high pay but no life. If you want more life time you can make that happen too. Personally I do not conduct any type of communication with work and completely separate myself from the position when I’m not working. What type of schedule do you want? shift work./7on7off/5 day/parttime/4 day work week?
In conclusion; every opportunity has positives and negatives and you will truly not know what each of those are until you have the experience in the position. There is truly no perfect position though you can come quite close depending on what your objectives are. You can of course try out various models and see which model makes you the most clinically excellent and happy.
If you enjoyed this content please check out my other articles. Don’t forget to plan for retirement and to grow that wealth.