Are you new to locum tenens work or want to work more locum tenens assignments this year? If you do, it's time to dust off the old CV and get it recruiter-ready.
A physician or advanced practitioner CV is not the same beast as a white collar professional's resume. So if you've read articles in the past or sought advice on how to write your CV from someone outside of the healthcare field, you might want to keep reading to find out how to get your CV in shape to land yourself the perfect locum tenens assignment – one that matches your skills and your objectives.
LocumTenens.com has staffing experts with literally decades of experience in the locum tenens industry. Read on for their tips on organizing, formatting and editing your CV.
- Make sure that your CV is updated. Always have your CV updated and at the ready. You never know when you might get a call about an attractive locum tenens assignment.
"The thing about this business is that it moves very quickly, and if we have an open order for a physician or advanced practitioner, and we're looking to present some CVs to a client, even a day waiting to get someone's updated CV can make or break whether they get the position," says Keith Newport, Vice President of Surgery – Recruiting.
The best time to update your CV is the moment you have something new to add: right after your last assignment or as soon as you get a new license or board certification. After some time has gone by, it's easy to forget important details. Also, updating your CV a little at a time is easier than revising it all at once.
Read on to find out exactly what to include on your CV. - Make the first page of your CV the essentials at a glance. Potential employers of locum tenens practitioners are interested in the basics: education, residency, fellowships, board certifications and licenses, followed by skills and practice experience (or employment history). Least important are publications or academic positions, so leave those to the end of your document.
- List your locum tenens employment history. If you have done a lot of locum tenens work, even short stints, you may think it's not important to list all those assignments. In fact, you should list all your locum tenens employment as you would any other job. You don't want to have any questionable time frames when it's not clear whether you were working or not. (This admonition is not as important for someone who is semi-retired and working part-time.)
- Keep the information about your licenses current. Information regarding new licenses or pending or expired licenses is very helpful to recruiters. All this data goes into recruiting databases and helps you come up in queries. Even listing an expired license is useful to a recruiter because some locum tenens agencies, like LocumTenens.com, will pay to renew them.
- List areas of specialization. If you are specialized in particular procedures or, in the case of radiologists, particular modalities, you should list those on your CV. That information helps locum tenens recruiters place you in the jobs that best match your skills and interests. When recruiters query their CV databases looking for qualified candidates, you are more likely to appear on their lists when you include as many specifics about your skills as possible.
- Don't forget the finishing touches. Formatting and editing may seem less important than the actual content of your CV, but the look and polish of your document help make it readable and are therefore an important aspect of your CV. Use recognizable rather than unique fonts. Stick to 11 or 12 points and standard margin widths. Use bullets instead of paragraphs when possible.
Spell-check your document before you send it off. It's always a good idea to have someone look over your CV and check for typos and grammar errors. Don't rely on your word processor's grammar checker – it's not infallible!
For help in your job search, call a LocumTenens.com recruiter at 800-930-0748.
Happy job hunting!