Mikhail Relushchin ⋅ Brooklyn, NY NationSwell ⋅ 3 years experience

Hi Alejandro,

Hope all is well! I see you got some good answers here and hope they proved helpful. In the meantime, I reached out to a couple of people in ACP's network for thoughts on your inquiry - here's a bit of feedback from a Lead Veteran Recruiter at HCA:

"This is a great question and unfortunately there isn’t a solid answer for. A lot depends on the specific position and hiring manager. We have hired some Veterans into recruiting positions but normally it hasn’t been on the clinical side. In most cases a military candidate should look at a non-clinical recruiting role or a sourcing position which will give them the needed experience to move into a clinical recruiting position. One of the challenges for military recruiter moving into the civilian market is the perceived needed experience with an applicant tracking system (ATS) and the analytical data that talent acquisition teams are graded on which is different than what is used in the military. Personally I believe the learning curve would be minimal but it goes back to the hiring manager and what their expectations are."

Hope that helps!

Best,
Mikhail

Shawn King ⋅ Nottingham, MD Owl Data Analytics ⋅ 24 years experience

Volunteer at some of the hospitals you want to network with and join their community. That is how I landed my 1st job out of college and I have volunteered with some organization ever since.

Shawn King
410-916-5600
sk@extk.com

Maurice Taylor ⋅ Indianapolis, IN Eli Lilly and Company ⋅ 30 years experience

I would also spend time on https://www.ere.net/. This site is a great resource.

Matthew Johnson ⋅ Gainesville, FL University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine ⋅ 24 years experience

Veterinary Recruiters are also becoming more prevalent - if you were looking into any kind of healthcare recruiting. Googling "Veterinary Recruiter" turned up several corporate options as well as university recruiters. Indeed.com, SimplyHire.com are a couple aggregator sites for recruiter opportunities. Blackwellking, Seven Animal Health and Vet Recruiter are a few of the larger recruiting firms in the veterinary industry. As veterinarian I have to admit I am on the other end of the recruiting equation and don't know as much about your side - but hopefully these are some leads that could help.
Thank you for your service!

Kate Nolt ⋅ Glen Mills, PA Creighton University ⋅ 15 years experience

Dear Alejandro,
Thank you for your service! You have gotten some great tips so far. I agree that creating a profile on LinkedIn is very helpful as they have recruiters that surf profiles for skills that might fit an open position. I can help you with this in real-time if you need the assistance.

Another place to consider getting career guidance would the program that you completed your certificate. Most programs want their graduates to be employed in the field to show that they have a high rate of employment after the program. Having a strong resume and pulling together your skills to illustrate that you are ready for a position in a hospital or health system setting as a recruiter is key. Recruiting, as you know, is also about knowing the industry and knowing what to look for in a candidate. Well now you are the prospective candidate. Think about what you would need to see in a candidate and make sure that when you talk to an organization you can make the connection between your recruiting skills and the healthcare industry or company you hope to work for.

Reach out to your own network of people! You never know who they know. If you are comfortable doing so, calling the executive offices of the health care system or organization you are interested in working for and talking to the executive assistant about the best way to get a foot in the door can also help. They see a lot and know the people in the organization who are decision makers and good leaders.

Corporate recruiting best practices may vary from company to company. Google best hiring practices for Health Care Organizations. Some of this may seem basic, but the basics still work! Please feel free to message me privately if you would like more information and/or real-time assistance. Good luck!

Dr. Kate Nolt

Lee Woodruff ⋅ Tucson, AZ Banner University Medical Center Tucson ⋅ 8 years experience

There are several annual expositions that actively have what you’re looking for in setting up an impromptu HR recruiter interview. Last Spring, I attended the AAMI expo in LA and there were hospitals, healthcare services, suppliers and all manner of affiliated businesses gathered together for networking and hiring talent. If you do a simple internet search for aami.org and there is a conference in Cleveland, Ohio in June. As that date gets closer, they will start to post participating organizations, conference topics, speakers and businesses with booths to answer questions, network and hire. This is just one example...You can also look across the region you reside and see what hospital corporations are around, just to give you an idea of what’s close to home and pick their brains. You’d be surprised as to the sheer number of advice books, techniques and so forth are out and in practice. Lastly, have you looked at the niche of traveling healthcare organizations? These are essentially temp agencies that provide clinical nursing, physicians, therapists and so forth for hospitals and these are utilized often as a stop gap for the traditional busy season, normally the flu season. As FTE folks call in sick for work, these agencies are contacted and provide the necessary qualified clinical folks to fill those roles. As a recruiter in this field, you automatically set yourself up for professional and long lasting network contacts as a matter of doing business with them. If you can provide those key personnel in the right moments, you may end up at the top of a short list of reliable resources.

Craig Bush ⋅ Boston, MA IBM ⋅ 11 years experience

Or go Gorilla and get out on the street. I've had tons of success actually, literally, going out to events like Meetup.com and connecting with people directly. Sounds tough, but Meetup is designed to "carpool" the people you want to meet.

John Moody ⋅ Glen Ellyn, IL General Electric ⋅ 10 years experience

There are many health care recruiting / consulting firms who specifically address HCPs' project requirements, which is where the majority of the hospitals and vendors/partners get their prospective clients from for contract or contract-to-hire engagements. LinkedIn is also a decent source for talent acquisition, as well as many of the trade shows, such as RSNA, etc., where industry professional congregate in a variety of locations at different times each year. As well, job fairs and higher-learning educational institutions are other potential sourcing territory. Good luck!

Wonona Davis ⋅ Napa, CA MHM Services, Inc. ⋅ 25 years experience

In addition to the other responses, I would suggest searching online for healthcare recruitment associations, joining them and attending their conferences if you can. There are several such organizations, some are more general and others are more profession specific, like nursing or physician recruitment. Once you decide on the focus, make contacts with healthcare recruiters in those organizations, on LinkedIn and in your area to ask them for a short informational call about their profession.
Wishing you the best!
Wonona Davis

Scott Gagnon ⋅ Winthrop, MA State Street Corp ⋅ 35 years experience

My employer - Navisite. Manages a service specifically to assist veterans transitioning into the job market. They have many resources in all states to assist. Please look here. I hope you find everything you seek.

https://www.veteransjobexchange.com/

Scott G

Gerald Mannikarote ⋅ Houston, TX dMann Training Technologies ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Alejandro,
Many hospitals have presentations and other events that you could attend and possibly network. There are also many city wide events for healthcare professionals that you could attend as well.
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Jerry