When Should Residents Start Their Job Search?
"I graduate in three weeks. Is now too soon to start looking for a position?"
In my three years as a Recruiter with The Inline Group, I have been asked this question many times. I speak with a large number of new graduates and it seems that they are often not exposed to information on how and when to look for their first position as they near the end of their education. Even with all of the information available online, there are still a considerable number of providers who have little to no understanding of the length of time it takes to obtain that that first position.
To give a little bit of perspective, credentialing, licensing, and getting all of the paperwork taken care of alone can take at least 30 days. And that is after you have already submitted an application, waited for the facility to reach out, completed at least one or two interviews, and then received an official offer. Also consider the time it takes to search for the right job as you weed through the variables of location, market value, learning opportunities, and mentorship availability. I have personally seen that initial process take as little as two weeks to upwards of three months. I equate it to when I was looking for a job as a teenager. Never once did I get a job at the first place I applied to. I had to put in quite a few job applications just to get someone to reach out. It often took a week or more for even one person to reach out to me after putting in multiple applications. I think the same can be said for the medical world but with a lot more paperwork. It is unlikely that you will be able to put in one application and get the job as a new graduate. You will have to put several lines in the water to find a position in any reasonable amount of time.?
My point, which I am sure is clear, is that the hiring process in the medical world takes time. Best case scenario for getting a job as a new graduate will probably take about six weeks after submitting an application. But that is truly the best case scenario. Realistically, you will be looking at two months or more. So, my answer to the question, “I graduate in three weeks. Is now too soon to start looking for a position?”is it’s absolutely not! It's advisable to start looking for jobs as soon as possible to give yourself a competitive edge.