Doctors and Recruiters

Are doctors and recruiters really the same? Maybe the end result of what we do is different—they save lives and we give jobs. However, I would argue that there are more similarities than we care to admit. Unfortunately, most of these similarities come in the form of shortcomings….

1. Doctors have you schedule appointments in the middle of your work day. There is no regard for those of us that have full time jobs. They also have no problem making us wait once we show up at the appointment.

2. When you schedule an appointment you never get to talk to the doctor to see if you even need an appointment--you talk to the assistant that can't tell you anything.

3. Once you get into see the doctor you feel like you are talking to a robot. They ask you questions as they look down at your chart. They look into your eyes once every 10 minutes. When they are done asking you questions you usually walk away with no diagnosis. You are just given some prescriptions for the symptoms and told to come back in a couple of weeks to see how things are going.

4. If they do take blood or you have you take a diagnostic test you usually never get the follow-up call. You have to call the doctor to find out whether you are living or dying. Even then you usually talk to an assistant and they say that they will send a letter.

5. When you have your follow up meeting they usually forget what you even talked about from your first visit. They told you to come back if you are still feeling the symptoms--you say you are and then they tell you to come back in two weeks again.

Now let's take the world of recruitment....

1. Most recruiters try to accommodate their own schedules, not the candidates. We expect candidates to be available if they really want the job.

2. When the candidate is setting up the appointment or wanting information about the job they are often speaking with the coordinator, not the recruiter. If they have questions the coordinator usually needs to find the recruiter to get the answers.

3. When we are interviewing candidates we are usually taking copious notes instead of really interacting and having human conversation with the candidate. Do we really hear what they want, their concerns, strengths etc.?

4. Once they leave the interview many candidates never hear back; or it takes a long time for them to hear back unless they are someone we want now. Often the candidate is left to call us in order to find out what their status is.

5. The next time we talk to them we often forget where we left off. Are they strong and just not a fit for that role, or not a fit at all? Chances are, we have so many notes that it’s hard to tell.

A perfect world….

1. You can visit a doctor on nights and weekends; you can interview nights or weekends.

2. When a patient calls they talk to the doctor and he/she can answer questions over the phone; when a candidate calls they get a recruiter and they can get their questions answered over the phone.

3. When you go to the doctor they engage in a conversation with you; they only take abbreviated notes on the important elements of the conversation; with interviews we put down the note pad and engage with the candidate. Only jot down the most important facts.

4. When the patient is at their first doctors appointment they run the diagnostic right there while you wait; you walk away with a diagnosis and you get a live follow up call from the doctor within a day. When a candidate is in to interview they know right away if they are eligible or not; they then get a follow up call within a day from the recruiter.

5. The next time the patient comes in the doctor remembers exactly what the problem was, addresses that directly and reassures the patient that they will be by there side until the problem is solved. When a candidate comes in to interview with the hiring manager the recruiter meets them, reassures them that they are there for them and a decision is made that day.