Travel

After you have narrowed down various Travel Nursing Job offers you may want to contact the travel recruiter at this point via email if you haven't done so already to start getting answers to questions from your recruiter question lists and housing question list.

Start with the your most important questions first. What is important may vary from person to person. You may start with discussing the pay rate and how it works, shifts available, start date. reimbursements then move to more detailed questions as your questions are answered to your satisfaction.

No use discussing getting a microwave or an apartment with a washer/dryer if the pay rate is not even suitable. Be patient but not a pushover. Negotiating is a process and doesn't end in the first call always. Keep the lines of communication open.

Remember it is the whole package that will decide if you sign or not. So if one part of the package is lacking another part can make up for it. Many times though it may be obvious that the package is poor and hopelessly non-negotiable. At this point tell the recruiter you are not interested so they can move on too. Recruiters are limited by what their bosses will allow them to do or what the Hospital base rate is but most of the time there is wiggle room.

There are various hidden perks that can keep communication going like a recruiter and company that is flexible and will work with you on finding the right housing with amenities. Sometimes if you give something you can get something such as signing for 6 months or longer than 3 months.

Use your imagination to make a deal that works for them and you (Win/Win). Sometimes you have to put your foot down and say what your needs are and be able and willing to back off if they don't meet those needs.

Having the financial resources and/or alternate assignments allows you to do this with confidence and less nervous nail biting and sweating. When you are in great need of money and desperate and worried your ability to negotiate calmly is lost.

You may be using Travel Nursing as a way to shop for a perm job so discuss clauses in the contract that may prevent this or limit this.

Ask what the housing stipend is to get an idea on how much they are spending for your housing but this may not be the amount they are actually spending. They may be getting a discount or not. Ask the leasing agent anonymously the cost of a short term rental, then figure in furniture rental, utilities and such to get a closer estimate. Many of the Apartment Search Engines have 1 800 numbers to the leasing agent so you can get this info.

Always have a 8 X 11 paper pad and calculator when talking to the recruiter to write out the entire package with options and make quick calculations. This will enable you to go over the deal after talking with the recruiter and analyze the info more and maybe do further research before calling back again and continue negotiating.

Please inform other recruiters you have been talking to or communicating with if you decide on another assignment as professional courtesy and for the fact they may have a deal for you later in your career. Avoid alienating future opportunities although it may be inevitable at times. Send an email out informing recruiters who you've been communicating with that you have taken an assignment and when your next availability date is and thank them for their time once the deal is finalized.

This is why I like to get to the point and stay focused on getting answers and negotiating instead of wasting their time and mine, which doesn't mean interrogating either.

The recruiter has to please the hospital and talking on the phone is a way for them to assess if you come across as competent person. So always try to be prepared to talk in a private. quiet setting where you have access to paper and a calculator (your friends). If you are talking on the cell phone in your car while other people are present and laughing and you are in terrible traffic on a major road believe you will not come across as competent.

Keep a record of what was discussed on the telephone. With email you always have a record but email is a bad medium when you get to the intricate part of the negotiation where there needs to be a rapid back and forth communication. Make sure all agreements are written clearly within the contract and both recruiter and the manager of the unit are aware of them.

Agreements can be solidified more by having the recruiter agree via email. Email that keeps a record of past communications is handy. You do this by using the same original email to reply with and keep it in a folder you can easily find.