If you're reading this, you might be considering your career options after graduation. Let's start by saying a big congratulations for getting to this point! A degree in healthcare is no day at the beach but your hard work and determination are about to pay off.

What is recruitment?

It's actually very simple; recruitment is the act of matching people looking for work with organisations looking to fill a vacancy. 

What does a recruitment agency do?

Recruitment agencies are the middleman between the candidate (the person looking for work) and the client (the organisation with the vacancy). They will listen to the requirements for both sides and find a suitable match. Your dedicated recruitment consultant will assist you with every step of the process and support you with preparing for interviews, negotiating employment terms and more.

Specialist healthcare recruitment agencies, like Your World, find healthcare jobs for Doctors, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals and Health Science Services Staff across multiple NHS and private hospitals in the UK.

What makes a good recruiter?

A good recruiter will listen carefully to what type of work you'd like to find, what days/times you are available and what part of the UK you aim to find a job in. Your recruiter will try to meet all of your requirements where possible.

Recruiters should be professional but friendly and always keep you up to date with new positions or your progress on an application. 

What can you expect from a recruitment agency?

A recruitment agency will find you work based on your personal requirements, experience and skills. A responsible recruiter will not book you onto a healthcare shift or into a healthcare job that is not suited to your skillset.

Do you pay recruitment agencies?

Healthcare recruitment agencies typically won't charge a fee to candidates for their services. However, candidates may incur charges for compliance, training or uniform costs, depending on the individual agency. 

Types of recruitment contracts

A typical healthcare recruitment agency will offer three basic job types: permanent, temporary (locum) and contract (fixed term).

Permanent: A permanent/substantive contract is a long-term position within a healthcare organisation. The benefits of a permanent healthcare job include a more consistent rate of income, contracted annual leave allowance, maternity/paternity leave, pension schemes and the ability to forge strong bonds with colleagues and patients. 

Temporary: Temporary (also known as locum) shifts are very common within the world of healthcare recruitment. This is essentially where a candidate (that's you) will be booked to work certain shifts within varying locations. Temporary shifts may come in various forms, such as ad-hoc, one-off shifts or longer lines of work. The benefits of temporary work include high rates of pay, better working flexibility and a broader range of experience. 

Fixed Term: A Fixed Term Contract (FTC) is a contractual relationship between an employee and an employer that lies somewhere between a permanent and temporary position. The employer will only require you to work for a contracted amount of time, but this will be longer than one or two shifts. For example, you may be contracted to work in a certain hospital for 6 months.

Agreeing to work an FTC will provide a more stable source of work and give you the opportunity to really get to know a team. Unlike a permanent contract, you will still have an element of flexibility in your career, as you'll only be tied down for a set period of time.

In many cases, employees on Fixed Term Contracts for four or more years will automatically become a permanent employee, unless the employer can show there is a good business argument against this.

Are healthcare professionals better off working NHS or private?

If you're unsure about whether to focus your career on NHS or private sector roles, your recruitment consultant can talk you through the benefits of each. Check out the list below, which details some of the advantages for both NHS and private roles:

NHS

• One of the best pensions available worldwide
• Be part of a national legacy spanning more than 70 years
• A choice of more than 250 Trusts to choose from in England alone
• NHS discount card (perms only), available to use in multiple places
• A sense of community that is difficult to rival anywhere else
• A diverse range of patients from all ages and backgrounds
• Flexible opportunities across the United Kingdom
• Superb training facilities and support

Private

• No pay caps in place
• Non-standardised benefits strategies
• Exclusive locations
• State-of-the-art facilities
• More opportunity for specialist fields
• Great way to broaden experience

Whatever sector you choose to work in, there can be no doubt that you'll learn a lot and benefit your career in terms of experience.

Why register with Your World Healthcare?

Your World Healthcare has been finding the best roles for outstanding healthcare professionals like you for over a decade. We know that choosing the right agency to work with can be a daunting task, which is why we want to make the decision easier for you. We've spent over a decade working with the finest healthcare professionals to create a recruitment service that you can rely upon time after time.

When you register with Your World Healthcare, your consultant will tailor a recruitment plan to your specific needs, ensuring that you are placed into nothing short of your ideal position. It's precisely this level of commitment that has made Your World a dedicated supplier of healthcare professionals to 280 NHS Trusts and CCGs, and more than 300 private UK healthcare organisations.

We have trained the best and brightest recruitment consultants in the industry to provide you with a service that is second to none. Not only will our team bring you an unrivalled number of healthcare jobs within some of the finest facilities in the country, but our outstanding additional services include access to the Your World car fleet, a reliable accommodation service, exceptional out-of-hours team, exclusive international opportunities and excellent career development assistance.

Your World is an agency run by people, which means we understand the stresses that life can bring. Finding time for your home life and career is difficult, so we aim to make it less of a juggling act. We're available to take your calls 24/7, 365 days a year - even over Christmas! We also hold regular family-friendly open days, so you can find time to meet with your clinical governance officer and recruitment consultant. 

Register with Your World Healthcare today!