Locum doctors access jobs through the internet - 10/2000

Leading locum agency Medics Inc reported that last month 30% of their locum doctors were recruited though the internet, and the trend points to this growth continuing.

Mike Adams, Marketing Director of Medics Inc is delighted.

We relaunched our website earlier in the year, having learned a great deal from the first version. The new site is considerably more sophisticated, yet easier to use, as the growth in use testifies. Our feedback to date reveals that, doctors find using the internet much more convenient.

Mike goes on to add that Medical Staffing Officers are feeling the benefit too, as Medics are able to recruit more high quality doctors.

Take the recruitment of working vacationers from overseas - we can't get enough of them. As a company we have always been strong in this area, but our website lengthens our reach by enabling us to touch candidates much earlier. At desk level this has broadened the perspective of consultants, encouraging them to think laterally. They often find themselves advising on immigration, flights, accommodation, banking - anything that smoothes the path of the incoming individual. In short, the service is better.

Mike also reports that the quality of UK candidates has definitely improved since the website fell into regular use. Those responding to advertisements are more inclined to look at the website first, so make a more informed decision prior to making contact - a true quality filter. The ability to register and access the job search facility at any time has made the whole process more relaxed but more comprehensive at the same time. They even have a ringback facility, allowing locum doctors to specify when they want to be called by a consultant.

Is the website so good that soon the whole recruitment process will be automated? Mike has no doubts on this subject:

The simple fact is that there is no replacing the judgement of a good consultant. It may be possible to recruit like that for the IT industry but personality and many other intangibles have too large a part to play in the recruitment of locum doctors.

www.recruitmentsolutions.co.uk