Welcome to understanding recruitment in psychology! When job searching in mental health and psychology fields, you'll encounter different types of recruiters who operate very differently from each other.
Knowing which type you're dealing with changes everything about how you should approach them and what to expect.
Engagement Message
Name one action a helpful recruiter took in your psychology job search experience.
Let's start with internal recruiters. These are full-time employees who work directly for the hospital, clinic, or research institution that has the psychology position.
They're paid a salary by that organization and their success is measured by filling positions quickly with qualified mental health professionals.
Engagement Message
What's one advantage of working with a recruiter employed by the healthcare facility?
External recruiters work for specialized healthcare recruiting firms, not the hiring organization. They're hired by hospitals, clinics, or research centers to find psychologists for specific roles.
They typically get paid a commission only when they successfully place someone - usually 15-25% of the new hire's first-year salary.
Engagement Message
How do you think this payment structure might affect their behavior with psychology candidates?
The third type is staffing recruiters. They work for healthcare staffing agencies and typically focus on temporary, contract, or locum positions in psychology.
They often have ongoing relationships with mental health facilities and continuously place psychologists in various short-term clinical roles.
Engagement Message
Name one type of psychology role that staffing agencies most often fill.
Here's why these differences matter: Internal recruiters at healthcare facilities care about clinical fit and patient outcomes since bad hires directly impact care quality.
