Questions from Readers

“I have been searching for my first traveling position for months now but so far, no luck. Did it take you this long to find your first assignment?”

Yes, I always let my readers know that the first travel assignment is the trickiest to find. Imagine how many people reach out to recruiters on a daily basis with an interest to travel but without follow through. It is expected that you will reach out to your recruiter on a weekly basis to follow up on possible assignments. They prefer you call them to let them know how serious you are instead of just sending an email.

I always recommend that as a first time traveler to go ahead and apply for 2 states licenses to make yourself more accessible to sites. If you have been waiting around for 3-4 months without a job lead and have not applied for any new state licenses then that is problem #1.

If you do have other state licenses but still have been struggling to find something, the next questions to ask yourself is – am I in contact with enough agencies/recruiters? To open more job options I suggest you are credentialed with at least 5 agencies so that you can be presented to more jobs.

If you have been presented to several jobs but no sites have accepted you, consider reviewing your CV and making it more attractive. Also, prepare for the phone interview a bit more and ask the right questions to make it seem you are very interested.

Lastly, if the first three steps are taken care of then I suggest you become more open minded. Maybe you envisioned yourself taking your first assignment out on the beach. Realistically, these assignments go fast so you may have to be more willing to go where the jobs are. Let your recruiters know that you are open, and they will pass more jobs by you.

Realistically, some traveling nurse practitioners may be presented to a dozen sites before something matches up well. Do not be discouraged, as some assignments do fall through. Just be sure to work on yourself and make you more appealing to the sites.