So, my name’s Eunan and I’m lucky enough to work here at Head Medical. My job is to recruit medical consultants from a range of specialities such as Anaesthesia, O&G and Surgery to positions throughout Australia.
Like all the best jobs I’ve had, there is no such thing as a typical day, and the perfectly laid plans of 5.30pm on a Tuesday can have evaporated by 07.00am on Wednesday morning…(actually, given the time difference, they can be pretty askew by midnight) but that’s part of the fun/challenge.
As there is a significant time difference, I’ll usually try to spend one or two nights a week doing calls to clients and placed candidates in Australia. This is one of my favourite bits of the job. The clients are great and will always take the time to say hello and have a chat. I love the Australian way of doing business, there’s very little hierarchy. From CEOs to admin staff, the vast majority will help where they can.
Once we do secure a role, the next job is to write up an ad to allow potential candidates to get an idea of the clinical requirements, but probably more importantly, to get a sense of the hospital and surrounding area, more of what I like to call the ‘civilian’ aspects.
The other main part of my job, and again, an element I really enjoy, is speaking with candidates. These range from people with whom I have been working for months and who are perhaps in a process at either the recruitment/registration stage, to those at the other end of the timeline who are just contemplating a move and are trying to get a sense of what is involved.
We never underestimate how big a move this is for people and their families, and while it’s life-changing to find someone a new job, this is multiplied when you are potentially moving the candidate and their loved one’s half way around the world…no pressure!
While I like most aspects of my job, the ultimate high is when I get to tell a candidate that they’ve been offered the job of their dreams, in the location of their dreams. This is a real privilege and I’ll never grow tired of making the call that starts a doctor and their family on the road to an Antipodean adventure.
Of course it’s not all plain sailing as there is a lot of ‘life’ that can happen before a doctor gets through all the various registration stages required (and recruitment in any field is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at the best of times) but when it all works and you get a selfie of an Aero-Medical Physician taken in a helicopter, or a get an update from a Consultant who’s just bought a plot of land to build their own home, it’s a pretty special feeling!
If you’re interested in learning about the opportunities in Australia, contact me on +44 (0) 131 240 5271 / eunan@headmedical.com