Summer is here! With graduation, wedding, and vacation season upon us, there’s no doubt a lot to look forward to! Your time off this summer should be a reprieve from your hectic work life, but unfortunately, if you don’t lay the right ground work and plan accordingly, you could return to work even more stressed than when you left.

Assiduously planning your pre- and post-vacation work actually allows you to enjoy your time off more. But, you know better than anyone, in this industry, there really is no good time to be away from the office. Maintaining your relationships with candidates during your vacation is one of the most difficult tasks required of physician recruiters. The good news is you can keep these relationships prospering without pulling out your computer on vacation. Here are 6 quick tips for managing your recruitment this summer.

1. Schedule Strategically:
Don’t put any important meetings/interviews on your calendar the day before you leave or the day after you return. Things can be pushed back on the front end and with your time off, end up even more delayed. On your return, give yourself a day to catch up and clear the “vacation fog” from your mind.

2. Leave a Message:
Your out-of-office auto-reply email is a must, but don’t forget to change your voicemail message. If any candidates reach out to you, you want them to know they aren’t being ignored.

3. Follow Up: 
Leverage your vacation as an excuse to reach back out to candidates “Hey Dr. Pete, just wanted to reach back out to let you know I’ll be out for a few dates. Are you still interesting in scheduling a few minutes to chat about the hospitalist job in Philadelphia? I’ll be back next Monday, and would love to get something set up before I go!”

4. Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork:
When you go on vacation, consider adding a co-worker’s email address as your secondary email on Talent Finder. That way they’ll be notified of any activity on your account while you are away (you can remove this when you return). You can also create a temporary password here so a coworker can log-in to your account and manage responses while you are away.

5. Send Early, Send Often:
If you are planning to be out of the office, try sending your DocMails earlier in the credit period so you don’t receive too many responses while you are out!

6. Check it Off: 
Make yourself a checklist with all the things you’ve been working on or will need your immediate attention when you return. It’s not always easy to remember your to do list after being away - even if it was for only a day or two.

Happy Summer!