Healthcare IT Today

HIMSS Networking and Job Hunting – Taking Advantage of the Chaos

Posted on 04. Feb, 2011 by Carter Groome in Events, Featured, HIMSS, HIMSS11, Interviews, Job Seekers

It’s that time of year again.  Like a holiday that you know will bring no relaxation, HIMSS is upon us with yet another Orlando installment.  To many of us in the health IT industry HIMSS is an event that almost feels mandatory, with out of sight out of mind thoughts that place undue pressure on you to attend, market yourself or your company and visit with colleagues.

The size, amount of activity, and vendor overload that comes with HIMSS makes it feel like a 4-day-long nightmare to some.  Others find ways to make the conference work for them, taking advantage of the chaos through targeted meetings and advance preparation.

I’ve often thought there is no better place to market yourself, meet great companies, and find a job than HIMSS.  The people who  make decisions on hiring are typically there and the volume of organizations represented at HIMSS – from hospitals, to product vendors, to services organizations and the federal government – is a goldmine for a job candidate of any level of experience and industry stature.

If you are planning to go to HIMSS this year to promote yourself, super.  If you’re on the fence or thinking the cost is prohibitive, you’re not going to get a better opportunity than this.

After attending 12 consecutive HIMSS conferences,  here are some suggestions that may make your experience a little more enjoyable.

1)   Go to the HIMSS online buyers guide and seek out vendors or organizations you are interested in visiting with – you’ll see nearly 200 specialties that will help you narrow your search. http://onlinebuyersguide.himss.org

2)   Take that list and reach out to those companies in advance to see what positions they may be hiring for and if they are interested in having you stop by.  Ask if there is an optimum time to do so – it may not be during exhibit hours when booths are jammed.  It could be tough to just drop in on some of these organizations and get time with the appropriate people.

3)   Bring your resume – perhaps even come up with a creative way to present it – such as a resume highlight post card or a leave behind that stands out when you meet with prospective employers without weighing them down too much.

4)   Wear comfortable shoes (not sneakers).  Everyone who has been to HIMSS before will know you are savvy for leaving the rigid dress shoes or heels at home.

First Choice Professionals will be there once again and our focus this year is on finding great candidates for a bevy of PM, strategy, Epic, Cerner, HIPAA 5010 and ICD-10 positions. If you’ll be at HIMSS and you’re interested in meeting FCP, I encourage you to follow this link and note when you can visit our conference room MP-24, near the Interoperability Showcase in Hall E. We’ll call you to confirm and to make sure we have the right people in our company to meet with you.

By the way, we’ve got some great tech giveaways and we’ll have a drawing on Wednesday afternoon (for an iPad) to go to an individual that meets with us during the conference – see you in Orlando!

Carter Groome

Carter Groome is a Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of First Choice Professionals LLC. He brings fourteen years of healthcare information technology management, consulting, and sales leadership experience to the company.

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Tags: Carter Groome, HIMSS, HIMSS11, Interviews, job seeker, trade shows