Today's blog is on a subject that no one really likes to discuss, but is a definite reality in the current climate of the travel therapy industry - double submittals.

Whenever you have a market of multiple recruiters working with multiple physical and occupational therapy pros, there are bound to be overlaps. While trying to fill travel therapy jobs, there are occasions where two recruiters might be working with the same physical therapist, occupational therapist, or assistant. Some people may say to themselves "why is this bad?" I wanted to give you an insight into this market to explain why you want to be careful with your resume, and give you some helpful tips to maximize your job search's effectiveness.

First off, when a company submits your resume to a facility, they are basically saying to this facility "I am this therapist's agent, he or she has agreed to allow me to represent him or her at your facility." What causes a lot of grief and confusion is when a company gets your resume from two different staffing firms.

If a rehab manager sees your resume twice on his or her desk from different agencies, the manager could pass over your resume in hopes of staying out of a dispute. This could seriously hurt your chances with that positions that seems perfect for you. Also, in a lot of cases, a manager will go with the agency that submitted your resume first, which could be the company that submitted your resume to every facility in the area you're looking for without understanding what you are looking for in an assignment.

Here are some tips to protect you from double-submittals while looking for your next travel positions.

First, ask the agency or agencies you are working with not to submit your resume without your authorization - and stick to your guns! If you allow an agency to submit without permission, it would be easy for that company to blanket an area with your resume, which would mean they are only getting positions that call them back, not positions that are even right for you. This practice is known as 'throwing spaghetti on the wall,' because the method behind the madness is the hope that something will stick if enough options are pitched. I'm not saying that every traveler finds perfect travel therapy jobs on their job search, but everyone can appreciate a little extra effort.

Second, keep a list of where your resume has been presented and keep up with it. If you can tell an agency you have already been submitted to a position, the agency will appreciate your efforts to stay organized and keep them in the loop. This will also save you a lot of trouble when you get that frantic call from an agency  wanting to tell you about new travel therapy jobs.

Finally, if you have been submitted by two agencies, know which agency truly deserves to represent you. If you are using an agency as a backup plan and they happen to find a great opportunity for you, it's unfair for you to go back to your current agency for that position. Keep in mind that recruiters are trying to make a living in this business, and they work very hard to bring options to the table. If you are presented with this situation, do the right thing and tell the interviewing manager who has the right to represent you. The manager will appreciate your honesty and respect your wishes.