Selling yourself in a tough health care market.

Physician executives are vying for top positions in health care organizations. With so many qualified candidates in the marketplace, how can you differentiate yourself as a strong contender? Recruiters search through hundreds of résumés, not the ten or 20 that many hospital and HMO CEOs have seen. Recruiters--the people who actually find specific candidates--were interviewed to find out what they are looking for. Here are the top items on their checklists: Articulated focus, documented results, competitive intelligence, professional growth, good references, appearance and social skills, responsive and timely, and technical skills.