How to Optimise Your Airlocum Profile and Get More Bookings
Your Airlocum profile is what practices see before they send you a booking request. A complete, professional profile is the single biggest factor in how many shifts you're offered. Locums with a professional profile photo receive two to three times more booking requests than those without one.
How Airlocum Decides Who Gets a Booking Request
When a practice posts a shift, Airlocum's matching algorithm decides which locums receive the request and in what order. The algorithm weighs your distance from the practice, your reliability, your star rating, how quickly you usually respond, your recent activity, and the completeness of your profile. A stronger, more complete profile means you appear higher in results and receive more requests — so every improvement below directly increases your bookings.
The Two Changes That Make the Biggest Difference
1. Add a professional profile photo
A clear, professional headshot is the highest-impact change you can make. Locums with a high-quality photo receive two to three times more booking requests. Practices want to know who's walking into their surgery — a friendly, professional photo builds instant trust and makes you the easy choice.
2. Increase your travel distance
Your "Distance Willing to Travel" setting controls how many shifts you can even see. The wider your travel radius, the more booking requests reach you. If your radius is set narrowly, you are invisible to practices just outside it — widening it by even a few miles can open up significantly more work.
Complete Your Profile in Full
Beyond the photo and travel radius, a complete profile signals reliability and helps the algorithm match you to the right shifts.
Set competitive hourly rates for your role, area, and experience level.
Keep your availability calendar accurate and up to date so practices only see you when you can actually work.
List all relevant skills and specialisations — for example sedation, orthodontic nursing, or implant nursing — so you appear for specialist shifts.
What Practices Value Most From a Locum
Bookings lead to ratings, and ratings lead to more bookings. Practices consistently rate the following behaviours most highly, and strong ratings push you higher in future matches.
Arrive 10–15 minutes early.
Maintain a professional appearance and appropriate attire.
Show a positive attitude and engage with the practice team.
Take proactive initiative during quieter periods.
Use your time productively and keep your phone away during clinical work.
Refresh Your Profile Regularly
Even small, regular updates help keep you visible to practices. Reviewing your photo, rates, availability, and skills every few weeks keeps your profile fresh and competitive.
Want a Personal Profile Review?
The Airlocum team can review your profile and send you tailored recommendations to help you stand out. Contact Airlocum Support via live chat and we'll let you know exactly what to improve to get more bookings.
