Blog Post Focus: Reaching Out About Job Opportunities in Residency
This blog post will discuss some ideas regarding reaching out about job opportunities early in residency. Early on there is no commitment, but you can get some good information about what jobs are out there. Some representatives or groups can come to your residency to discuss career opportunities or even treat the class to a social event.
The Bustle of Residency: Another Task to Learn About Job Opportunities
As a resident it is easy to just focus on work. You are likely busy and when you are done with work the last thing you want is more work or responsibilities. However, the time of residency moves deceptively quickly.
One moment your dreaded ICU rotation as an intern seems to never end, and the next you are halfway through your residency. At that point you are probably discerning whether to pursue fellowship or not. Some of your class may want to pursue fellowship and some may want to continue as a generalist.
Everyone is probably throwing around offers and numbers and lifestyles. Perhaps you have some alumni sharing their work life after graduation. All this is good, but interacting with the job market yourself can give you a lot of information.
Reaching Out About Job Opportunities During Residency
Reaching out about job opportunities can be helpful in many ways. One, it may give you a better idea of what the job market is really like for residents and fellows. Two, it can help you determine how likely it is to find certain types of jobs. Three, reaching out about job opportunities gives you a bit of control – you see that many places are actively seeking you right now. Four, you can gain skill in speaking with recruiters and finding job openings.
Reaching out about job opportunities at first may seem daunting. Depending on your schedule it may feel overwhelming to add anything more to your plate. However, you can do a little bit at a time and learn much about the job market and become more comfortable with what is available.
Tips For Reaching Out About Job Opportunities During Residency
Tip One
When reaching out about job opportunities you can utilize several resources and find many opportunities.
Different Resources When Starting to Think About Job Opportunities
Different resources include alumni, online job boards, physician recruiting agencies, locum tenen agencies, and hospital websites.
Alumni are an excellent resource. Find out what jobs alumni currently have and their responsibilities and work environment. Did they have to know someone special to get the job, or did they just use an online job posting? What advice do they have for someone in your place now for searching for a job?
Online job boards are quick and easy to access. They may have a lot or a little information about a job. They will have a contact and usually be pretty easy to set up a meeting with a representative or recruiter.
Physician recruiting agencies will generally be more streamlined. Their recruiters will be easy to reach and setup meetings with.
Tip Two
During the meeting, have some general questions ready for the initial meeting and write things down.
Initial questions may include those regarding payment model, base pay, additional incentive systems for increased compensation, vacation, job setting, supporting staff, if there will be a non-compete clause, benefits offered, and anything that makes sense to you. Often, for a first meeting they will just want to know more about you and tell you an overview of the position.
The recruiters may not know everything at the first meeting, but can send you more information or set up further meetings to go more into detail about the job. It can be a bit frustrating, but you may not get that much information from the first meeting. On the other hand, talking with a big recruiting system may give you an overwhelming amount of information and a vague income potential related to percentile of physicians.
Tip Three
See if you can get a presentation or a meet up during didactics. Whether they are alumni or recruiters they may be interested in talking to the class. Recruiters sometimes are more excited to talk to a whole group of people than they are talking to one person initially.
Whoever you are talking with, see if they can give a presentation during didactics or some sort. Didactics time is time that is put aside for residents, so you may as well get some career benefit from the didactics. You may not be able to get job discussions regularly for didactics, but programs may be open to having them a few times per year. This way you learn about jobs without spending extra time outside of work.
Additionally, recruiters may be open to hosting whole classes or groups for dinner or lunch. Then, you get fed and learn about job opportunities. Sometimes they even invite partners.
Concluding Thoughts – Reaching Out About Job Opportunities Early in Residency Can Be Informative
Reaching out about job opportunities may seem overwhelming, but it is something that can give you a better understanding of the job market and whether or not you want to pursue fellowship. Hearing alumni or recruiters talking about the variety of job opportunities available may open your eyes to a work situation highly desirable to you that you had never considered before. Plus, sometimes they can be setup during didactics or they may be willing to host food, which makes the experience all the nicer.