4 Tips to Find a Job After Residency

Completing residency is no easy task. It takes long hours, dedication and being able to work without a lot of sleep. All the while, you’re stuck with a small salary and trying to make a small dent in your student loans.

But now that you’re on the other side, it’s officially time to start the job hunt! For many, job hunting may be a drag but for you, it’s an exciting time. After years of studying, tests, group work, labs and whatnot, you can finally feel like you’re going on the offensive.

Even though the country may be experiencing a physician shortage, that may not mean that every hospital is going to be immediately throwing open their arms upon your arrival.

There are lots of other basic job tips you should take into consideration, but the ones below are more medical and post-residency specific. Soon you’ll be walking into your first clinic or hospital!

Rely on Your Network

Chances are, you met and interacted with a lot of different people throughout your residency. They could be everyone from fellow residents, to doctors and every other medical professional in the book.

You may not be able to secure a job where you did your residency, but when your peers and colleagues start to look elsewhere, you all could help each other. That one guy who you did all those double-shifts with could find a hospital where they have multiple openings. The doctor who you worked closely with could have a friend at a clinic who has openings.

Even if you’re not the most outgoing person in the world, talking and building on relationships is going to take you a long way.

Go Deep Not Wide

When you’re starting to peruse job boards, you’re going to see a lot of different options out there. You’ll want to, naturally, start out with whatever discipline you have chosen and work your way from there.

But what else should you be considering? Location is a big factor, and your location is going to have potential consequences on what else you may have to do. Not only will you be looking at moving costs, living costs, state taxes and other practical items on your agenda, but you might have to get certain specializations, licensures or board review.

Each state is different and will have various requirements. So what works for one colleague may not be the cookie cutter way to work for you.

You’ll also want to look at which states have a need for doctors. While moving to Florida may be the most ideal outcome in your mind, they may not have as high a need as other states.

Go Slow

While you may be jumping at the bit to take the first job offered to you, it’s a better idea to take a more patient approach to the next step.

You’ll want to investigate each potential job site to make sure it’s a good fit for both your personal life and your work life.

See if you can talk to anyone who works there or who has worked there and can tell you what the work atmosphere is like. Are people there easy to get along with? What are the working hours like? How does the administration treat you?

If you’re single and on your own, you may not have to think so much about many other factors, but if you have a family, you’ll surely want to examine many other aspects like the commute, proximity to your house or even if it’s somewhat close to your children’s school. Don’t be afraid to wait a bit until you’ve found the right place.

Don’t Forget Your Resume

Just like with other jobs, you may want to think about tailoring your resume to fit your different applications. No two workplaces are the exact same, and they may requiring different things.

Be sure and highlight your relevant experience and include any studies you have taken part in or any publications you may have or have worked on. Be sure to show any other additional skills you could have, like language skills, tech skills or people-working skills.

And make it easy to read and clean! Your resume isn’t going to be poured over in excruciating detail, so make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for.

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