Jan 26, 2021
I recently joined Michelle Mudge-Riley on her free webinar to
talk about mistakes that will derail a job search. We listed the
major ones that we have witnessed and took questions from the
audience.
Here are some of the Mistakes That Will Derail a Job Search that
we discussed.
#1 – Tunnel vision and not keeping an open mind
- About possible jobs
- About how you will find a job
- About your capabilities
#2 – Being intimidated by a job description
- Many of us have landed jobs even though we don’t meet the
written “requirements”
- Many qualifications are “nice to have” not “must-haves”
#3 – Preparing a CV rather than a resume
- Might be OK for an academic position
- What’s the difference?
- Focus on the summary with keywords
- Emphasize accomplishments with measurable outcomes
#4 – Using the same cover letter and resume for different jobs
or different industries
- Example – “leadership role in the health insurance or pharma
industry”
- Each employer has its own needs
- List experiences and skills for each potential employer
#5 – Depending too much on electronic applications and not
leveraging networks
- One of my guests found herself suddenly anxious to leave her
clinical job – she reached out to some former classmates for advice
and one of them just became aware of a job as a life insurance
medical director – she applied – landed the job – and loves it 10
years later
- Networking is a foreign concept to physicians
- We have a twisted concept of networking – standing around at a
reception at the end of an all-day conference handing out business
cards
- Networking is reconnecting with old medical school classmates
and former co-residents directly
#6 – Not learning the jargon of the field we’re pursuing
- hospital management, quality improvement, clinical
documentation improvement, utilization management, expert witness,
pharma jobs all have specific terms
- use in the cover letter, resume, interviews
#7 – Not taking the interview seriously
- Failure to
- bring copies of your resume
- dress properly
- arrive early
- listen more than you talk
- asking enough questions
#8 – Not preparing sufficiently
- Not understanding the job posting
- Not doing enough research on the position or organization
- Check out financial reports, stock reports, Guidestar, Google,
rating agencies
There are important issues at each step. But don’t get
overwhelmed.
Listen to the full episode to hear about 2 BONUS
mistakes to avoid.
And remember that this podcast is also made possible by the
support of my sponsor, the University of Tennessee Physician
Executive MBA Program. You can learn more about it at nonclinicalphysicians.com/physicianmba.
Go to the show notes at nonclinicalphysicians.com/mistakes-that-will-derail-a-job-search to
access the links mentioned in today's episode.
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