Interactive media has transformed today’s job search methodology. Here are some tips for how to put these tools to good use and to find the job that’s perfect for you.
You are embarking on a life changing event – the search for a new job. Where do you start? Traditional networking methods remain valuable. Talk with your colleagues, check the print classified announcements in your general and specialist medical journals, and gather information on those organizations you’d like to consider. That’s a great place to start, but even better – go online.
Today’s job search must include online resources; otherwise you are only getting a small part of the picture. Healthcare employers, recruiters, and others with internet job postings are attracting phenomenal interest from physicians. In fact, close to 75% of Cejka Search‘s placed candidates found their new positions via our online and interactive media resources.
A 2008 study recently completed by The New England Journal of Medicine supports the finding that more and more physicians are finding their next jobs online – citing online job sites (71%) and email (72%) as among their top sources for job opportunities. With the continued development of Web 3.0, interactive channels such as online videos, podcasts, blogs and RSS feeds are growing in importance, while social media sites – such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and SERMO – are experiencing record-breaking adoption rates.
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Tried and True: Medical Journal and Specialty Organization Sites
Medical journals and medical associations often place job openings online as a service to their subscribers and members. Online job ads appear earlier and remain online longer. Often these sites have search features which allow you to narrow your search by keyword, specialty and geography.
Many have job alert features where you can save your search parameters and sign up to receive an email whenever a new job posting matches your criteria. For instance, The New England Journal of Medicine‘s CareerCenter allows you to create and post a profile, apply online immediately to any position, and offers the ability to manage your job applications.
Physician Recruiter and Employer Sites
In addition to the online postings available from many medical journal websites, healthcare organizations and associations, you may also want to consider a recruitment firm’s website. Physician recruiters are in the business of finding and attracting physicians for their clients’ open positions and typically have a greater number of opportunities posted. This means you are likely to find an even greater variety of positions that match your criteria from which to select.
Many of the largest physician recruiters will also offer valuable job search information and resources. For instance, you will find such things as tips for improving your C.V., interviewing strategies, and the latest physician compensation surveys, which can give you an idea of what doctors in your specialty and geography are earning.
New Interactive Media and Social Networking are Coming of Age
Information technology is having a dramatic effect on healthcare recruitment today. While not all healthcare organizations and physician job sites make full use of the interactive technology available, look for social networking and other new media tools to become more common.
While new media and social networking has its roots in the tried and true job search methodologies, they can dramatically and easily increase the scope of your search – linking you with those who have the ability to hire you. Many physician recruitment firms are making good use of new communication technologies to ensure you learn about the open positions quickly and in the way you choose to hear about them. For example, Cejka Search has been using podcasts, Twitter, and online videos to attract job seekers and make it easier for you to find and apply for your new job.
According to a 2009 report from Manhattan Research, the percentage of physicians in the U.S. using smartphones increased to 64% percent which is double the number from 2008. Smartphones can allow you to receive instantaneous alerts from your trusted favorite online job websites as soon as the open position is posted. Audio podcasts allow you to download audio content to your MP3 player so you can listen at your convenience. Cejka Search has been using this media for several years now, and is one of the only physician and healthcare executive recruitment firms listed in iTunes.
New social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, are revolutionizing the way we all interact with colleagues, recruiters and hiring organizations. Free to sign up, these sites allow you to establish an online network of colleagues who can help introduce you to others in their network, particularly at organizations where you would like to work. Twitter, immediately puts brief messages out to a large network of colleagues who are following you.
Any of these online networking tools allow for instantaneous communication to networks of professionals, who may just be looking to hire someone with your precise skills and experience for the job of your dreams.
