If They Like Me, They’ll Hire Me
Is it true? Sure, it plays an important role in a pharmacy hiring manager’s decision, but why should they pick you out of other interested pharmacist applicants?
I was talking to a pharmacist who wanted to be presented for a management position. I suggested that she highlight any leadership experience, including starting/leading clinical programs or previous leadership experiences during work or in pharmacy school (she had attended pharmacy school within the last 5 years), and her response to me was “I want to keep my resume the way it is. If they like me, they’ll hire me. I don’t want to be giving any false impressions about myself.”
I don’t know how else to say it, but please understand that you may not be used to a pharmacist job market that requires you to not only be a pharmacist who has the skills to get the job you want, but to also convey your skills and passion among other competing pharmacists to get the job.
It’s one thing that you know what you are good at–that your patients love the way you connect with them & physicians listen to your therapeutic suggestions because you are sharp clinically & you collaborate well with others.
It’s another thing to show on a resume (the main thing a potential pharmacist employer sees initially) what it is you have that is directly relevant to the pharmacist position they are trying to fill. A good resume’s purpose is not false impressions. A good resume points your strengths out. It is not about being untruthful. It’s about marketing yourself because that is one of the first key impressions someone will have of you.
If you are untruthful, you will be found out during the interview anyway, so that is dangerous territory to be playing in. The point is to think of what the pharmacist employer wants and tailor your resume uniquely to what they are looking for.
Maybe this will help you understand why it’s important. Why don’t we step back from pharmacy & look at a job for a housekeeper. The qualities of a housekeeper an employer or a client (perhaps you) is looking for is 1) someone who cleans the house in an efficient & detail-oriented manner, 2) someone who has experience doing housekeeping.
Candidate #1:
This housekeeper has the skills mentioned above and the experience, but chooses to write on his/her resume:
Housekeeper. Responsibilities are not elaborated on.
Assessment: You are left wondering what responsibilities he/she had as a housekeeper.
Candidate #2:
This housekeeper has the skills mentioned above and experience housekeeping, but chooses to write on his/her resume: “Experience with scanning & copying”, “Running errands for my clients”, Taking quality photo portraits of people”, “Typing 100 WPM”.
Assessment: Experience with scanning & copying is not relevant to the position. Perhaps running errands is somewhat relevant, but not directly relevant. Taking quality photos & typing 100 WPM is not relevant at all.
Candidate #2:
This housekeeper also has the skills and experience housekeeping, but chooses to write on their resume: “Cleaning 4 houses/day that are 5000 sq ft average size and retaining clients for 3+ years”, “Receiving high compliments from clients (references are available) and consistent referrals”
Assessment: This person seems to 1) clean the house in an efficient & detail-oriented manner, 2) someone who has experience doing housekeeping. This person also has references to back it up.
Who would you choose to interview?
Get your foot in the door first. Once you are interviewing, they will get a better sense of your personality and whether they like you. Keep in mind that you are still highlighting what you have that is directly relevant to the position even when you are interviewing, but at that point they will definitely take into consideration more of your personality fit. When you are at the resume stage, what you point out is all they have to go by. Get your foot in the door first. For other tips useful in your job search, check out the 5 Biggest Mistakes Candidates Make in a Job Search.
Throw Out Resolutions – They Don’t Work
Are you feeling stuck, or wondering what you got yourself into by living the life you are living now? Or maybe you know exactly what you want, but you’re having internal conflicts about how to get where you want to go?
Seeing pharmacists feel stuck is one of the main reasons why I went from working as a pharmacist in ambulatory care clinics on Native American reservations to helping pharmacists find the right jobs for them. I was tired of seeing pharmacists feel stuck in what they were doing & feeling like they need to settle.
Seeing pharmacists lose their passion was frustrating to me. A job is just a part of your life, but the way you approach your job can reflect how you approach life. Many pharmacists I’ve seen who’ve lost zest in their jobs have also lost zest in their dreams for their life.
This is the year for you to take the big leap.
Here’s a secret to how you may be sabotaging yourself & not achieving what you want to achieve, even though you’ve put forth the effort: Conflicting desires. Even if you are clear about what you want, sometimes you are not achieving what you want to achieve because of internal conflicts that you may not realize about. I know this very well myself-–on the surface, I felt I was clear, but during times when I struggled and wasn’t as successful as I could be, it was because I had an internal conflict.
On the surface, you tell yourself that you plan on spending more time with your family and will not stay late from work anymore. But you keep picking up shifts when your boss asks you to, so you can make more money. Or, you may have set the resolution of being financially set when you retire and that you plan to invest $500 every month, but you don’t spend your time figuring out what to do with that money you invest; instead you buy new clothes or a new car.
You need to overcome your internal conflicts in order to achieve what you want to achieve. Sounds simple? If you aren’t achieving what you are wanting to achieve, chances are that you have not overcome them or they are masked. Stop writing resolutions that don’t work. Start with the secrets I’m going to teach you.
Join me in my FREE “Throw Out Resolutions & Live Your Purpose in 2010” Teleseminar to start out the New Year. It is completely my gift to you.
“Throw Out Resolutions & Live Your Purpose in 2010”
The program is over, but you may access the FREE replay instantly:
Give yourself the gift of this 1-hr teleseminar:
· Learn how to achieve what you want to achieve without setting resolutions that don’t work
· Re-connect with your higher purpose
· Release what isn’t supporting you
· Discover 3 ways to overcome internal conflicts related to the gap between where you are & where you want to go without feeling pressured
Come away with clarity & a plan to live your purpose in 2010 like you never have before! Register Now! You will get the call-in details when you register.
You will also receive a bonus gift, “90-Days to a New You” accountability e-course. We are in this together. As you leap into the next level of your passion, or re-discover your passion, I am also going to take that leap with you, stepping into the next level of my passion.
Look forward to connecting with you on the call and seeing you re-ignite your passion and create a plan to live it.
To 2010 & new beginnings!