What is Considered Job Hopping in Pharmacy?
Question: Chen, what is considered job hopping in the pharmacy profession? Does it really matter if I leave a job within a year?
Answer: In our parents’ generation, it was common for people to stay in their jobs until they retired. In this generation, people move around jobs more frequently. However, if you leave jobs within 2 years, it is typically considered job hopping, unless you are a relief pharmacist.
Leaving positions frequently before sticking it out for at least 2 years is what you need to be concerned about. This says to a pharmacy employer that you may not be a good investment to them, even if you are great at what you do. It takes time, money, and resources to train someone fully, not to mention the costs of screening & hiring a pharmacist.
What is considered unacceptable? Read more
Did Not Get Official Job Offer After Receiving Offer Verbally. What Can I Do Differently?
Chen, What can I do differently? I did not get the job offer after what was supposed to be the last interview and was assured verbally that an offer will be coming. Happened three times at different interviews.
Answer: There are a few possibilities that you can evaluate, especially if you are well qualified for the position.
1) They did not offer you the opportunity officially because of reasons you cannot control. Maybe they changed their mind on what they had originally decided was important to them. Or maybe they decided that instead of hiring someone, they would just maintain their current staff. Or, perhaps they decided to fill the position internally.
2) You did not “close the job offer” during and after the interview. This is something that pharmacists are not used to doing. It may not come naturally to you, but it is an important step to convincing a potential employer that you are the one for the job. I will share with you a couple of tips.
One tip you can use during the interview: Finish the conversation by sharing how interested you are in the position, why it is a good fit (mention the benefits to them), & that you are looking forward to receiving the offer letter. Ask them what the next step is (including the process they need to go thru before the offer letter is written) and when you will expect to receive the official offer letter. There are additional things that you can do during the interview to “ask for the job” or “close the job offer”. This will make you stand out from the rest of your competition. Read more
I Had Management Experience 5 yrs Ago- How to Convey Experience to Get an Interview?
Chen, Should a resume have an objective or just start with job experience? A recruiter told me that employers scan resumes, looking mostly at the past 5 years experience. I have had management experience about 5 years ago, but purposely stepped down to a staff position to accomodate school work. Now that I have my PharmD degree, I would like a management position, but the last 2 jobs do not reflect management experience…what is the best way to convey this information so I can at least get an initial interview? Thank you.
A: Definitely have an objective in your resume. It is a place where you can boldy express that you want to get back into management. Example, “Seeking to re-engage in a management role in XXX setting after completing my external PharmD cum laude.” This can be refined more, depending on your specific talents & skill sets, but this is a start.
Also, convey your management experience in the body of your resume, even though it was over 5 yrs ago. It is useful to have a concise resume; at the same time, in your specific situation, I would recommend that you include the management experience you had 5 years ago in your resume and to elaborate on it.