One Truth About Pharmacist Recruiters – Exposed
It is frustrating to me to see this happen so much right now that I just had to blog about this today. I am seeing qualified pharmacists get passed up by hiring managers because they have not taken the time to market themselves in their resume tailored to the position they’ve asked me to represent them for.
Here’s one truth about pharmacist recruiters—exposed. I think a misconception pharmacists have about working with recruiters is that recruiters will be able to get you over the hurdle of being just a resume on someone’s desk because they will be able to verbally tell their contact about why you should be considered for a position, so you don’t need to do much to represent yourself well in a resume.
Recruiters can definitely move you in front of the pile of resumes. However, just as with networking, even if a recruiter provides you with the value of a direct connection and markets you to a decision-maker, the hiring manager still wants to see your strengths and responsibilities relevant to the position backed up by your resume. If you choose to highlight other things instead, or gloss over your related pharmacist experience, you can still be passed up even if you are qualified.
For example, there is one hospital that is looking for a pharmacist who has started up an anticoagulation clinic or set up other pharmacy-run clinics. That is a key responsibility they are looking for. I know a pharmacist who has had experience setting up pharmacy-run clinics, but she chose to just highlight in her resume all the anticoagulation clinic experience she’s had, not the experience she’s had in setting up a pharmacy-run clinic. It cost her an interview.
I know another pharmacist who didn’t answer objections upfront about things that a hiring manager could have concerns about within his resume. It was not clear within the resume why he had transitioned positions within a 1.5-2 year period for the last few jobs, all of which were reasonable circumstances. Even though it may be explained to a pharmacy hiring manager by a recruiter, hiring managers are busy and can forget. When the hiring manager gets a chance to look over your resume, he/she passes a judgment based on what they see.
My advice to you is get clear about the responsibilities of the position you’re applying for and take the time to address those specific responsibilities as much as you can. Also meet potential objections upfront someone may have about why you would be a good fit for the position.
Sometimes you can think you’ve addressed this the best as possible without realizing how 1) you have really undersold yourself, 2) you have not crafted your resume to market yourself to give yourself the best chance possible to be invited in for an interview. Whether you tap into my teachings or another expert with my credentials, get a resume critique before you send off your resume/application. Doing it yourself without expert feedback will only get you so far. It will cost you interviews. You have no idea how many times you are getting passed over because of something that you can take control over, if you just took that extra step to get feedback. You deserve the best shot, especially for positions that you are qualified for.
Remember, if you do the same thing you’ve always done, it’s not going to work in this pharmacist job market where you have lots of competition. Take what you’ve learned from this and change what you are doing so you get better results.
Pharmacists – Would you Date Another Pharmacist?
If you had your choice, would you date another pharmacist? I’ve always said I would never marry another pharmacist. Nor would I marry anyone healthcare related, because I didn’t want to be talking about the same topics at home. Ok, I confess, although I never wanted to marry a pharmacist, I was always open to. If a perfect charming pharmacist came along, I’m sure I would have fallen in love.
As in dating & marrying, so it is with looking for the right one when you’re looking for a job. Set your criteria of what you prefer so what meets your criteria starts coming into your awareness. Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car, you see your car everywhere on the road but you never noticed it before? After that, just be open to what happens. You never know how things fall into place when it comes down to it.
I have seen pharmacists tell me they were not open to working as a pharmacy director of a smaller than 200-bed hospital, but then when it came down to it, they absolutely loved the pharmacy staff, the management support, and they jumped on board. I’ve also had pharmacists tell me they don’t want to live in a geographic area, but then when I talk to them a few months later, they are working in that area! Things change; circumstances change and life is dynamic.
Set your intention of what you want & then let the universe take care of it. You will be led to the next step in your path that is right for you to make your next decision.
I guess I will never know what it’s like to date or marry another pharmacist—I married a sweet Aussie guy who is now a pilot teaching flight school. He came along when I was least expecting it, while traveling in Paris. We are in our 10th year together and loving it.
What about you–would you date another pharmacist? Comment below and take the poll (see results instantly)!
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.
Love My Job, But Concerned About Stability. What to Do?
Question: Chen, I was wondering if you can give me some advice…I am currently working for Rite Aid and I love my store. I work with great people, and the schedule is 8-8 compared to most retail. Only problem is the stability of the company. CVS in the area just contacted me, I’m conflicted. I used to work for them before I moved to North Carolina, would have stayed with them but at the time they didn’t have an opening at the area…most CVS I have worked had been high stress, bad schedule 8-10pm, but the company is doing a lot better than Rite Aid financially…what would you do?
Answer: It sounds like you like a good schedule, and CVS doesn’t typically have the environment of supporting its pharmacists well since it’s high stress. Knowing that Rite Aid is in financial trouble, here are a few things to think about: Read more