It’s no secret that the medical field (and healthcare industry as a whole) is rapidly growing and will always provide a need that can’t be 100% replaced by machinery and artificial intelligence. The demand for medical professionals is expected to grow by at least 30% within the next decade, with dental, nursing, and radiology being some of the easiest medical careers to get into.
However, with all of these job opportunities available, there’s still a right and a wrong way to go about looking for a job in medicine. While the “wrong” ways may still result in you finding a job, studies have shown that the “right” ways have a greater chance of landing you that job. Here’s a look at some of the best and worst ways to look for a job in the medical field.
Best: Networking and Asking for Job Leads
LinkedIn is hands-down the most popular professional networking site on the internet. It’s a free social media platform/job search site that allows you to connect with other professionals in your industry. Because of this, you’ll be constantly updated on job opportunities in the medical field when signing up on LinkedIn.
It’s best to create your LinkedIn account while you’re still in medical school so you can build your profile and network with medical school professors. You should also join groups like the American Medical Association and attend job fairs. This method usually works 33% of the time, according to Forbes.
Worst: Mailing Your Resume to Employers
This is probably considered one of the worst ways to find a job in medicine because the physical act of “mailing” resumes has been replaced by sending them digitally. However, it’s also not likely that many medical professionals will be checking and replying to any emails that are requesting a job— they’re much too busy focusing on their patients and their practice. A study found that only about 1 out of every 1700 resumes sent directly to employers resulted in an interview, not necessarily a job.
Best: Job Search Sites
In addition to LinkedIn, other job search sites like Indeed, Monster, and even Craigslist are also great places to look for a job in medicine. Just remember that these sites don’t supply the social aspect as LinkedIn does— they focus more on job searches. They do, however, allow you to search for jobs in a specific location, so this is helpful if you plan on relocating to another area.
It’s important to note that there may not always be a variety of specific medical jobs, especially if you’re a physician with a specialty. You’re more likely to come across jobs for family medicine, but your search results also depend on the location you’re searching.
Worst: Answering Local Newspaper Ads
Again, the reason that this method is listed under “worst” is because it’s a pretty outdated method. While you can find some jobs in newspaper ads, it’s not likely that you’ll find one relating to the medical field. However, this method works about 24% of the time for lower salary jobs— but since jobs in the medical field aren’t considered to be “lower salary”, this method only works about 5% of the time in this industry.
Best: Job Search Firms
This is the best way to find a job is through job search firms, particularly those specializing in your industry. The Medicus Firm helps physicians find jobs specific to their area of study and will also connect you with a medical recruiter in your specialty. This is a better option for physicians than using a typical job search site that won’t give you this much detailed and helpful information. This method also works better than job search sites for a variety of other industries as well, working up to 28% of the time, compared to job search sites working only 4% of the time.
Best/Worst: Knocking on the Door of an Employer
With this method, you have sort of a 50/50 chance. There’s a chance that if you ask the owner of a medical practice or hospital if there’s an opening, they’ll say yes— but it’s more likely to be a general physician/nurse practitioner or general nursing position and not necessarily a more specialized position. This method also works best with small businesses in general, so it might work at a small private practice.
Overall, you should still put together a resume (which several job search sites, including LinkedIn require you to do) and continue networking with those in the medical field. Also, try a job search firm to get a job in your specialty, as opposed to settling for any job in the medical field.
