I have been thinking of shifting from pursuing hospitality jobs to a field more related to my degree–the medical industry. You see, I have been working as supervisor for a hotel and yet I know I need to work on the medical field because I know it is my calling. My friend discussed some points in this big step and she advised me about my search for employment. Here it is:
The internet has radically evolved how we search for medical jobs. Instead of relying on one primary resource (a classified listing of hospital jobs or assistant jobs), we now have a huge amount of career information to work from. There are numerous web 2.0 tools for job searching but it’s not always clear how to make the most of them. One thing is certain; it’s not in your best interest to limit your search to a single website. No matter how good the site may be, it won’t provide you with all the information needed to make a job change.
A common path has emerged; tread often by people looking for work online. It involves three different approaches to an online job search: doing some broad research, checking health care job search engines and targeting people and companies on social networking sites. This broad to narrow method makes the best use of all the available online job resources.
The first step is to research broad topics in your career area of interest. Are you looking for jobs in a specific field, such as nursing jobs? Spend time gathering news and information on the latest trends for nursing positions. Check out lists of best employers to work for or award winning companies. Find salary data, educational requirements and job descriptions of nursing jobs from websites. Are you interested in a particular company? Review company websites to find out their mission and read their news feeds. Include professional association and colligate websites in your search, especially those that have forums or blogs. Are you willing to make a move? Research the cost of living for a move across the country and check school rankings or the average temperature in winter. Look at all relevant sites that will help you make an informed decision about your career goals.
Next, spend time with job search engines and find out what medical jobs are available right now. At this point in the game, you should have specific health jobs in mind. Job search engines are driven by keyword searches and help you find jobs quickly and easily. “Hospital jobs”, “assistant jobs” and “pharmacy jobs” are popular keyword searches. The more specific your search, the more relevant jobs you will find. Health care jobs can be searched by job title, company name, or location. Some job search engines allow you to look up all types of jobs and submit your resume online. Vertical search engines focus only on one category of jobs, such as all health care jobs, executive level jobs, or minimum wage jobs. Job listings can include jobs posted by employers from job boards or those pulled off employer websites by aggregators. Job search engines are the fastest way to find real job openings.
Finally, the fastest growing online resources are social networking sites. Once you’ve targeted specific health jobs, look up companies and their employees to prepare yourself for interviews. Connect with colleagues and recruiters by networking online. Be sure to create a professional profile as employers are also checking social networking sites for prospective employees. Talk directly to hiring managers and find out what type of candidate is preferred. Make a video in addition to your CV or resume and post it for potential employers. Social networking sites provide access to more personal and direct information giving you much greater power over your job search.
Amy Milani manages SEO and PR projects as VP of Marketing and Communications for Career Management Source, a company dedicated to streaming hiring with web based applications. She specializes in the enhancement and analysis of the user experience through website text and design. She has specifically worked on the conception and marketing of online employment since 2005. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna, Austria.