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In this article, let me show you the No. 1 mistake the vast majority of physicians make when looking for a position. When you avoid this mistake, you stand a much better chance of landing your ideal job.
Here is the physician job-search mistake in a nutshell: Do not search for a job the same way you applied to Medical School or Residency
If you do, your success in this employed position will rely purely on luck. Here is what I mean.
For most of us, the last experience we had of interviewing for a position was our application to Medical School and/or Residency. In this situation, we were basically doing anything we could to be accepted. We were saying, “Pick me, Pick me” and doing whatever it took to make it into the ranks of the chosen.
That is not what a job search is about. In fact, a healthy job search turns the tables 180 degrees – it is an awareness mind flip.
In your search for a permanent position, you want to make sure this is a place you will fit in – long term. In order to do that well, you must have an Ideal Job Description and be screening job opportunities to see if they fit your Ideal Job.
Now you are screening them ...
I have to repeat this because it is so important: You must know what you are looking for first and ask the questions required to screen them to see if they match your Ideal Job Description.
This process allows you to come home from your interview and make a high quality decision about this particular job offer. It is this simple: With your Ideal Job Description in one hand and the results of your interview in the other hand, you create a Venn diagram and measure the overlap.
Once you are able to make this comparison, you only have one decision to make: How much overlap is enough to say yes to this offer?
When you approach your physician job search in this fashion you are focused on what you want – Your Ideal Job, rather than taking any opportunity where you will be accepted. So ... what is your Ideal Job Description?
Most doctors have never created a description of their Ideal Job. We spend our time coping with the areas in our current position that are painful and anything other than “ideal.” Grab a pen and some paper. Imagine you have a Magic Wand in your hand ... you wave it and ... POOF, there’s your Dream Job in all of its glory.
Write down all the characteristics of your Ideal Job in as much detail as possible.
Here are some of the questions you will want to answer:
• What do you want to be doing - what kinds of patients and cases?
• In what setting?
• For how many hours a week?
• For what pay and benefits?
• In how big of a group?
• Where – in what area of what country?
• With what group culture and work environment?
• What are the characteristics you want in your boss?
• List all the pertinent positives and negatives.
• BOTH the things you want AND the things you want to make sure are NOT there.
This is a living document. You will add to it and subtract from it over time as you get more and more clear.
===========
Power Tip #1:
Write it down in ink on paper. Keep your Ideal Job Description in a folder with a nice label in a place so you will see it weekly. You will use this description in both your job search and in continuously improving any position you ultimately take.
You are taking something that exists only in your imagination and beginning the process of turning it into reality. The move from thought to physical pen strokes on physical paper is step No. 1. And I know this is “old school.” Try it for yourself.
Power Tip #2:
Write it down, even if you feel it is something that is “impossible.” Write it down anyway. It is a goal to shoot for that will shape your decision in a healthy way. There is no job that is a 100% overlap with your ideal. This does NOT mean you can’t aim in that direction.
Note: There are some specialties where the job market is so tight that you must still work hard to get accepted – radiology comes immediately to mind. This process works best in specialties that are in high demand at this time – especially Family Practice and all other forms of primary care.
Creating your Ideal Job Description and using it to drive your job search is Step No. 1 in getting the position you really want. In a future column, I will give you a set of questions you can ask in your job interview that will give you a clear read on the group’s culture, decision-making style and the quality of your immediate supervisor. With this information in hand, you will dramatically improve the odds that your next job is a permanent happy home for your practice.
===========
Guest contributor Dr. Dike Drummond, is a family physician, executive coach, and creator of the Burnout Prevention MATRIX Free Report with more than 117 different ways physicians and organizations can lower stress and prevent burnout. He provides stress management, burnout prevention, and physician wellness, and engagement coaching and consulting through his website, TheHappyMD.com.
In this article, let me show you the No. 1 mistake the vast majority of physicians make when looking for a position. When you avoid this mistake, you stand a much better chance of landing your ideal job.
Here is the physician job-search mistake in a nutshell: Do not search for a job the same way you applied to Medical School or Residency
If you do, your success in this employed position will rely purely on luck. Here is what I mean.
For most of us, the last experience we had of interviewing for a position was our application to Medical School and/or Residency. In this situation, we were basically doing anything we could to be accepted. We were saying, “Pick me, Pick me” and doing whatever it took to make it into the ranks of the chosen.
That is not what a job search is about. In fact, a healthy job search turns the tables 180 degrees – it is an awareness mind flip.
In your search for a permanent position, you want to make sure this is a place you will fit in – long term. In order to do that well, you must have an Ideal Job Description and be screening job opportunities to see if they fit your Ideal Job.
Now you are screening them ...
I have to repeat this because it is so important: You must know what you are looking for first and ask the questions required to screen them to see if they match your Ideal Job Description.
This process allows you to come home from your interview and make a high quality decision about this particular job offer. It is this simple: With your Ideal Job Description in one hand and the results of your interview in the other hand, you create a Venn diagram and measure the overlap.
Once you are able to make this comparison, you only have one decision to make: How much overlap is enough to say yes to this offer?
When you approach your physician job search in this fashion you are focused on what you want – Your Ideal Job, rather than taking any opportunity where you will be accepted. So ... what is your Ideal Job Description?
Most doctors have never created a description of their Ideal Job. We spend our time coping with the areas in our current position that are painful and anything other than “ideal.” Grab a pen and some paper. Imagine you have a Magic Wand in your hand ... you wave it and ... POOF, there’s your Dream Job in all of its glory.
Write down all the characteristics of your Ideal Job in as much detail as possible.
Here are some of the questions you will want to answer:
• What do you want to be doing - what kinds of patients and cases?
• In what setting?
• For how many hours a week?
• For what pay and benefits?
• In how big of a group?
• Where – in what area of what country?
• With what group culture and work environment?
• What are the characteristics you want in your boss?
• List all the pertinent positives and negatives.
• BOTH the things you want AND the things you want to make sure are NOT there.
This is a living document. You will add to it and subtract from it over time as you get more and more clear.
===========
Power Tip #1:
Write it down in ink on paper. Keep your Ideal Job Description in a folder with a nice label in a place so you will see it weekly. You will use this description in both your job search and in continuously improving any position you ultimately take.
You are taking something that exists only in your imagination and beginning the process of turning it into reality. The move from thought to physical pen strokes on physical paper is step No. 1. And I know this is “old school.” Try it for yourself.
Power Tip #2:
Write it down, even if you feel it is something that is “impossible.” Write it down anyway. It is a goal to shoot for that will shape your decision in a healthy way. There is no job that is a 100% overlap with your ideal. This does NOT mean you can’t aim in that direction.
Note: There are some specialties where the job market is so tight that you must still work hard to get accepted – radiology comes immediately to mind. This process works best in specialties that are in high demand at this time – especially Family Practice and all other forms of primary care.
Creating your Ideal Job Description and using it to drive your job search is Step No. 1 in getting the position you really want. In a future column, I will give you a set of questions you can ask in your job interview that will give you a clear read on the group’s culture, decision-making style and the quality of your immediate supervisor. With this information in hand, you will dramatically improve the odds that your next job is a permanent happy home for your practice.
===========
Guest contributor Dr. Dike Drummond, is a family physician, executive coach, and creator of the Burnout Prevention MATRIX Free Report with more than 117 different ways physicians and organizations can lower stress and prevent burnout. He provides stress management, burnout prevention, and physician wellness, and engagement coaching and consulting through his website, TheHappyMD.com.
In this article, let me show you the No. 1 mistake the vast majority of physicians make when looking for a position. When you avoid this mistake, you stand a much better chance of landing your ideal job.
Here is the physician job-search mistake in a nutshell: Do not search for a job the same way you applied to Medical School or Residency
If you do, your success in this employed position will rely purely on luck. Here is what I mean.
For most of us, the last experience we had of interviewing for a position was our application to Medical School and/or Residency. In this situation, we were basically doing anything we could to be accepted. We were saying, “Pick me, Pick me” and doing whatever it took to make it into the ranks of the chosen.
That is not what a job search is about. In fact, a healthy job search turns the tables 180 degrees – it is an awareness mind flip.
In your search for a permanent position, you want to make sure this is a place you will fit in – long term. In order to do that well, you must have an Ideal Job Description and be screening job opportunities to see if they fit your Ideal Job.
Now you are screening them ...
I have to repeat this because it is so important: You must know what you are looking for first and ask the questions required to screen them to see if they match your Ideal Job Description.
This process allows you to come home from your interview and make a high quality decision about this particular job offer. It is this simple: With your Ideal Job Description in one hand and the results of your interview in the other hand, you create a Venn diagram and measure the overlap.
Once you are able to make this comparison, you only have one decision to make: How much overlap is enough to say yes to this offer?
When you approach your physician job search in this fashion you are focused on what you want – Your Ideal Job, rather than taking any opportunity where you will be accepted. So ... what is your Ideal Job Description?
Most doctors have never created a description of their Ideal Job. We spend our time coping with the areas in our current position that are painful and anything other than “ideal.” Grab a pen and some paper. Imagine you have a Magic Wand in your hand ... you wave it and ... POOF, there’s your Dream Job in all of its glory.
Write down all the characteristics of your Ideal Job in as much detail as possible.
Here are some of the questions you will want to answer:
• What do you want to be doing - what kinds of patients and cases?
• In what setting?
• For how many hours a week?
• For what pay and benefits?
• In how big of a group?
• Where – in what area of what country?
• With what group culture and work environment?
• What are the characteristics you want in your boss?
• List all the pertinent positives and negatives.
• BOTH the things you want AND the things you want to make sure are NOT there.
This is a living document. You will add to it and subtract from it over time as you get more and more clear.
===========
Power Tip #1:
Write it down in ink on paper. Keep your Ideal Job Description in a folder with a nice label in a place so you will see it weekly. You will use this description in both your job search and in continuously improving any position you ultimately take.
You are taking something that exists only in your imagination and beginning the process of turning it into reality. The move from thought to physical pen strokes on physical paper is step No. 1. And I know this is “old school.” Try it for yourself.
Power Tip #2:
Write it down, even if you feel it is something that is “impossible.” Write it down anyway. It is a goal to shoot for that will shape your decision in a healthy way. There is no job that is a 100% overlap with your ideal. This does NOT mean you can’t aim in that direction.
Note: There are some specialties where the job market is so tight that you must still work hard to get accepted – radiology comes immediately to mind. This process works best in specialties that are in high demand at this time – especially Family Practice and all other forms of primary care.
Creating your Ideal Job Description and using it to drive your job search is Step No. 1 in getting the position you really want. In a future column, I will give you a set of questions you can ask in your job interview that will give you a clear read on the group’s culture, decision-making style and the quality of your immediate supervisor. With this information in hand, you will dramatically improve the odds that your next job is a permanent happy home for your practice.
===========
Guest contributor Dr. Dike Drummond, is a family physician, executive coach, and creator of the Burnout Prevention MATRIX Free Report with more than 117 different ways physicians and organizations can lower stress and prevent burnout. He provides stress management, burnout prevention, and physician wellness, and engagement coaching and consulting through his website, TheHappyMD.com.
