Tactical Tools for Your Pharmacist Job Search

By Denise R. HemphillPharmacist Job Search

Tactical Tools for Your Pharmacist Job Search

pharmacist job search
Photo by Master Isolated Images

There was a time when conducting a pharmacist job search was easy. Graduating pharmacists had several job offers in hand, even before taking board exams. Some pharmacy jobs came with significant sign-on bonuses that included luxury cars. Those days are over.

Due to advances in technology, massive growth in new pharmacy schools, and increased class sizes a possible pharmacist surplus is mounting. So, in today’s job market pharmacists must be prepared to take any and all routes that lead to their ideal pharmacist job. My posts will cover several to get you ready for the journey.

My dad used to tell me, “You always need to know more than one way to get to your destination.” Quite true if there’s a road closure or excess traffic blocking or delaying your arrival. This is especially true for today’s pharmacist. Landing your ideal pharmacist job might be delayed due to the plethora of graduates and established pharmacists in line for the same one.

With that said, we’ll start with the basic and most familiar route–a strategically crafted pharmacist CV/resume and a cover letter. In this tech-savvy world, if your pharmacist CV or resume is even read at all, it will occur after the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) has analyzed and scored it.

“In short, your CV or resume has to make it to the “read pile” and then impress in 8 sec or less. At this point, it might get a more detailed read that leads to an interview offer.”

Compounding matters in 2016 is the significant reduction in Human Resources staff for most hospitals part of larger local, regional, or national health systems. Remaining HR personnel migrated to centralized HR call centers that manage mostly employee matters. This reduction leaves fewer humans to manage talent searches and the reading of anything you submit. Therefore, reliance on these sophisticated ATS systems will increase.

The cover letter is still alive, and IF STRATEGICALLY CRAFTED can be a great asset to catapult your career documents to the top of the “read pile.” The overall purpose of a cover letter is to give HR and hiring managers desire to REALLY READ and not just skim your CV or resume. Out of several qualified applicants, many hiring managers will still often use cover letters to narrow down to the final top candidates.

A good cover letter does 3 important things:
  1. Shows you’re willing to go the extra mile
  2. Showcases your communication skills
  3. Gives opportunity to prove why you’re best for the job

Career tools to move your career forward aren’t covered in depth by schools of pharmacy or continuing education offerings for pharmacy professionals. And let’s face it, it takes time that is in short supply for most busy pharmacy students and practitioners. Need help preparing for your pharmacist job search or have questions? Reach out to me directly via linkedin.com/in/drhemphill.

About the Author

Denise R. Hemphill, PharmD, NCRW, CCM, CCTC, CIC, CPRW, Founder of Confident Career Moves, is a five-time certified resume writer and career manager. Confident Career Moves designs DYNAMIC resumes & self-marketing tools that help pharmacists nationwide achieve career goals. Connect on LinkedIn 

Are you seeking a transition into management? Another pharmacy sector? Or even another career? Visit www.ConfidentCareerMoves.com/rx.