My Health Career is fortunate to have a guest post from Fay Libman, who is is a qualified professional Career Development Practitioner with over 25 years’ experience in resume writing, recruitment, career reinvention and career coaching. Fay is well aware of the challenges facing local and international medical students regarding training positions as they look to become interns, residents, registrars and consultants. Because of this Fay is specializing as a career development practitioner for medical students, doctors in training and registered doctors. For more information, go to www.flaircareers.com.au or call Fay for a confidential, obligation-free chat on 0412 129 140.

The AMA Victoria Medical Careers Expo
It was the wettest (and felt like the coldest) Melbourne June day on record. I was expecting a turnout of 50 – NOT 500!  The Yarra Room at the Melbourne Tennis Centre was full to the brim. The 360 available seats were all quickly taken. Every time I looked up from the podium I could see even more people squeezing their way through to the back. There was standing room only.

I had spent months researching and familiarizing myself with medical practice in Australia, compiling background information, speaking with medical students and seasoned practitioners, and gathering details about the national medical internship crisis.

I knew that most of my audience was feeling stressed, anxious and fearful about the challenges before them. Medical students including some very nervous final year international med students, junior doctors, as well as some senior doctors had come to hear me speak. Some of the questions they wanted answered included:
a.    What do Australian employers look for?  What should I expect?
b.    How can I improve my resume and cover letter?
c.    What additional information will help me stand out in the crowd?
d.    How do I best articulate the value and benefit I bring to a role?
e.    Can you help me prepare for individual and group interviews?
f.    Can you help me decide on an alternate career path away from medicine?
g.    What else do I need to be aware of?

Everyone had come along on this bleak winter’s day just to pick up some tips and tricks to help secure that much coveted job.

Here are the 9 steps to career success:
1.     Do your homework – Gain valuable insights into the culture, values, expectations and requirements of each hospital you apply to. These will differ with each employer.
2.    Get inside information – Reach out and talk to people you know who already work where you would like to work. Ask the tough questions. For example – What is it really like to work here? What can you tell me about this hospital that isn’t already mentioned on the website?
3.    Get on LinkedIn – This is an amazing tool! It’s a legitimate way for you to reach out and connect with others who are already employed where you would like to be working. You can find out more about the people, the workplace, its culture and other issues.
4.    When English is your 2nd language – English can be an incredibly complicated language. It’s not difficult to make an unintentional grammatical or typographical error that completely changes the meaning of what you really want to say. Such mistakes diminish your credibility.  Read all your marketing documents out loud (i.e. resumes, cover letters, selection criteria).  Get a friend to proof read.  If still in doubt get professional help.
5.    Everyone gets nervous – Getting nervous before an interview is normal. It shows you really care about what you are doing. The trick is to work with that energy, convert it into a positive force and know how to make the butterflies in your belly fly in formation. This is where professional one-on-on help can come in really useful.
6.    Smile – When you smile you put everyone in the room at ease. Your positive energy immediately lights up the room and people will usually respond in a similar manner. What a great way to start any meeting or interview!  Get everyone on side with a huge friendly smile and winning attitude that exudes confidence.
7.    What makes “you” so special – Be aware and very clear about those unique attributes that make you stand out from the crowd.  For example I recently I worked with a young Taiwanese doctor who spoke fluent Mandarin. He was surprised when I pointed out to him that speaking a second language was a huge selling point, particularly if he were to work in an area where a substantial section of the population was Mandarin speaking for example. Sometimes it’s useful to work one on one with a careers specialist who is trained to quickly identify those unique attributes that you may not have previously realized might appeal to prospective employers. Are you a talented musician? Do you have a hobby or sport that could translate into a valuable asset for your next employer? Do you know how to articulate this effectively?
8.    Have a backup plan – In case life decides to throw you a curve ball and things don’t work out quite as you would have preferred, take time to consider and formulate a Plan B, and even a Plan C.
9.    Prepare Achievement Stories – Be prepared to share several personal stories about yourself to help highlight those key competencies that you know your future employer is looking for. Learn to “sell” your story in a way that entertains and engages your interviewer/s.  This can be a daunting ask, however it is something that can be learned and perfected.

Fay Libman has experience in working with government, corporate and private clients through her private practice Flair Careers. She aims to assist people in building their lives by stepping up and moving forwards in their careers. As the competition for training positions for medical graduates heats up, My Health Career has no doubt that Fay’s careers services will be in demand!! Let Fay assist you in getting the edge, by calling her on 0412 129 140 for an obligation free chat!!

Article updated 13/10/2013 – The Federal Government announced Commonwealth Medical Internships for 2012 international medical graduates from Australian Medical Schools.