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The road from new graduate occupational therapist to employment!

Occupational Therapy

Many thanks to Sophie Ellis, a new graduate occupational therapist for her account of what it’s been like finding a job after graduation.

Creating my resume
Whilst at Deakin University I attended workshops through the Career Kickstart program that I co-created along with two classmates and two academic staff. These workshops gave me the opportunity to gain tips from expert Occupational Therapists to ensure I had an effective and informative resume. I also attended a session with a careers team member at University. This one-on-one time allowed me to focus on particular aspects of my resume that I was having difficulty with and gain feedback. The key focus of my resume is to highlight my practical experiences of student placements. This is crucial as it demonstrates my key skills and capabilities to potential employers. The most important thing when applying for a job is to tailor every application individually. Once I have completed a resume/cover letter responding to the selection criteria, I always gain feedback from a family member or friend on areas in which I could improve or ways to further highlight my strengths.

Jobs I am applying for
I understand as a new graduate I need to build on my skills and gain further experience. As such I am applying for Occupational Therapy specific positions as well as other health related jobs. This includes health assistant positions, support worker and case manager roles. I really enjoy both the community and acute OT settings so that’s the areas in which I am applying for.

Job search methods
To assist me in applying for jobs I have downloaded several job search apps to my iPhone. This includes seek, career one and indeed employment apps. By subscribing to these apps they send me regular updates with new job vacancies and a thorough and relevant search process. I have also registered for the local health districts career website. This ensures I can apply for positions through their website and also shortlists potential positions that are relevant to me.

Why I moved to NSW
I decided to relocate from Victoria to New South Wales as my partner lives in NSW. I was also ready for a new challenge upon completing my University studies. There is a great local health district where I am living and am hopeful that in the near future a position will become available that I am suited to.

Interview process
Since starting the job application process in my new town I have applied for 3 positions. From that I received the opportunity to have an interview at a local organisation as an Occupational Therapist. This was a daunting and new experience for me. Majority of the questions I was asked were behavioural questions providing me with the opportunity to demonstrate my key strengths and capabilities. I was also asked a case study scenario to discuss the process of my professional practice including assessments and interventions I would utilise.

In preparing for this interview I thoroughly researched the organisation including their values and mission statements. I also created a list of questions that I foresaw being asked in the interview and wrote down the answers I would like to give. This allowed me to put my thoughts onto paper and practice articulating my skills and knowledge in response to behavioural questions. Another thing that helped me throughout this process was practicing interview questions with a friend to familiarise myself with thinking on the spot. Following this interview I was unsuccessful due to another candidate having extensive experience in the field. I did however receive excellent positive feedback about my performance in the interview. This was another crucial aspect of the interviewing process to gain feedback for future job prospects. I now feel confident and well prepared for future interviews and know to be fully prepared prior to the interview.

Contacting employers
I find contacting employers when applying for jobs a very daunting and nerve racking experience. To manage this anxiety I always right down exactly what I want to say prior to phoning. This ensures I cover everything I want to with the potential employer and am well prepared. I do this a few days before I call in case I think of anything else I need to add prior to contacting them. This has been a very successful process for me as I feel more confident with each new phone call.

Support from other OTs
During the Career Kickstart program I spoke with many OTs regarding the job application process. The key tips they gave us were to fully research the organisation and have a well informed and professional resume. Another key tip they gave us was to never try and sell something about yourself that isn’t true. So don’t exaggerate your experiences as it will become obvious to the employer that you have provided misleading information. The advice they gave me that motivates me and also calms me during the application process is that it may take a while to get my first job. There are a lot of new graduates looking for employment so I have remained positive and persistent when applying for jobs as something will come along when it’s the right fit.

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