You’ve almost finished your studies and you’re looking for your first full-time position. Exciting!
As a new Allied Health graduate, you’re probably keen to get out into the workforce. The good news is that with a little preparation and people skills, you can find a job you truly love, rather than having to take the first thing that comes your way.
Here are a few tips to help you on your job-hunt.
1. Consider where you’re going in your Allied Health career
Do you have an idea of what you’d like to specialise in? If you’re working with a recruiter, be sure to let them know. We have relationships with many different employers and speak to them regularly – so we can keep an ear out for what you’re after and mention you to anyone we think might be interested in meeting you.
2. Perfect your resume
Your resume is often your first impression – make sure it looks great. Some resume-writing tips are:
- Keep your resume format clean and clear with a simple font.
- Your language should be customised to the role they’re applying for. For example, if you’re going for a job as a paediatric OT, you can have a bit of fun and playfulness in your resume because you’ll need to be that way in your work, but if you’re applying for a role dealing with end of life pain management, a fun tone in your CV is not going to get you the job.
- Make sure you have all of your contact details including email, phone number, postcode and state.
- Have an education section outlining your secondary and tertiary education.
- List any professional development you’ve done. This can include noteworthy coursework and courses outside your degree like first aid certificate, stress management courses and business courses.
- List details of practical experience you’ve completed while at university, together with your employment history. If it’s not related to the role, don’t include too much detail – just enough to show you have work experience.
- Include two professional referees. They can be a course co-ordinator or practicum placement referee – just ensure they know you’re putting their details down, and let them know when they may be called.
- You might also like to include hobbies and other languages you speak.
3. Check your social media profiles
Most employers will Google you, and search your social media profiles. Make sure you have privacy settings turned on (keeping in mind that they may have friends who know you) and delete any posts that might get in the way of a job.
4. Bring your documents
- Take a certified copy of your degree and your professional registration to every interview in case you’re asked to show it.
- Also take photo ID (your Driver’s License or Passport).
- If you’re from overseas, take any documents that prove you’re able to work in Australia.
- Some employers will want you to provide them with an up-to-date police check before they hire you, so be ready to apply for one of these.
5. Choose a recruiter who knows your industry
Each industry will have niche experts – try to find one that specialises in Allied Health. Ask friends, colleagues or peers if they have any recommendations. And don’t count out a recruiter who isn’t based near you – many are national agencies and have contacts all around Australia (plus everyone’s a remote-working expert now!).
6. Keep track of your job applications
Keep a list of which jobs you’ve applied for and which organisations your recruiters have presented you to. You don’t want to apply to the same organisation twice!
Your recruiter should tell you where they’re sending your resume. If you’re talking to multiple recruiters, be open and honest about where your resume has been sent. If a recruiter won’t give you that information, move on to someone else – they’re not representing you in an ethical way.
7. Practise for interviews
You’ll most likely be interviewed with a variation of ‘Behavioural Interview Technique’ – it’s worth doing some research online to ensure you’re prepared. Do a mock interview with a friend, or practice in front of the mirror.
You can download our free interview guides and practice questions in our Resources section.
8. Research for interviews
Read the job description and research the job and the organisation thoroughly before your interview. Be ready for questions like:
- “What do you know about the role?”
- “What do you know about the organisation?”
- “Why do you want to work here?”
Make sure you know where the interview is and how you’ll get there well in advance – do a test run if you want to be extra sure. Ask your recruiter for the name of the people interviewing you and look them up on LinkedIn and other social platforms so you understand their specialties.
9. Dress appropriately
Wear a suit to your interview if you can. If you don’t have one, borrow one or check out your local op-shop – they often have suits that come up well once they’ve been dry-cleaned. Make sure you’re well-groomed – you want to be judged on your personality and skills, rather than your appearance.
10. Have questions ready
You’ll almost always get asked if you have any questions. Having questions prepared is a great way to show you’ve been thinking seriously about the role and taking an interest in the organisation. Focus on what training is available, what the potential long-term career paths may be for the role, or something that’s positive and shows you’re interested. If your questions have been covered, mention that you had questions but they’ve been answered.
11. Tread carefully around salary and leave
While asking about pay in a first interview is regarded as a bit taboo, if you’re looking to discuss salary package options you can ask for a salary range that the employer is willing to pay based on the level of experience that the candidate brings to the table.
Asking about leave in an interview can come off as a bit presumptuous, since most companies will have this in their policies and procedures documentation. (plus it’s often governed by Fair Work Australia), however you could safely bring up RDOs (rostered days off) and the employer’s policies on taking and accumulating them.
You can also ask about flexibility when it comes to things like working from home, since tasks like report writing can often be done from home.
12. Act interested
If you want the job, at the end of the interview shake hands and thank them for their time. Say that you’ve really enjoyed the conversation and think you could contribute positively if given the opportunity to work at their organisation.
13. Call your recruiter when you leave
Your recruiter will speak with the employer soon after the interview so it’s a good idea to call them and tell them how you think it went. They can go to bat for you and help get you the job if they have all the information they need.
14. Take job-hunting seriously
Until you have a job, job searching IS your job. The more seriously you take your job search, the more willing people will be to help you. There are a lot of graduates and, as a recruitment agency, we can’t work with all of them. We represent graduates who are serious about their job search. Many graduates we’ve worked with come back to us multiple times as they progress through their careers – we’ve still got the notes from their first interviews!
15. Keep people updated
Once you have a job, call any recruiters and other organisations that may be considering hiring you or representing you to tell them you’ve found a role.
Good luck!!
Need help with your Allied Health job hunt? At Medijobs Australia, we want you to love your job, which is why we take time to get to know each of our candidates – their interests, skills, stage of career as well as their future ambitions. We won’t match you with a potential employer unless they tick all the boxes.
Get in touch today if you’re curious about how our free job-placement service can help your job-search.
