7 Obvious Mistakes to Avoid Making on Your CV

& OTHER CRUCIAL CAREER TIPS

The careers landscape for healthcare professionals is changing. With an increase

in new graduates, it has become more and more necessary to plan and manage

your career. At the same time, the options for you in your profession are

potentially more varied and diverse than ever.

The purpose of this guide is to give you a foundation of information to work from

when you’re considering the next career step or applying for a new job. At Beat

Medical, we provide our candidates with ongoing, career management advice - as

well as providing a professional recruitment service.

Having the right career management skills goes a long way towards building up

your dream career - planning it how you want it to be, rather than ‘going with

the flow’ and ending up in the same place you were years ago in terms of job

satisfaction, financial reward, and overall happiness.

Of course, if you have any questions along the way, please call me on

1800 633 505 or email me at shaun@beatmedical.com. We’re happy to help in

any way we can.

Shaun HughstonFounder - Beat Medical

PS - If you’re a GP - make sure you scroll through to the end of the guide for a

special section dedicated to General Practitioners.

3

CONTENTS

• 7 Obvious Mistakes to Avoid Making on Your CV p4

• 23 things NOT to put on your CV p7

• 9 things you MUST have on your CV p11

• How to get the most out of a healthcare recruiter p14

• Career Planning for Health Professionals p17

• How to prevent your locum or casual career dying on

the table p23

• 5 Preventable Career Mistakes to Avoid as a General

Practitioner p27

7 Obvious Mistakes to Avoid Making on Your CV

For doctors, nurses or other medical professionals, it might seem unlikely that the

formatting or structure of your CV can do much to hurt your job prospects. But

as recruiters, we know that there are some things that hiring managers get sick

of seeing, and that sometimes they can’t see past these mistakes to the capable

healthcare professional the CV represents.

A good resume is like a key – it should open doors for you by demonstrating to

prospective employers that you’re worth speaking with. If you’re not having any

success with your job applications, it might not be that you don’t have the right

qualifications, but perhaps that you don’t know how to best communicate them.

A medical recruitment agency like Beat Medical helps make sure your resume

ticks all the boxes before any potential employers see it. We know what

employers are looking for, and what will make them pass on you. The following

are some of the major things we look at to make sure your resume won’t include

anything to turn a potential employer off, they might seem simple, but they are

mistakes that people make over and over again.

5

1. Missing Personal Details

This seems obvious, but it’s important to be contactable by phone and email.

Make sure your phone details are correct, and that your message bank is active

with a professional sounding message.

Provide a personal email address; one which includes your first and last name is

best. Inappropriate ‘joke’ email addresses are not suitable for a resume from a

doctor or other healthcare professional.

2. Irrelevant Career Goals or Summary

This is your chance to show a prospective employer you’re interested in working

with them specifically, but many people let themselves down by not tailoring it

to the particular job. You need to customise this section for each application,

aligning your goals and experience with the medical job on offer.

You can use this space to both outline your career goals and summarise relevant

employment history and highlights. Remember, this section should be unique to

each job you apply for, and relevance is paramount.

3. Medical CVs that are Too Long

As a medical professional, it won’t take long in your career for your list of

education, courses and training to get very long. Your resume is a summary

of your education and employment – try and keep it to two pages. Sentences

should be short and to the point. You don’t need to include every training course

in your CV – trim it down by including only your relevant study; tertiary, specialist

training, management courses and post-graduate studies that relate to the

position advertised.

6

4. Grammar Mistakes

While your spell check and grammar check should pick up most mistakes, one of

the big ones we see is when candidates switch between tenses. You should use

the past tense consistently when referring to previous experience and study.

5. Not Following Instructions

It won’t always be the case, but sometimes instructions are given to reduce the

pool of applicants – if you don’t follow them, you’ve failed the first test.

A very simple example is when employers ask candidates to outline why they are

interested in this particular job – many doctors simply send in their regular CV

and ignore that request, which will instantly put them out of the running.

6. Inconsistent Fonts & Formatting

Formatting doesn’t need to be fancy, you’re a doctor not a graphic designer, all

you need to concern yourself with is consistent formatting. Capitalisation, italics

and underlining should be used sparingly and only to emphasise important

points. Fonts should be plain and in a size that’s easy to read.

7. Irrelevant Information

Hiring managers want to be able to scan your CV and pick out all the relevant

information quickly. This is made harder for them if you clutter it up with sporting

achievements, hobbies, family information, health background and other

irrelevant information. If you are going for the job of a doctor, nurse or other

health professional – mentioning sporting achievements or family situations is not

going to particularly help your chances.

23 things NOT to put on your CV

8

Is my resume ok? Is it what is expected?

We hear from many healthcare professionals considering a new job, locum work,

or those who are wishing to work in the Australian medical system, that they

are not confident about their CV. They fear it is too long, too short, in the wrong

format, the wrong font, doesn’t include the right information, or is not what is

expected in Australia.

For the most part, their fear is well founded.

Having recruited to a number of different professions, I can say with absolute

confidence that medical CVs are among the very worst I have ever seen.

Somehow, amazingly, many doctor’s CVs seem to really hit every mark of ‘what

not to do’. Rest assured, though, that it is certainly a problem you can fix.

Why is it so?

The short answer is ‘market forces’. Did you need to supply a CV to get an intern

job? No.

When you applied for your next job as an RMO/HMO, did it really matter what

your CV looked like? Probably not - there were plenty of jobs.

There is a huge surplus of medical jobs in Australia, so by necessity, you haven’t

had to learn the skill of writing a CV. Just a few years ago, you could most likely

get a locum job with half a CV written on the back of a banana leaf.

What has changed?

Slowly, the medical employment market is becoming more competitive, and

regulated. Many colleges are not increasing the amount of training places

available and most employers are heavily formalising selection and employment

of locums, even for short term jobs.

There is now a need to really master the skill of getting your CV right.

9

What not to do, in a nutshell

First, forget everything you learnt at school about writing CVs. It was a waste of

time. Second, never include any of these items in your CV. You may laugh at some

of these, but most of them we see every single day on resumes, some are rarer -

but are real examples of what I have personally seen.

1. Photograph

2. Marital status

3. Health status

4. Hobbies or interests

5. Details of children

6. Any paragraph longer than 40 words

7. Sporting achievements

8. Anything negative

9. Anything untrue

10. Your race or colour

11. Date of birth

12. Referees names and contact details (Why? Because you want to control

access to your referees)

13. Religion

14. Political affiliations

15. Height or weight

16. Weird or offensive email addresses (such as hotpants69@sexylady.com)

17. Irrelevant jobs

10

18. Irrelevant education

19. Salary/income expectations

20. Anything spelt incorrectly

21. Irrelevant rants about your life, travel, desires, etc

22. Lists of every single procedure you have ever done, or considered doing

in your life

23. Detailed background of your Medicare fraud activities

There are some exceptions to these rules - for example, when an employer or

college specifically asks for certain information to be included.

Your homework

Open up your CV right now, identify anything that should not be in there, and

delete it. For some of you, you may have only a blank page left! You now have an

excellent starting point to a killer CV.

9 things you MUST have on your CV

In the last article, we pointed out 23 things that you should never put on your CV.

Who knew that there were so many ways to go wrong with a CV? We often have

a response of incredulity to our ‘resume rules’ (such as “Why can’t I have my Year

11 rugby victory on my CV?!!!”) but the results the healthcare professionals who

work with us get by following these rules is proof positive that they work!

There is no right or wrong format for a CV. In terms of layout, make sure that the

font is plain (such as Times or Arial), and that it is appropriately spaced. Use of

dot points is encouraged in order to create a sense of white space and encourage

ease of reading.

The most important factor to consider is the relevancy of the information on your

CV for the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an

Emergency locum, make sure that your resume has an emphasis on the relevant

skills and experience for that position. You may end up with a few different

versions of your CV for different types of positions.

12

So, what to put on the CV (in order):

1. Contact detailsThis should include your name, postal address, home and mobile numbers, and

email address.

2. SummaryThis is a two to three line precis of your professional experience. For example: “I

am a New Zealand trained General Practitioner with over 25 years of experience

in primary healthcare, corporate consulting, emergency medicine, and academic

teaching”.

Make it as simple as possible.

3. Key AttributesThis is three to four dot points on what makes you stand out as a candidate for a

position. For example:

• Experience in regional and remote environments

• Postgraduate qualifications in Womens and Children’s Health

• Appointments to the University of Auckland as a lecturer and clinical tutor

• Recipient of the college award for XYZ

4. Current positionsList the positions you currently hold, and the name of your employer

5. Career History SummaryThis is simply a list of the relevant positions you have held, starting from the most

recent. A (shortened) example:

• General Practitioner, City Medical Centre

• Emergency CMO, Auckland Hospital

• Visiting Medical Officer, Auckland Women’s Health Centre

....and so on to your first intern position.

13

6. Detailed professional experience and achievementsThis section is the most detailed part of the CV, and is what really goes into

detail about your experience, and what you have done in each position. Where

relevant, we suggest that you break it down into various sections according to the

type of experience, such as “Primary Health Care Experience”, “Women’s Health

Experience”, “Academic Experience”.

The individual positions are then listed under the sub-heading; as below:

General Practitioner Experience

General Practitioner, January 2005 to present

City Medical Centre, Auckland NZ

Write 4-5 dot points on:

• Key achievements (e.g. started respiratory clinic for elderly population)

• Educational/research duties (e.g. ran meetings for registrars)

• Clinical duties (saw X patients per day, procedures, etc)

• Management/administrative (attended quarterly management meetings)

• Key skills utilised

7. PublicationsList relevant publications in the format convention of your college or discipline.

8. EducationList the title of the course, awarding institution, and year. The most recent should

be listed first.

e.g. Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, Sydney University 2006

9. Courses and workshopsList relevant courses, with the most recent first.

e.g. APLS Course, Sydney 2001

The most important thing to keep in mind is that a CV is an evolving document,

that must change over time in line with your professional growth.

How to get the most out of a healthcare recruiter

So, you’ve spent countless hours perfecting your resume and you’ve thought long

and hard about the kinds of jobs and locations that would suit you best, but what

next?

If you’re a bit overwhelmed by the sea of options out there and are unsure about

what your next move should be, then a skilled recruiter can be a real lifesaver.

Using a specialist healthcare recruitment agency like Beat Medical is a great way

to get access to large government contracts you may never find flying solo - not

to mention how helpful some third person perspective can be just on its own. But

like any other relationship, knowing how to handle yourself and meet the needs of

the other party can really help to take your recruitment connections to the next

level.

In this article, we’ll look at some great ways to get the most out of your

relationship with a healthcare recruiter and forge some truly valuable connections.

15

Find a recruiter who knows your niche

Your first step when looking for a recruiter to work with, is to ensure that they

are familiar with the industry and more specifically, the particular niche you are

looking to apply for. It makes little sense to work with a recruiter who has strong

experience in landing roles for HR managers if you are looking to break into the

healthcare field.

Doing a little background research into a recruiter online to find out the kinds of

roles they specialise in recruiting for and who they have worked with in the past is

a smart move. A good indication is that the company the recruiter works for is a

member of a professional body such as AMRANZ.

Recruiters who are active on social networking websites will often have

recommendations from past clients which can also provide valuable insight into

the kind of work they do.

Deal with your recruiter professionally

Whether you meet with your recruiter in person for an interview or over the

phone, it is important to be professional in all your dealings.

Although a recruiter is there to help you and give advice (not hire you) you should

always consider that their reputation is affected by the kind of people they put

forward for roles. By being well presented, on-time, and courteous; you’ll be

giving yourself the best possible chance of being put forward for future positions.

16

Recruiters are there to help you

When you work with a recruiter, you’ll almost always be starting on a clean slate

in terms of what that recruiter knows about you and your current skill set.

The more thorough you are in describing yourself and painting a clear picture

of where you currently stand, the better placed the recruiter will be to give you

meaningful advice; including helping you find a suitable role, and assist you with

networking and referrals.

It’s also important to note that working with a recruiter isn’t like having a job

interview. You are free to be honest, ask any burning questions you might have,

and be totally upfront about what you are looking for in your next role. There is

no such thing as a ‘dumb question’, as a recruiter is there to help inform you on

things that you might not have 100% in the bag.

Look for the bells and whistles

So far we’ve taken a look at a lot of things you can do to help smooth things

along with your next recruiter, but how about what they can do for you?

Don’t be afraid to look out for added benefits that a recruitment company (like

Beat Medical) can provide you with, such as pet care and travel arrangements

when working in remote roles, as well as professional career support with CVs,

interviews, and more. Be on the lookout for recruiters who handle themselves

professionally and provide friendly and reliable service, as this will say a lot about

how they conduct their business.

Career Planning for Health Professionals

Is your career at a critical point of change? Just starting out? How do you navigate your career crossroads?

18

Do I really need to floss?

A dentist routinely asks her patients whether they have been flossing. They think

carefully, and say “Yes, of course”, knowing that the last time they flossed, Happy

Days was the most popular show on television. It’s something we should all do,

in order to avoid an ultimate negative outcome - but for some reason, most of us

don’t.

Career planning tends to fall into that category, and is often on the list of things

you do once in your life, like knit a scarf, take salsa lessons, or hit a hole in one.

Like most things worth doing, though, career planning is a process - not an event.

Who will be at your funeral?

Before you start, do this exercise - imagine you have lived a long life and you

passed away at the age of 101. Write a eulogy for yourself based on the way your

life is going now. Be honest - it has to have the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now, write another eulogy based on how you want people to remember you -

what they will say you did, how you carried yourself, and what you achieved.

What is the point?

The point of this exercise is to get you thinking about a day other than today,

tomorrow, or next week. Even though your plans will change, you have shifting

goals, and you will change your mind over time. Now is the time to start planning

how you’re going to get to that ultimate destination.

Writing a career plan

A good career plan needs to come from the heart - nothing more than one

handwritten A4 page. It can have words, flowcharts, timelines, pictures - really

anything that makes it clear for you what you really want out of your career, and

how that relates to your life. We don’t suggest any particular format or template,

but it should at a minimum contain the following elements.

19

Your unique points

List as many unique points about yourself as you can think of - be positive, and

specific. You might even use a mind-map to do this. For example, if you are a

good communicator - partition that particular skill into subsets, and keywords,

such as “Superb presentation skills”, or “Excellent bedside manner”.

The purpose of this activity is to find at least ten areas you excel at - this should

give you a picture of where you should be heading. Take time to think about

the feedback others have given you, and consider the activities you are most

passionate about. You should use these points (and your own personal values) as

a guide to where you are going. They can also be used as keywords to build your

resume, application letters, and interview scripts.

Your team

Consider two doctors. They both aspire to be neurosurgeons, specialising in a

particular paediatric neurological disorder only found in Venezuela. One has a

mentor who already does that job. The other does not. Which would you assume

would be the most successful?

Having a mentor means support, guidance, a role model, and accountability.

You may even wish to have a few different mentors to give you a balanced

view - and feedback on how you are going. It can be confronting, and a bit

embarrassing to ‘ask’ someone to be a mentor - but most mentoring relationships

are informal - and the word ‘mentor’ is never even mentioned.

Being a mentor can be just as rewarding - there may be a junior doctor, a medical

student, or even an international medical graduate who would appreciate the

opportunity to have guidance from someone who has “been there, done that”.

So, write on your career plan at least three names of potential mentors, and a

plan for how to arrange a time to meet one on one. Also think about the type of

person you would like to be a mentor to.

20

Another very important part of your team is your referees (who may well be your

mentors). All too often I hear the phrase “so and so didn’t even mention they

wanted me to be a referee”. Any reference following this statement is usually less

than ideal!

Think very carefully about who your ‘verbal’ referees are. By asking them for

a written reference as well, you will get an indication of what they will say to a

potential employer, or recruiter. If the written reference states “Bill worked here

for one term in 1987. His performance was satisfactory, he was well liked by his

peers”, you are in trouble. You need positive, glowing, incredibly enthusiastic

references. Keep looking until you find people who can help you in this way. They

are your slam-dunk after an excellent interview.

The final part of your team is professional representation. Sports people,

actors, and other professionals have agents- so why shouldn’t you? Professional

healthcare career planning and recruitment organisations can add a new

dimension to the breadth and scope of your career by helping to open up the

‘hidden’ employment market - and helping you keep on track with the basics of

resumes, interview planning, and contract negotiation.

Networking is for losers

As I write this section on networking, I can feel the psychic cringe from our

readers. Networking does not need to involve specific events, anything related

to pyramid schemes, or handing out business cards. Rather, networking is

consciously considering how you can help others, and how they can help you.

One key to good networking is collecting information - phone numbers, email

addresses, and details about the people you meet. When you meet other

professionals, show genuine interest in what they do, where they work, and what

they are saying.

21

Imagine you meet someone at a conference who mentions a need for specific

training at their hospital. Later on, you realise you have a colleague who carries

out that training on a regular basis. By connecting those two people, you have

created positive energy which helps to build a consistently positive perception of

you.

In your career plan, think about people you would like to set out to meet at

conferences, or social occasions in order to build your network. It is simply about

collecting information that may help others, or you at a later stage. Keep in touch

with these people - with a note from time to time, visit when you are in town, or a

Christmas email.

Knock-backs and failure

Knock-backs and failure are reality. There is no silver bullet we can suggest to

make it feel better.

You may be rejected for your dream job - perhaps repeatedly. This means they

don’t want you, or you don’t want it enough.

If they don’t want you, find out why. Make a time to go see the interview

convenor to discuss it. Instead of asking them for feedback on how you went -

which will invariably make them defensive and uncomfortable - ask them “what

did the successful candidate do to get the job?”.

On your career plan, you need to have some go-to actions to turn to when you

are facing difficulty in following your plan. These alternate paths and back doors

will be there to help you evaluate the situation more effectively, and to take the

right action in that moment. For example, your crisis action points might be:

• Talk to mentor

• Come up with 10 options in this situation

• Take a day with no action to think

Plan for the speed humps now, and you will see the difficult times with more

clarity.

22

The path to enlightenment

Here is where we depart from typical career planning. We do not encourage a

career goal, or ultimate job. Your career plan simply needs to be consistent with

your unique points, values, and the advice of your team. So, on your career plan,

write at least five ultimate career options (i.e. the job you want to retire in). Pick

one of these, and run with it for now.

You may choose twenty potential careers, and end up in none of them. One

person’s options might be:

• Emergency physician

• GP

• Farmer

For now, choose the path you are most passionate about, explore it, test it - then

accept or reject it. The good news is that you might be able to follow more than

one path at a time.

The rules

The final section of the career plan should be ‘your career rules’. These should

be based on your principles, beliefs, and values. For example, you might write “I

will never let others’ perception of me guide my career choices”, or “I will always

work in a position that benefits others”. These may change over time, but set the

ultimate direction now.

Share and be accountable

As soon as you have written your draft career plan, take it to one of your

team (mentor, partner, friend), and discuss it with them. Encourage them to be

positively critical - and to challenge you on why you have chosen the paths you

have. In considering the feedback and perception of others, take it into account,

think upon it, and let it pass.

• Mother

• Philanthropist

• Writer

How to prevent your locum or casual career dying on the table

In his third year of being a doctor, Dr. James Jones decided to do some

locum work. He had heard stories from colleagues about amazing rates,

easy shifts, and secretly resented his award pay rate after the years

of study he had put in. A locum agency had come to give a talk at his

hospital, and made it sound even better. He spent a few days setting up

some shifts, and arrived for his first locum shift at Backwater Hospital

Emergency Department. When he arrived, there was no accommodation

organised, and he didn’t have a clue where to go. It was hard enough

to get there in the first place, and the rates really weren’t what he was

after. James had thought about signing up with that locum agency, but

decided he’d give it a go himself – how hard could it be? Alas, once he

called the hospitals, the suave negotiator he imagined himself to be went

out the window altogether. He ended up with shifts that he was just

happy with, and at rates he was just okay with, and it had taken over a

week for the hospital to get back to him. James thought that as a locum,

there would be hospitals welcoming him, and eternally grateful for his

services. Instead, there was no-one to greet him, and it turned out he was

just another locum.

24

In my business, I hear stories like this every single day. Although many doctors

have very positive experiences as locums in the public health system, there is an

administrative minefield which most are surprised to find – until they try to wade

through it. There are often policies, procedures, and paperwork to contend with

just to register with a hospital – and that is before you even start work!

An example of this is the drastic changes NSW Health made several years ago

with regard to locums. There were limitations placed on how much hospitals

could pay (some metropolitan hospitals can now only pay award rate), there were

new standards for training, and documentation that had to be completed. You

may not have heard anything about these changes like these, as they often come

unannounced.

Locum work can be of great benefit if you are after more experience, money, a

working holiday, or all of these. However, before you get started, it is important to

consider your reasons for locuming, and what you want out of it:

• Think about why you want to do locum work. If it is to make more money, do

you have an end in mind (for example, a new car); – and will you stop after

you have reached your goal? You need to define how long you will do it for,

especially if it is in addition to a full time job. Consider the very real effects of

burnout and stress.

• Locum work needs to be consistent with your overall professional career

plan. Locuming can be an effective networking opportunity. Thinking about

applying to a particular hospital next year? Doing some shifts there will

develop some invaluable contacts, and a ‘foot in the door’.

• Where do you want to go, and what do you want to do? Do you want to

experience a remote area, or prefer to stick to the city? It is fairly certain that

the further you go out of metropolitan areas, the more you will be paid – but

balance the location with the experience you are seeking.

• What do you want to be paid? Be honest with yourself. If you are a PGY3,

are you really worth $200 per hour? If you think so, good on you! Look at

what the market is offering, and don’t push the envelope too much. Once you

develop a relationship with the facility, you will have a world of opportunities

for ‘desperation’ shifts with much higher rates.

25

• Also, think about additional benefits you would like, such as flights,

accommodation, taxi vouchers, meal vouchers, reimbursements, on-call

allowances, paid travel time, traveling allowance, mileage, and more. Your

imagination is limitless, but hospital budgets are not, so be judicious about

what you ask for.

• Be shrewd. Consider why there is a vacancy at that hospital. Try to talk to

somebody who has worked there before to get the scuttlebutt. Is it filled with

mad consultants (or no consultants), does it have terrible accommodation,

or poor after-hours services? Do your research first, or make a small

commitment to test the waters yourself. If it is not good, move on.

• Take time to prepare for being a locum. Your resume is your sales pitch to the

hospital. You will probably need to do a complete revision on your resume to

make sure it is presenting the key benefits of employing you as a locum, as

there is probably more competition out there than you realise. Resumes are

often a testament to what you want, and what you have done. Your emphasis

needs to be on what you can offer that hospital. Read through your resume

with this story in mind, and take a few hours to do some resume renovation.

Every single benefit you present needs to be specific, and backed up by

examples, where possible.

• When you are ready, you will then need to start making calls to hospitals to

see what is available. You should have a list of prospects ready, and look at

transport options to each location to see if they are feasible. When speaking

to the manager at the hospital, be polite and avoid discussing money until

the end of the conversation. However, don’t be afraid to ask for details about

accommodation, flights, and other benefits.

You may also wish to consider engaging a locum agency, which is always

free for doctors (they charge the hospitals). Locum agencies keep up to date

with key industry changes, and will often take away the administrative work

from you. Pick your agency carefully, because they are not all the same. They

range from professionally run outfits to ‘factories’ with young salespeople with

no appreciation of the health industry. Look for experience, credibility, a fast

response to you, and a good reputation. Do not leave your career to chance, or in

the hands of an inexpert locum agency.

26

So, what happened to James? He continued doing locum work, but spent too

much time trying to find it, negotiate with the hospitals, and keeping up to date

with the constant changes in the health department regulations. He gave up after

a few months. James wasn’t aware of the secrets to successful locum work:

1. Know why you’re doing it, and how long you’ll do it for

2. Use locuming as an effective networking opportunity, and a chance to try

a position ‘before you buy’

3. Have a plan about where you want to go

4. Make sure what you do as a locum is consistent with your career plan

5. Be clear about what you want to be paid, but stay congruent with the

market

6. Seek out opportunities for added extras like flights and accommodation.

7. Be shrewd about where you go – speak to those who have been there

before.

8. Prepare for being a locum – make sure your resume is in good order, and

emphasises the key benefits of employing you.

9. Make sure you have all of the right documentation ready for the hospital

to consider you.

10. Consider a locum agency – you take your car to a mechanic, and go to an

accountant for your tax. Why should your career be DIY?

Above all, keep evolving. Locum work is an opportunity for growth, and you

will develop experience you may never in your day to day job. Heed James’

cautionary tale – follow these secrets, and you will succeed as a locum.

5 Preventable Career Mistakes to Avoid as a General Practitioner

BONUS SECTION

There are a lot of reasons doctors choose General Practice as a career. Some of

the most common ones we hear include:

• Family friendly work hours

• Mixed caseload

• Stability

• Regular income

• Getting to know patients

• Being part of a community

Once you’ve received your coveted FRACGP or FACRRM (or maybe you already

have VR status), there are a lot of options for you in terms of working as a GP –

either taking up a permanent position, or working as a GP locum.

28

I have been working in medical recruitment for over ten years, and I’ve helped a

lot of GPs find new positions during that time. Often, though, they come to us

after they have already had a negative career experience.

So, here are the top five preventable career mistakes we suggest you avoid:

1. Failing to think strategically

Your career is likely going to go for a long time, and general practitioners in

particular tend to retire late. During the breadth of your career you are going to

experience a number of jobs in different places. Some of these jobs you’ll love,

and most likely, some you will hate.

Before accepting a position, consider your overall career path. Does the position

add value to what you’re hoping to achieve overall? Does it align with your

values?

For example, if one of your values is quality care, is a practice that puts pressure

on you to see a patient every five minutes going to be the best place for you?

2. Having a bad quality CV

I’m going to say it – doctors are bad at CVs. If you disagree with me, send me

your CV. I realise this is pretty harsh, and it’s true that it isn’t always the case.

However, over the thousands of CVs I’ve seen over the year, not many of them

would cut the standard required for many employers. On that topic, more and

more employers are requiring up to date records of your CME, CPR training, and

copies of all of your qualifications. Make sure you’ve got them all in good order in

a safe place.

The good news is that it’s pretty easy to fix. There are a number of resources on

this very blog about CV writing, and as professional recruiters we love to help

GPs fix up their CVs. All you need to do is ask!

29

3. Misunderstanding the role of a recruitment agency

A good GP recruitment agency ought to work for you to find you a position that

suits exactly (or as close to that) what you want and need. Of course, what is

available depends on market conditions. However, a recruitment consultant needs

to do more than just present you with a list of vacancies.

When it comes to permanent or locum GP positions, your recruitment agency

should take the time and effort to get to know you and what your unique needs

are. A recruitment agency is much more than just the current vacancies on its

website.

A professional recruiter should add value to your career – providing you with

options you may not have already considered, or you can’t just find yourself. They

are your advocate, your negotiator, and sometimes your educator (when it comes

to career management). If you are working with a recruiter who can’t or doesn’t

provide this level of service, reconsider whether they are right for you.

4. Not knowing what your options are

Being a GP means that you have a multitude of options when it comes to where

to work, what you’ll do, and how often you work. Of course, the path you take will

determine how much you’re paid as well.

So many GPs we work with don’t have a good idea of what their options for their

next job could be.

As a procedural GP, you might want to work in a remote area providing

emergency, O&G or anaesthetics support. Alternatively, you might prefer to work

in a suburban family practice.

However, have you considered a mix of different options? Perhaps you could work

a couple of days a week in an ED, and the rest of the week in a practice. Maybe

you’d like to spend more time travelling as a locum?

30

We work with GPs in family practices (small, large, corporate, superclinics),

corporate health, aged care, on Australian Defence Force bases, in hospitals,

overseas on peacekeeping missions, on vessels (and other offshore installations),

and other locations you may not ever imagine working.

It’s important to at least consider all of the options that are open to you, and

integrate them into your overall career plan.

5. All that glitters is not gold

Insofar as choosing a job, it turns out WS was right:

“All that glisters is not gold;

Often have you heard that told:

Many a man his life hath sold

But my outside to behold:

Gilded tombs do worms enfold…”

– The Merchant of Venice

It’s pretty easy for practice owners and managers to put on smiles and spruce

up the place a bit for a potential new GP. What lies beneath may be something

else altogether – a potential employer might have systemic issues, a negative

work culture, bad finances, or may be simply wrong for you. Listen to your gut,

and don’t overlook things that make you feel uneasy. Choosing a job (even if it’s a

locum job) is a big step – don’t rush it.

Create some of your own ‘mandatory criteria’ for potential jobs – and don’t break

them whatever you do.

Although this is not an exhaustive list of potential pitfalls for GPs, this might serve

as a guide for future job applications and determining your career direction.

Beat Medical provides free strategic career services to candidates, as part of a

professional, effective recruitment solution

Phone: +61 2 4263 1500

Skype: beatmedicaladmin

Email: recruitment@beatmedical.com

Address: Level 1, 385 Crown St, Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia

Website: www.beatmedical.com

Twitter: twitter.com/beatmedical

Facebook: facebook.com/beatmedical