ASTSA Fall 2017

four AST: What are employers looking for? Is it im- portant to be certified? BONN: Employers are looking for skilled employees who also fit the culture of their company and depart- ment. Before any interview, do your research on the company you are going to interview with. You can learn a lot about a company’s culture by browsing their website and reading reviews on websites like Glassdoor. Make sure you ask your recruiter any questions about the company or position you may have. Relevant experience is always desired, so work with your recruiter on how to highlight specific areas of your work history. Certification is becoming more and more of a re- quirement rather than a preferred qualification. New healthcare laws are putting pressure on companies to employ certified and licensed professionals. If your area of study offers a national certification, get it! Not only does this open you up to new opportunities but it can also help with a higher salary. AST: When should I follow up after talking to a recruiter? What’s the best way to do that? BONN: Recruiters work with MANY applicants, so taking the initiative to follow up will save the recruit- er a few steps and can allow you to gain understanding of your status as an applicant quicker. Try to connect with your recruiter(s) on a regular basis to cultivate a professional relationship with them. Remember recruiters are busy, so try to keep any phone conversa- tions short and don’t overwhelm them with emails. Try to follow up once a week or once every other week, so you stay in the forefront of the recruiter’s thoughts but you aren’t pestering them. Keep in mind that if a recruiter receives information about moving you forward in the application process, they will typi- cally call or email right away. AST: What’s the most common mistake appli- cants make? BONN: Applicants can make mistakes at different times during the application process that can affect the outcome of their job search. If you are looking for a job and a recruiter calls, take the call or call them back. They reached out because they saw something that they think would be desirable for their company. Be candid with your recruiter about what you are looking for in a new position. If you need a certain Reality 101 continued AST: I’ve just graduated. Do you have any advice for me? BONN: Make sure your resume looks great and start applying and connecting with recruiters where you want to work. I know it seems obvious, but you have to let people know you are looking for a job. Did you know that something like 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn as a way to connect with applicants? We want to find you! Create a professional LinkedIn profile and put your resume on CareerBuilder, Monster, and Indeed. Re- cruiters love those job boards. Where you can, include “surgical technologist,” “surgical technician,” “surgical tech,” and “scrub tech” into your resume copy where it makes sense so your resume will always get picked up by resume search software. You also have to make sure recruiters know that you have your surgical technologist certification. Add “Certified Surgical Technologist” as the heading on your resume and CST after your name. Put your cer- tification number at the top of your resume so your credential can easily be verified with the NBSTSA. If a hospital system requires experience, consider one-off positions with the same healthcare system – like an instrument tech, lab tech, patient care repre- sentative, medical office specialist, or as a patient care technician – that way you could get your foot in the door and gain valuable healthcare experience. Many times, hiring managers will overlook industry experi- ence in favor of specific system experience. Getting your foot in the door allows you to get to know the managers and other employees at the facility, thus creating relationships that can vouch for your contri- bution to the team. If you are still finding that you are unsuccessful in your job search, find a recruiter who is willing to ad- vise you on your resume or interviewing skills. Great recruiters will do this for free and will give you honest feedback about the hurdles you might be facing. ,, ,, No matter what the position, dress professionally for the inter- view (absolutely no jeans). First impressions really do matter!