To have a Career Coach or not to have....
This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please click here.
For more writing samples, please visit my Muck Rack portfolio.
If you are reading my post, you are probably debating whether or not having a career development coach is worth the investment.
Well, read on to consider some of the reasons why having a career development coach could be beneficial.
Pharmacists can do so much more
Since we have survived pharmacy school, we know that pharmacists can offer so much; and many of you are aware about different pharmacy settings in addition to community and hospital. After you speak with your career coach, however, you will further realize the existence of so many more opportunities for pharmacists in a variety of settings, such as remote, industry, corrections, informatics, medical information, pharmacy benefit management (PBM), pharmacogenomics (PGx), etc.
The list will seem endless!
Next Steps
With additional discussion with your career coach, you may also realize that practicing as a pharmacist in other settings might be a better fit for you; and your coach might have lists of the variety of companies in specific pharmacy settings. So, you will already know about the companies within your desired settings; and now, you can immediately research them and determine whether or not these companies will help you pursue your professional and personal goals!
Job Search Strategy
So, now that you have decided on a few preferred settings, how do you find pharmacist openings? The job search can actually be a little tricky. How?
Well, one example is the industry setting. If you type “pharmacist” in the careers section of a company within the industry setting, matching positions might not exist. However, there is a trick around this; and your career coach can show you!
Furthermore, there are potentially many job titles for similar positions; and your coach can help you find many of these titles to further expand your search.
Additional Tricks and Tips
As you probably deduced, there are so many tricks and tips that a career coach can share with you; and some of which are:
How to appropriately use LinkedIn, other job search agents, and staffing/recruiting companies
How to cater your resume and cover letter to a particular position and company
How to answer difficult application and interview questions
Gaps in employment
Skill gaps
Salary
How to persistently follow up without sounding too pushy
How to analyze and negotiate offers
More
So, are you ready to pursue and obtain the pharmacy career that aligns with your professional and personal goals? If so, feel free to reach out and know that I will try my best to help you assess your options, move forward, and achieve work-life alignment in a saturated pharmacy job market!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ross earned her doctorate in pharmacy (PharmD) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). Her years of experience practicing in various pharmacy settings also lead to multiple board certifications, including ambulatory care, geriatrics, and pharmacotherapy. She currently serves as the director of the PharmacyChecker international verification program.
Ross also founded Off Script Consults, a pharmacy consulting business. She strives to combine her passion for pharmacy, education, and writing to improve the quality of life and financial outcomes for people with chronic medical conditions, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
She particularly enjoys creating relatable and helpful content for her readers and viewers. For writing samples, please visit her Muck Rack portfolio. For videos, please visit her “Off Script Consults” YouTube channel.
Ross currently resides with her husband and two dogs in her home state of Texas to be closer to family. She also tries to find time for hobbies, which include rock climbing, running, and playing pickle ball.
Find out more about Ross via phone, e-mail, or social media (LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest).