Many pharmacists started out the New Year with plans to make a career change and were working towards this when the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit.
There is no doubt that the outbreak is having a significant economic impact on Australian businesses and households. Whilst the pharmacy industry is faring much better than many other industries and is continuing to trade as an essential service, many are still wary of making a career change.
Whilst there isn’t one right answer for everyone, here are some things to consider if you are thinking about making the leap into a new role.
1. Understand your skills and aspirations
Do you find that you’re not yourself in a work environment? It’s not uncommon, but it’s a waste of your talent and career aspirations if you hold back your true personality and skills, just to fit in with the work environment you find yourself in. Successful employers know that they need a diverse group of individuals, where talent is critical to maximising their businesses potential and where no two employees are the same.
Take some time to research and fully understand your strengths and what is important to you, to ensure you achieve your potential and find a workplace that values your skills.
2. Develop your personal brand and market yourself
Developing and managing your personal brand, is an essential component of building a successful career. Personal brand is all about creating a reputation that represents the sum total of your career and professional identity.
LinkedIn is ideal for promoting your career, you can share articles, blog posts, and achievements. If it’s not your peers, prospective employers, or industry leaders looking, it’s your customers, wanting to know “what do you stand for?”
Building a personal brand means communicating your passions, having a conversation and expressing your opinion. It could be in areas of particular interest to you such as diabetes, asthma or sleep apnoea, or it could be in community engagement, but it may just be the difference between standing out and securing your ideal role.
3. Attitude over experience
For every employer, it is always tempting in the short-term to find a candidate with experience who can tick as many boxes in the job description as possible. However, a positive “can do” attitude will always prevail over experience. Commitment, work ethic, passion, trustworthiness and a strong desire to succeed are just as attractive to an employer, so rather than doubt yourself, be prepared to explain how you will gain any experience you are missing and how employing you will benefit your employer in far more ways than they had anticipated.
4. Have a preparedness for change, be adaptable
Never in the history of work has the need for an individual to be able to embrace change in the workplace been greater than it is now. Any workplace needs to be constantly adapting to change, whether that be technologies, products, services or work practices. Having a mindset that no matter how well a business or process is, that there is always potentially a better way, will ensure you are seen as a positive agent for change and improvement – an attribute that your employer and team will find appealing and will assist with your career development.
The key to finding a job that is the best fit for you is to be proactive in your search and get advice on the employment market using a professional agency such as Raven’s Recruitment.
Having solid working relationships with all the major pharmacy employer groups and hospitals in Australia and NZ, Raven’s are uniquely positioned with the knowledge and experience of what employers are looking for, and can help you find your ideal position.
Contact Raven’s Recruitment on 1800 429 829 or www.ravensrecruitment.com.au.
– Heidi Dariz, General Manager at Raven’s Recruitment.
