Blog #17 - Dear Physiotherapy Graduate....
Dear Physiotherapy Graduates,
As we past the halfway mark in the final year of your physiotherapy degree I would like to give you some advice in regards to finding your first job.
1. Start now
The best private practices are on the hunt early for recruits in their business so start now. If you wait until November /December when you graduate, all of the best jobs will be taken. Those businesses that know they want to hire for next year will have been looking all year, so approach them now to let them know how keen you are to start work.
2. Approach your first choice of practice to work, don’t wait for them to advertise
Don’t sign up to a recruitment agency (they cost us private practice owners way too much to hire a graduate with no experience $6000+ and can be a turn off), don’t look on Seek.com. Get online and ask around about which physiotherapy private practices are the best to start a career in. Then don’t wait for that business to start advertising, get in first and ask for a job. It will show initiative and especially if you have done your research you can tell the owner why you really want to work in this practice.
3. Ask to observe and learn in the clinic for FREE
To show your willingness to learn, offer your time to come into the clinic and observe a private practice operating and private practice physiotherapists in action. Many student physios do not get an opportunity to have a private practice placement and do not feel ready for private practice. Start learning on the job in your 4th year. Do it for free, go to as many practices as you can and learn as much as you can in that time, it will place you at the front of the race in regards to a job.
4. Get your resume ready with appropriate information for Private Practice
Once you have completed Tip #3, be sure to put it on your resume. All of that private practice exposure is what business owners are searching for. Make sure your resume is relevant for a private practice role and if you have had no experience in a private practice then go and get it. Private Practice owners are reluctant to hire graduates in their business as they lack the clinical and business skills to survive in a privatised model of care. Bridge that gap now while you have time. Be sure to have referees that can comment on your private practice placement abilities, this is who we want to talk to. If you don’t have time to be working for free in many private practices to gain experience then join our Student to Private Practitioner Program and get assistance with your resume, interview skills, employment offers and be featured on our recruitment hub to the best practices in the business.
5. Get interview ready
Private practice interviews are all about finding the right person for the job. Personality and likeability plays a large role in a private practice, so first impressions count. Dress the part, rehearse your responses to common questions and do your research on the practice you are going to for a job. Access the blog resource page below to listen to Part 1 & 2 Audio files – Interviewing Graduates for Private Practice to get the inside knowledge of what an employer is really looking for.
We at Physiomentor have access to the very best physiotherapy private practices that provide exceptional graduate development programs. I would always suggest in your first year to take a role in a private practice that accommodates and nurtures your learning rather than chasing the money. If your employment offer is paying exceptional money, be mindful of what that will involve on your behalf. A business owner will need to recoup those wages in billable hours. You can not have your cake and eat it too, big money and adequate time for learning and development do not go together.
If you would like access to our private practice recruitment hub then send us an email at support@physiomentor.biz with HUB in the subject line.
If you are a private practice owner reading this blog post, and would like to have access to the cream of the crop graduates for your business then send an email to support@physiomentor.biz with the name of your business in the subject line.
