Why can't I get a job???

[PreMedAdAG]

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Hi,
Okay... I'm doing the whole year off thing, and I am having such a hard time finding a job. Does anyone have any suggestions????? Man, it seems like no one wants to even interview me... would anyone be willing to look at my resume? Give me some feedback please??? I'm scared of being broke while I'm applying to med school. I'm looking for a healthcare job because my clinical experience is kind of limited. Anyway, if anyone was successful at landing some type of health care job, please e-mail me or respond to this. Thanks so much! Here is my resume.. please give me constructive criticism and don't bag on me if something sounds lame.. !

CHRISTINE OGDEN

OBJECTIVE Seeking employment/experience in the health related fields.

EDUCATION University of California, Davis September 1999-December 2003
B.S. in the Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. Minor in Art Studio Cumulative GPA: 3.7
MCAT Score: 10 - Physical Sciences 9 - Verbal Reasoning 11- Biological Sciences
S ?V Writing Sample

EXPERIENCE Emergency Medical Technician May 2003- present
?X Certified: 490522 Expires: 05/31/2005 Woodland, CA

American Heart Association AED Health Care Provider CPR March 2003- present
?X Certified Expires: 03/2005 Fremont, CA

Ogden and LeCara Chiropractic June 2001- present
Intern Assistant Pleasanton, CA
?X Assist in front office, filing, organizing patient charts, working with software program Chirosoft.
?X Escort patients to patient rooms, cleaned exam rooms and adjusting tables.

Davis Community Meals/Shelter March 2003- December 2003
Volunteer Davis, CA
?X Aide clients and employees at shelter with meals, chores, clean-up and data collection.

UC Davis Department of Physiology March 2003-June 2003
Lab Assistant Davis, CA
?X Helped graduate students with their research projects regarding thyroid hormone in Xenopus laevis. Aided in transfection, running gels, using microscope, animal care, autoclaving and dishware cleanup.

Prytanean Women??s Honor Society December 2002-December 2003
Member Davis, CA
?X Community service and Campus service: Davis Community Meals, Adopt-A-Family, Relay for Life ?VAmerican Cancer Society, Dingle Elementary Pen Pals.

Health Sciences Advising, UC DAVIS August 2002- June 2003
Peer Advisor Davis, CA
?X Advising pre-med students on which courses to take, when to take the MCAT, how to fill out applications and get letters of recommendation.
?X Organizing pre-med oriented programs that involve public speaking.

Ready Set Read! Twice a year for one week
Reader/Athlete 2001-2002 Davis, CA
?X Reading program designed to encourage Elementary School students to read.
?X Played a role in explaining how reading has helped me throughout Elementary School, Jr. High, High School and College.

Shriner??s Hospital Once a year 1999-2002
Volunteer/Student-Athlete Sacramento, CA
?X Organized St. Patrick??s Day games for patients as well as interacted and aided patients with special needs.

Aggie Outreach Program Twice a year for two weeks
Role Model Athlete 2001-2002 Davis, CA
?X Helped Elementary School students with their in-class schoolwork and organized recess games for students.


School/University Partnerships March 2001-June 2001
Educational Assistant Carmichael, CA
?X Tutored young adults at Grant High School in the areas of Geometry, algebra and biology.
?X Tutoring was directed towards schools that needed help in becoming high achieving schools.

UC Davis Medical Center, Emergency Room January 2001- April 2001
Volunteer Sacramento, CA
?X Responsibilities include transport of specimens to and from lab, transport of patients to rooms, CT, X-ray, cleaning gurneys, answering telephones, stocking of supplies to trauma carts, assisting patients with water, food, clothes.
?X Observation of certain procedures including pelvic exams, CT scans, spinal taps and suturing.
SKILLS
?X MS Works, Microsoft Word, Internet, Calculator, Computer Data Entry, Cashier, Phone reception.
?X Certified EMT and CPR.
?X Professional, dedicated and quick learner.
?X Knowledge of HIPAA notice of privacy practices.
?X Licensed Ambulance Driver. Issued 07/21/03

HONORS
?X Member of the National Dean??s List 2002.
?X Academic All American District VIII Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X All Far West Region Second Team Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X All California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference First Team Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X Literature Review publication: ??Female Susceptibility to ACL tears?? in 2002-2003 Edition of Prized Writing.
?X Deans List Winter 2000, Spring 2000, Fall 2000, Winter 2001, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Winter 2003, Spring 2003, Fall 2003.
?X Captain of UC Davis women??s soccer team 2002-2003.

References available upon request.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Most hospital jobs require some sort of certification. You could have a Ph.D. in molecular genetics, but you couldn't even get a job as a phlebotomist without the proper certificate.

Also, some may think you're a little condescending or overqualified. Employers probably don't give a **** about your MCAT scores. In fact, only med schools and the AAMC give a ****. Why are they even listed, other than bragging rights?

Another reason, is perhaps the current economy. While overall income and productivity are up, employment remains relatively low. Thank computers and networking for this, because it's only going to get worse. Human labor is the most expensive cost of most companies, and will be the first replaced to expand the margin between cost and revenue.

Looking over it again, it's probably because you don't have much actual employment experience, especially in the health field. All your education is dick without work experience, and your volunteering doesn't really count. Welcome to reality.

 

[ilovemed]

lots of labs don't want to hire prospective med students either- all that training only to leave- I found this out the HARD way.....

 

[PreMedAdAG]

JKD.. the MCAT scores are posted only temporarily, I'm trying to shadow physicians and I want them to think I have a shot of even getting into medical school. Not exactly bragging right ehem.... it's a 30 dude.. not a 40. Those scores dont go with my normal applications for jobs, I just recently sent a bunch of letters to docs so that's why they're there. Anyway.. in terms of employment experience.. that is exactly my point.. how am I supposed to get it!! I don't know where to start because no one will hire me to begin with.. so what do I do? How do I get that initial experience???? and thanks for the welcome to reality, however, I didn't need a reintroduction... I'm not exactly a meandering soul lost in the academic arena... thanks for your input again.

where do I go from here?

 

[PreMedAdAG]

PS.. you mentioned certifications.. I have my EMT certs and CPR.. and am thinking of taking OSHA courses.. but I'm tired of paying money for certs and then not getting hired.

 

[pboothe]

Yeah, why did you put your MCAT score on your resume?
Why didn't you put your SAT score too?

 

[AlternateSome1]

Originally posted by PreMedAdAG

CHRISTINE OGDEN

OBJECTIVE Seeking employment/experience in the health related fields.

EDUCATION University of California, Davis September 1999-December 2003
B.S. in the Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. Minor in Art Studio Cumulative GPA: 3.7
MCAT Score: 10 - Physical Sciences 9 - Verbal Reasoning 11- Biological Sciences
S ?V Writing Sample

Take out your MCAT score. No one except medical and graduate programs need it.

EXPERIENCE Emergency Medical Technician May 2003- present
?X Certified: 490522 Expires: 05/31/2005 Woodland, CA

American Heart Association AED Health Care Provider CPR March 2003- present
?X Certified Expires: 03/2005 Fremont, CA

Ogden and LeCara Chiropractic June 2001- present
Intern Assistant Pleasanton, CA
?X Assist in front office, filing, organizing patient charts, working with software program Chirosoft.
?X Escort patients to patient rooms, cleaned exam rooms and adjusting tables.

Look at your descriptions and decide if you are writing in complete sentences or not. It seems like you are styling them like sentences but then leaving out connective words and changing verb tenses.

Davis Community Meals/Shelter March 2003- December 2003
Volunteer Davis, CA
?X Aide clients and employees at shelter with meals, chores, clean-up and data collection.

UC Davis Department of Physiology March 2003-June 2003
Lab Assistant Davis, CA
?X Helped graduate students with their research projects regarding thyroid hormone in Xenopus laevis. Aided in transfection, running gels, using microscope, animal care, autoclaving and dishware cleanup.

Rephrase this description. You want to emphasize your work and not downplay it by talking about the research that the graduate students were doing. You might want to leave out dishware cleanup too, since it is somewhat less impressive than the rest of your tasks.

Prytanean Women??s Honor Society December 2002-December 2003
Member Davis, CA
?X Community service and Campus service: Davis Community Meals, Adopt-A-Family, Relay for Life ?VAmerican Cancer Society, Dingle Elementary Pen Pals.

Health Sciences Advising, UC DAVIS August 2002- June 2003
Peer Advisor Davis, CA
?X Advising pre-med students on which courses to take, when to take the MCAT, how to fill out applications and get letters of recommendation.
?X Organizing pre-med oriented programs that involve public speaking.

You might want to be less specific in your first description. "Advised premedical students on educational goals and obligations." This description refers to your general ability to plan and shows that you are goal oriented. If they want to know EXACTLY what you did during your advising sessions, then they can ask.

Ready Set Read! Twice a year for one week
Reader/Athlete 2001-2002 Davis, CA
?X Reading program designed to encourage Elementary School students to read.
?X Played a role in explaining how reading has helped me throughout Elementary School, Jr. High, High School and College.

This is the first time that you have described a program. It is not consistent with the rest of your resume.

Shriner??s Hospital Once a year 1999-2002
Volunteer/Student-Athlete Sacramento, CA
?X Organized St. Patrick??s Day games for patients as well as interacted and aided patients with special needs.

Aggie Outreach Program Twice a year for two weeks
Role Model Athlete 2001-2002 Davis, CA
?X Helped Elementary School students with their in-class schoolwork and organized recess games for students.


School/University Partnerships March 2001-June 2001
Educational Assistant Carmichael, CA
?X Tutored young adults at Grant High School in the areas of Geometry, algebra and biology.
?X Tutoring was directed towards schools that needed help in becoming high achieving schools.

UC Davis Medical Center, Emergency Room January 2001- April 2001
Volunteer Sacramento, CA
?X Responsibilities include transport of specimens to and from lab, transport of patients to rooms, CT, X-ray, cleaning gurneys, answering telephones, stocking of supplies to trauma carts, assisting patients with water, food, clothes.
?X Observation of certain procedures including pelvic exams, CT scans, spinal taps and suturing.
SKILLS
?X MS Works, Microsoft Word, Internet, Calculator, Computer Data Entry, Cashier, Phone reception.
?X Certified EMT and CPR.
?X Professional, dedicated and quick learner.
?X Knowledge of HIPAA notice of privacy practices.
?X Licensed Ambulance Driver. Issued 07/21/03

HONORS
?X Member of the National Dean??s List 2002.
?X Academic All American District VIII Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X All Far West Region Second Team Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X All California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference First Team Women??s Soccer 2002.
?X Literature Review publication: ??Female Susceptibility to ACL tears?? in 2002-2003 Edition of Prized Writing.
?X Deans List Winter 2000, Spring 2000, Fall 2000, Winter 2001, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Winter 2003, Spring 2003, Fall 2003.
?X Captain of UC Davis women??s soccer team 2002-2003.

References available upon request.

Ok, I stopped reviewing it very closely, but here are a few things to consider:
1) Plan how you will describe all of your activities and stick to that general plan.
2) Stick to one verb tense.
3) Set yourself up as the center of every activity.
4) CPR & EMT listed on resume twice.


I hope any of this helps.

~AS1~

 

[PreMedAdAG]

AS1 -- thanks for the input.. I'll take it into consideration. It's weird how so many people have different input on resume's, I've had this checked over so many times , it seems like I just can't get it right!



FOR ANYONE ELSE ASKING ABOUT THE MCAT SCORES.. PLEASE READ MY ABOVE POST.. I'M EMBARASSED NOW! 🙂

 

[gick]

Christine:

First of all, as a person who recently went through the job search, do not take anything personally. Right now a very tough time to get a job.

Keep your resume brief. No longer than one page. Think if you were to read tens or hundreds of resumes, would your's give them a headache? I think so.

You need to customize your resume to fit the job. I know this is a pain, but generalizing gives away that you're desperate.

If you're interested, I'd be happy to send you samples of my resumes. If you're not interested, no problem.

Good luck!

 

[ForensicPath]

I've had a difficult time getting a part time job at the local Blockbuster. I need extra money while I am still in school, so I applied at all the local retail stores with "Now Hiring" signs. None of them called me back. I submit applications everywhere and no one seems to want to hire me for a part time job. It is absurd, I tell you.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

gick.. i'd love to see examples.. my e-mail is [email protected]

ahh.. this is madness I tell you.. I think I'll tel my kids.. "Son, just to a tech college because it's easier to get a job as a vet tech than it is to get an entry-level job with a $**** salary" Just kidding... keep the input comin'!

 

[oldtimer]

Ideas:

1. Are you able to fit all of that info on one page? If not, you may need to remove some info.

2. Is the formatting good?

3. Looks like you have been involved in many experiences. That's good, but you may be listing too many unrelated experiences. May make your resume look cluttered.
Focus on the experiences that an employer in healthcare would be most concerned about. Then, write longer descriptions of what your responsibilities were for the most important experiences.

Rule of thumb: hiring managers will spend only about 30 seconds looking at a resume. In that timeframe, the most important information about you has to come across.

Hope that helps.

 

[exmike]

btw. advanced standardized test scores tell people that you're not planning on staying there. that could scare employers off.

 

[allmightylong]

hey u can ask PAWS for the job. 😛

 

[hapkidochic]

it took me months to find a job as well. I too was looking for a job in healthcare or science but i found that no one wanted to hire someone who was only going to be around for a year. It also didn't make it any easier that i was also going to need time off for interviews. So after much frustration i gave up on the healthcare/science jobs and opted for working somewhere where they're used to hiring transitional students....Kaplan. I'm an MCAT teacher as well as part time office staff. It doesn't amount to full time, nor as much money as i would like, but it is a lot of fun. And it's nice working with a group of people who are all academically inclined and on their way to grad school or professional school. So you might just have to settle for a job that's not ideal. It'll only be for a year, not forever. And you just may end up really liking it.

 

[Paws]

Hey - here I am!!

I like your experience and would agree with what some people have said about having multiple copis of your resume. It sounds like a big pain, and it is, but I've had to make several versions aimed to a specific job or field. The economy also stinks and that might be part of it, too.

The weird thing is, that this 20 year old girl with no high school diploma will be at my (soon to be old) job long after I leave and am in medical school. Some places really want to think that you will live and breath the job and be there for like, forever 🙄 . That's why a HS diploma is sometimes more attractive than an advanced degree.

Yeh, it's definitely weird when you can't even get a p/t job at Blockbuster but I understand the strangeness of the job market from painful experience.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

dumb it down and take out any explicit references [mcat scores] to a career in medicine. when you get the future plans question in an interview just lie your a$$ off-'uh yeah, in a few years i'd like to pursue an mba and advance to upper levels of company management...' though it may not be what you want to do retail stores are always looking for foks and most pay well [esp. at management levels].

 

[CoverMe]

I have to ask... what kind of jobs are you applying for?? If you're more qualified than the person doing the hiring, you don't stand a chance.

Agreeing with previous posters, narrow down the resume... change it for every job if you have to (it's not THAT hard, just press delete and save).

Why not check out the local american heart assn and try to be an instructor with them?? I did that for a year... made $25/hour!!

Bottom line is, if you're applying to do something that any HS kid can be the manager of... you've gotta dumb down the app. Otherwise, narrow the focus of your resume to ONLY specifically include things that reinforce why you are perfect for the job.

good luck!

 

[ek6]

Hey, I went through the job search, got about 20 responses, and also hired for my job and looked through about a hundred resumes that either sucked or were extremely attractive. I'll pass on to you what I learned.

ORGANIZE YOUR RESUME
Go to Microsoft Word, click on new document and instead of picking "blank document", go to the "other documents" tab and click on a few of the professional or "elegant" resume templates. Model your resume using these. Also, keep it to 1 page. Organize it with an education, employment, volunteer, and skill&certification sections since that's what you have a lot of. The first impression they will have of you is how your resume simply appears.

DOWNSIZE YOUR RESUME
Again, fit it into 1 page - any more looks unprofessional. Get rid of your MCAT score and don't bother mentioning internet, calculator, and all those other things you put down - BUT leave Microsoft Word and Excel. Also, get rid of those "twice a week" or "once a year" things you mentioned. Rather, under volunteer experience, just indicate them sequentially in prose format.

WRITE A CV
Again - use the internet or Microsoft word templates to make it look professional. On your cv (and perhaps your objective section), go ahead and write that you are seeking to enter medical school, but want to gain some valuable healthcare experience before. All those boring jobs that you are overqualified for will bore you to death. Trust me, there's plenty of research/health care opportunities for you fresh out of college -and there's plenty of PI's who are looking for people to stay at their position for a year - trust me, plenty.

ACTIVE SEARCHING
Pick your city. Find all the health centers large and small - perhaps, LA. Go to each of their websites and BE SPECIFIC about the job you want. Write down its reference number at the top of your cv to indicate it. Mostly, you will be sending your resume to hr departments that then forward it to the specific departments that are hiring (that each have a ref #). If you don't indicate that, your cv will sit with a pile of hundreds of resumes that no one ever sees! EMAILING the department directly is a great idea. The guy we eventually hired was SO persistent with me. He contacted me directly and even called in! Write the email as a professional cv.

You'll find a job. Just organize your resume, simplify it, and ACTIVELY search for your jobs. Keep in mind, you are a straightforward candidate - half the resumes I looked at were these weird foreign MD's who couldn't land residencies, 30 year olds who were simply hopping from one job to another, or other people who were already looking for a new job after a few months (always a red flag). Others were resumes that I just laughed at because they were so poorly organized (literally only having 3 things written on it). You obviously don't fall into any of the above categories - so good luck.

 

[BananaSplit]

One thing you might want to try is a temp agency. Assignments can last from 2 months to 2 years...so it's easy to find something that will accomodate someone who is planning to go to med/grad school soon. I would recommend On Assignment because they specialize in placing healthcare and lab people. If you decide not to go to med/grad school later on, you may be able to hang on to your job because a lot of employers use temp jobs to screen employees for full-time positions. Just my two cents.

 

[lotanna]

DOnt tell them about medicine or going to medical schl, u'll find it very difficult to get a good job saying that!!!

I didnt have any refernce to medical schl, and never mentioned it in my interviews and i got a great job working for the state. My coworkers still dont know and wont know till its time for me to show them the peace sign...outtie 😀

 

[snapdad]

Originally posted by ForensicPath
I've had a difficult time getting a part time job at the local Blockbuster. I need extra money while I am still in school, so I applied at all the local retail stores with "Now Hiring" signs. None of them called me back. I submit applications everywhere and no one seems to want to hire me for a part time job. It is absurd, I tell you.

You just described the exact experience I've been having too, although I'm out of school at the moment. I finally had to "dumb down" my resume and I've started getting some responses for job interviews. Very frustrating, I tell ya.

 

[lessismoe]

So, are you a grad, or looking for jobs for after you graduate in June? My experience back in 2002 was that it was REALLY hard to get an interview until AFTER the graduation date. I may just have been lucky, but literally a week after I graduated, I got the interview for my current job.

Hey, here's an idea: For all of us that were lucky enough to be employed while applying, we should leave a sticky in the free classified forums for positions that we'll be vacating when/if we get in. We can describe our jobs and leave info on where to forward resumes. I guess this is more an idea for May, though...

 

[sunflower79]

Three words: Network network network. It's so true. If you were hiring, wouldn't you give more weight to a resume because someone you know backed that applicant? Talk to everyone from workplaces/programs you listed on your resume, your friends, neighbor, anybody.

And don't look for an open position. Did someone just get a grant? On the verge of it? Listen for clues like that. College seniors leaving jobs for grad school? etc.

Keep your head up! Good luck 🙂

 

[aeromed]

Do everything AS1 said. He hit the nail on the head.

It's way too long. Shorten it to 1 page (as others have posted). To do that, cut out anything that is not immediately relevant for the position to which you are applying. This may mean creating more than 1 resume and sending the most appropriate resume to that job. So be it.

Also, make your "Objective" waaaaay more specific, and taylor that to the job. Even if you don't exactly know what you want to do or get out of a job, make it up. 🙂 "OBJECTIVE Seeking employment/experience in the health related fields" is too general, and obvious (it's obvious you're interested in health related fields if you're applying for a job in that field, and if you get the job it's obvious you'll get experience while doing it). Create an objective that is eye-catching, and will make your resume stand out in a crowd.

And NO MCAT scores. GPA is fine, and should be the only "scores" you include, unless you're applying to some kind of IBanking job or consulting job, etc. Often they want to know what your standardized testing scores are (at least, that's what they wanted to know from me 2 years ago when I was a consultant).

 

[xpert787]

As far as hospitial jobs go alot of the ones where I live post everything avalible at the human resources department you might want to go by and ask them what you may be qualified to do there based on your credentials, also persistance helps alot.

 

[smartreader]

Where I live, near Montreal, bilingualism is a must for an potential employee. I've never, or rarely, had a job where I didn't have to speak French. Perhaps, considering you live in California, if you note on your resume that you are able to speek Spanish, your chances of being considered for employement, especially in health care or any other people profession, will be greatly augmented.

 

[jonb12997]

Did you think about checking with AMR (American Medical Response) or one of those big ambulance companies? I don't kno how big your area is (I'm from new england)... but if you have a transport ambulance agency, you could probably get a job working on an ambulance.

On a side note, I worked for a hospital HR department in High school. We rarely gave very much notice to any CV over a page and a half in length. To complicated and too hard to read.

Best of luck.