The healthcare industry is increasing by the day. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought hospitals and insurance companies back in focus. Looking at the growing demand, many are dreaming of pursuing a career in the healthcare sector.
However, medical organizations want graduates who have excellent experience and strong knowledge in their respective fields. Medical students know quite well that although gaining experience is not easy, it is necessary to pursue a career in this field.
Now that you have decided to develop a career in healthcare, you must know that, along with proper education, you also need to receive hands-on experience.
When you start as a fresher, your primary focus should be to earn experience and not money. You have to be prepared to work for free and get a little creative. Given below is a useful guide on how to get these internship calls and stack up your experience.
The Top-7 Secret Hacks to Land an Internship
1. Dress Up Your CV
You may be confused about what to put on your CV because you have zero experience. Include the university projects you were involved in, which includes volunteering experience and special interests. Add up any other skills you might have acquired.
You can also video market your level of expertise in fields from past experiences, describe specific topics, or create an intro about yourself to give your employers a more personal touch. However, you need the right video marketing strategy after doing some research on the industry and what they demand.
Often, recruiters prefer to hire fresh graduates because they want someone who is dynamic and comfortable with new technologies and has credible market knowledge. You can create a high-quality professional video using a video editor to promote yourself.
2. Find The Job That Fits You Best
Healthcare administration and management are full of varieties. It is a vast field with a considerable number of requirements. Some types of organizations that hire interns include:
- Health networks
- Long-term care facilities
- Public health advocate groups
- Hospitals
- Research Facilities
- Clinics
You need to hunt through the internet and newspapers to find the internship that suits you and your eligibility. If you get lucky, you might get recruited by a hospital or some big organization; otherwise, as an intern, you should focus on local urgent care practices or smaller practices.
However, after making your CV, creating your video, and doing all the research, you will need the right marketing strategy to make the recruiters look at your CV and the demonstration video.
3. Don’t Let Go of Any Internship Chance
When you are studying in the healthcare field, you will qualify for various internships that will value your CV. You should join all those internships that will become invaluable in developing your career.
An internship is not only a chance to learn something new and implement the skills but also allows you to showcase your skills to employers.
You need to actively take part in going through internship offers, and apply for them since internships will help you grow and work under pressure.
If you are unable to qualify for the internship, try to contact your local healthcare organization and offer to work for free during the period you are free from classes.
The more time you spend to gain hands-on experience, the better chance you have to build a successful career.
4. Ask for Experience
Many non-profitable healthcare organizations are always looking for ways to bring out the best in the healthcare industry by grooming the next generation of healthcare professionals.
You can reach out to those organizations and ask them for a way of gaining experience in your respective field. They might suggest you contact their local office and talk to the professionals working there or point you towards the news section on their website.
Some of the healthcare organization you should consider contacting are:
- The World Health Organization
- American Red Cross
- PATH
- Doctors Without Borders
- Peace Corps
- U.S Department of Health and Human Services
5. Join Free Online Courses and Seminars
There are various online courses and seminars available that will help you gain a detailed understanding of how the healthcare industry works, and what will be expected of you.
Top universities and websites, which specialize in online training, offer free online courses and seminars. In addition to this, groups such as WHO (World Health Organization) offer courses, training, and seminars that can positively impact your profile.
You can go through their recorded videos, slides, notes, and other resources. Many of these courses also offer self-assessment tests that are going to be very useful for you. These online courses and seminars will boost up your education level.
6. Find a Mentor
A mentor is someone with more experience and can provide you with proper guidance, advice, support, and feedback. They have overcome the stage that you are in and are going to help you through. You should build a rapport with your mentor and be open about your doubt and queries.
However, finding the right mentor is never easy. Some might be good with network and find new opportunities while some may challenge you to think differently and give you a nudge you didn’t realize you needed. Seek out the one that you feel interested in and makes you want to learn.
7. Try Out Different Fields
Healthcare is filled with a variety of organizations. When you start researching for an organization or field that you want to join for an internship, try to apply for as many options as you can.
You may find a good organization that is hiring an inexperienced marketing executive as an intern but does not fulfill your needs. In such cases, you should consider joining as a marketing executive and build a relation with your seniors.
Later, when they have a vacancy in your field, they might want to refer you for the job. Interning in different areas will make you a seasoned veteran who knows all the ropes of the trade. Hence, later on, no matter your role, you can easily land a job.
Conclusion
A job in Healthcare is challenging, and while many people graduate, only a few know how to rise in the industry. Hence, you need to showcase your talents and skills creatively and visually.
Whether you are pursuing a job or an internship as a doctor or looking for healthcare marketing jobs, you need to plan out your marketing strategy properly and showcase yourself as the ideal candidate.