PA Info

The Changing Nature of Your Resume'

Although many professionals draw the distinction between a resume' - simply a list of previously-held positions - and a curriculum vita - which encompasses employment history; professional education, credentials, and affiliations; as well as research, publications, and presentations - the terms are generally used interchangeably as you discuss employment with recruiters, hiring officials, and physicians.

A medical resume' has many of the same general features of the business resume', with examples abounding in libraries and office supply stores. Both have the same essential purpose - to get you an interview with the hiring official, whether it be physician, administrator, or personnel director. The finished product should be no more than one to two pages (typed or off-set on medium-weight white or ivory paper) of pertinent information, presented as succinctly as possible.

At this juncture, graduating from a Physician Assistant Program, your resume' should highlight three major areas:

1) your objective following graduation - normally only a line or two. This sets the tone for the rest of your resume, concisely stating your desire to work in a particular practice setting or subspecialty. A criticism of the objective however is that it might actually limit an employer's interest in you if stated too narrowly. Some suggest instead placing an objective in the cover letter, attached to your resume.

2) the experience / education you had prior to the PA program, including colleges and dates attended, courses of study, and degrees earned; pertinent work experience, e.g. surgical technician, respiratory therapist, nurse, radiology technician, paramedic, or corpsman / medic; pertinent business experience or talents, e.g. sales, management, or computer training; and any major awards or goals you have attained.

3) your program experience, particularly the clinical rotations and preceptors you have had. Often prospective employers will know a preceptor and will trust his / her judgement and recommendation. However, DO NOT list a preceptor who is unlikely to give you a good reference.

Your resume' begins to change upon taking your first position. No longer does it matter which clinical rotation you had or that you were an OR tech, etc. - from this point on, the most important aspects of your resume' are your clinical experience and technical skills.

Summarize your responsibilities beneath each employer listed on your resume', including a brief description of the practice itself - noting the size, patient / case load, and number of hospitals in which your group works. Prospective employers tend to scan résumé's, searching for information that stands out and is relevant to their planned use of your talents.

Seemingly unrelated skills noted here may bring your resume' to the top - computer proficiency and database skills are quite useful in today's medical / liability / information environment; speaking a language other than English would be a tremendous attribute in many practices / hospital settings; the ability (and desire) to teach inservices or speak to lay groups, or perhaps to assist in research / medical studies, is desirable by some employers.

Points to remember as you prepare your resume at any point in your career:

1) By law, employers cannot discriminate against applicants because of age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, or religious preference. This information, or even an indirect reference, e.g. date of birth or family information, should not be included. Citizenship should only be included if you are a citizen of a country other than the US, or if your residency status needs to be clarified.

2) Recent or pending NCCPA certification, as well as professional affiliations and positions, should be included in your resume'. Regardless of your personal opinion of the certification and recertification processes, you must take the NCCPA examination - and pass it! - if you expect to have a meaningful career as a Physician Assistant, particularly now that the AAPA and NCCPA have determined that there is endpoint (see NCCPA Recertification Endpoint). There will be no easier time to take the examination than immediately after graduation. If you have not passed the NCCPA exam, but are planning to do so, encourage your current or prospective employer to pay for a review course, many of which are offered throughout the year at various sites.

3) Include a bibliography of publications, presentations, or research in which you have participated. If your current practice actively publishes, seek out the opportunities to become involved; insist that your name be included as an author when you have actively participated, not merely as an acknowledgement at the end of the paper.

4) Under no circumstances should salary history or requirements be included in your cover letter or resume'. If you are working with a recruiter, have him determine what the salary base / total compensation will likely be in a particular practice (based on guidelines the practice has provided) for a PA with your experience. Otherwise, this issue, as well as expected job description / expected work-week / on-call requirements, is best discussed in further detail during the phone or on-site interview.

5) References can be attached to your resume', but unless you are willing to have them called without your knowledge, references are best provided separately at the time of interview. If a new graduate, obtain solid references from physicians and preceptors with whom you have actually worked in the specialty in which you have an interest. References from other PA's, even outstanding ones, are not given as much weight by a hiring official as are references from physicians or administrators. Once references are provided, take it for granted that the prospective employer will be checking with at least one of them -

Be sure to provide not just a reference, but a recommendation.

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Interview Techniques and Tips

Your cover letter and resume' have caught the eye of the practice administrator,

who has discussed your qualifications with both the recruiter and several of the surgeons.

What's next?

A telephone interview should be arranged during which you will have the opportunity to discuss your interest further with the administrator, a surgeon, or perhaps one of the PA's employed by the practice. If the telephone interview goes well, you will likely be asked to schedule a site visit. Many of the points below can apply to the the telephone interview as well as an on-site interview.

Here's how to make the most of this crucial opportunity:

1. Know something about the practice, the position, and the persons who will be interviewing you. A knowledgeable recruiter will be a tremendous resource for this.

2. Dress for the occasion. Dress conservatively and tastefully, not necessarily fashionably. Shoes should be polished and in good repair. Marketing your skills is a major part of the interview process, but no more so than marketing yourself as a person. Appearances and first impressions count heavily. Guys - lose the earring.
Dressing and acting professionally provides positive returns - it actually builds your self-confidence, which increases performance, and (like it or not) you are perceived by others as having potential ability by your presentation.

3. Be on time. Not too early - but NEVER late.

4. Come alone. Some groups will invite a spouse to visit, particularly if the telephone interview went very well and it's assumed that an offer will be made during the on-site interview. However, during the actual interview, let the emphasis be on you rather than your spouse or children who might have come along.

5. Make a dry run to the location, if practical, to check out parking facilities and to resolve any potential problems with ensuring that you are on time.

6. No gum chewing, smoking, or excesses of perfume / aftershave / makeup / jewelry (remember the earring?) or anything else which might detract from your bearing.

At this point, you're thinking - "This is pretty childish. I want them to see me

as I really am!". Not necessarily - you REALLY want this position, and you need

to demonstrate that you can represent this program on a professional basis to

patients, families, administrators, and referring physicians.

7. Have flexible arrangements - don't schedule an early return flight which might cut short a meaningful discussion or activity with a potential employer.

8. Be relaxed, but not familiar. Let any informality be initiated by the interviewer - eg, first names, removing jackets, etc.

9. Respond freely but intelligently; do not volunteer information not requested, especially about mutual acquaintances, if there is any potential for embarassment or misunderstanding.

10. Be prepared for the inevitable questions - Why do you feel qualified for this position? What are your strong points and weaknesses? Why do you want to relocate? Why should we hire you? When can you begin work? What is your minimum acceptable salary?

Stay honest in answering these and other questions, but understand that you are being observed and evaluated. Do not close doors with absolute responses. Try to note a positive aspect on anything you can, suggesting thet there is room to negotiate in most situations. However, your salary questions should usually be delayed until an offer looks imminent, other than to discuss your current salary range and that you expect to make reasonably more in order to consider a move, unless there are other over-riding considerations. The manner in which you respond to these questions can often be as important as what you say.

Do your best to leave the salary question open until late in the interview, allowing the employer sufficient time to develop an interest in you. In practices where Physician Assistants are already employed, a salary schedule will already be in place, perhaps limiting the flexibility an employer has in making you an offer. Here again is where a knowledgeable recruiter can provide you with information.

11. If an offer is likely and you remain interested in the position, prepare to have available a neatly-typed list of references, including name, position, address, and telephone number, in case they are requested. This is an excellent opportunity to discover whether your interviewer knows any of your references personally. It is assumed at this point that any of these references can be contacted.

12. The interview should be ended by the interviewer, at which time you should not persist with formal questions or explanations. Be ready with a handshake, a smile, and an expression of appreciation for the chance to be considered for the position. If you remain interested, be sure to note this to the interviewer, and to inquire as to when a decision might be reached.

When your interview is over, you will have left impressions on a number of people,

any of whom may have a major voice in your future. Employers interview based on

resume' / skill / experience / need, but they hire based on personality.

After returning home, send a brief letter of thanks to the person primarily responsible for the interview. Include any additional information which you might have been asked to provide and, again, express your interest in being the Physician Assistant to fill the position.

At this point it becomes a waiting game, as the practice reviews the candidates and makes the decision to extend a formal offer to a candidate. If you have not heard from the employer within a few weeks, it is permissible and shows initiative on your part to make a business-like inquiry of your status and to indicate your continued interest in the position. If working with a dependable recruiter, he / she should be able to periodically bring you up-to-date on the practice's progress.

If you are currently employed and looking at alternatives, it is not unusual for your present employer to make an unexpectedly good counter-offer in order to retain you. Perhaps this was your intent after all. If you have already made a commitment to a new employer, this can be a particularly dangerous situation - by trying to play one employer against another in a bidding war, you will likely be the loser, left without a position or discrediting yourself. Make the decision whether you really want to move on, based on an accurate assessment of your practice's commitment to PA's - not promises made again but never kept. Once a decision is made, don't anguish over it.

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