Don’t Make These Mistakes in Your Pharmacy Job Search

If you’re just starting out in your pharmacy career, whether a newly minted PharmD or a pharmacy tech, you may think the world is your oyster.

And, in many ways, it is. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the job outlook for pharmacists is expected to increase by a whopping 25 percent between 2010-2020. The demand for pharm techs, meanwhile, is expected to grow by an incredible 32 percent in the same decade. However, if you’re just starting out, your dream job may have to wait a couple of years and/or a couple of jobs from now.

Why? Basically because you’re pretty much unproven. Employers give the plum positions and the leadership roles to those who have exhibited…wait for it…leadership! If you haven’t worked in your new career for very long, it’s the extremely rare employer who will offer you the sun, moon and stars at the get go.

Rather than be disappointed (or, heaven forbid, carry an “I’m entitled!” chip on your shoulder), look at your first positions as learning opportunities and stepping stones on the way to the job of which you’ve always dreamed.

You should sign up with pharmacy recruiters such as Rx relief®, but you should never rely on someone else to find you a job. Look at staffing firms as another tool in your job search toolkit and as a resource to help you learn what the job market is like in your region/area.

Pharmacy recruiters know their market inside and out. They have to.  They make their incomes placing pharmacists in positions. If they don’t know the movers and shakers in their hiring area, if they don’t know what salary trends are in their sector, if they don’t know the pharmacy arena completely, they’re sunk (or certainly very hungry). So look to your recruiter for advice, information and use him or her as a sounding board. Just don’t wait around in a coffee shop reading your favorite blogs on your iPad while you figure someone else will find you a job.

You, too, need to be on the hunt for a position.

You do this by networking, letting everyone know you’re looking, being visible at industry events and, if possible, publishing in industry publications.

Yet perhaps the very best way to find a pharmacy job is to approach the hiring managers of the firms at which you want to work, and ask them if they have openings.

Doing this isn’t too hard – it’s certainly not life threatening. It may be uncomfortable, but you’re a professional – you can handle being uncomfortable.

As mentioned above, an important step in your pharmacy job search is to sign up with a pharmacy staffing service/recruiter such as Rx relief®. Send us your CV/resume today and we’ll contact you to discuss some of the great pharmacist and pharm tech opportunities we have available. We look forward to hearing from you!