Another OT student on tumblr, who happened to be in the year above me at my school, once wrote me a long message explaining how she tackled the hunt (a lot of my technique ought to be credited to her, actually!!) and I found it super helpful. I hope you do too!! :) :) :)
1. Get a system of folders going and an excel spreadsheet or word chart. How I organized it: Each folder will be a company. Save a copy of your basic resume and cover letter into each folder and then open up your resume (now saved in company x folder) and write it so it is tailored to company x. The excel sheet keeps track of job posting info, date of posting, application due date, and whether or not you ended up applying.
2. Get help with your resume and cover letter. Do not be too proud to send it to basically every person you might think will help you. Check out what services your school offers and take advantage. Get opinions from people outside the field too (although take these with a grain of salt). Get actual feedback, not just blind corrections and edits. And be smart about who you ask; one specific edit for the job of your dream can be better than a general edit…but tbh you’ll probably want both.
3.1 THE INTERNET: Unfortunately, I’m from canada, but basically, I used: local hospital websites directly, indeed.ca, wowjobs.ca, and the biggest secret weapon - CHARITYVILLAGE.CA. Listen up Canadian OTs interested in working in non traditional settings…get on charity village. I did a quick search for an American version and found this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/03/25/the-7-top-websites-for-nonprofit-jobs/ Personally I tracked the terms: mental health, housing, and occupational therapy, and checked about once a week. Pragmatically: Let’s say I spent 2 days a week on the hunt, day one was saving listings into excel and day two was customizing the resume/cover.
3.2 NETWORK: informational interviews are where you pick the person whose job you want and tell them you think they’re awesome and would they be willing to talk to you about their work. Never mention you are looking for work in these interviews- the topic will come up if the interview goes well. Reach out and keep in touch with all your preceptors. Doesn’t hurt to keep in touch with social workers, PTs, nurses etc you meet on placement and previous employers too.
3.3 BE CREATIVE: Over the last two years (I kind of job hunted while in school, just to see), I have seen so many more jobs open up to MScOT’s specifically, especially positions that used to only ask for nursing and social work backgrounds. If there aren’t a lot of jobs asking for OT specifically in your local area, get creative! I have no doubt that it was the classes that graduated a few years before mine that hustled and showed companies what OT can offer in mental health, case managing, research, disability managers in corporate, community care, developmental disability housing etc…And that won’t change unless you try.
4. Strategize for the big picture. Now you have your system going…start thinking long term. What’s gonna make you happy? Staying in a certain part of the city and working any random Job? Or moving to get the dream job? Or staying in the city you love and volunteering in the field until your dream job comes up? Can you afford to chase your dream or will you have to take the first job that comes up? I’m an exceptional nerd so I actually sat and wrote personal mission, vision and values statements and then a 6mos, 1 year, and 5 year plan, treating myself like a company. For me, I knew I could live for 6 months with my part time job, but if I didn’t find work in my home town, I would broaden my search to other cities at the 6 month mark.
5. Be proactive, but figure out when your stress is helpful and when it’s unhealthy E.g it’s good to be so stressed that you reach out to your contacts in the field and find names of hiring managers, go on informational interviews etc. But when you start stressing about things outside your control like, did they get my email, will they respond to me today, etc, it’s not helpful. At least that’s what I found. Striking that balance is tough, not gonna lie, cuz you’re gonna want to do as much as you can, but there are some times when you have to let go and realize you will have to just chill for while you wait for a response.
6. Don’t give up. Keep going!!! It’s a tough market out there. OT yourself! Break down the task of job searching, treat yourself to free stuff (Like free yoga classes and stuff like that haha), practice positive self talk, and if you can afford to participate in a volunteer position, I highly recommend doing it - for me, volunteer work was a really helpful motivator and reminder that I want to work in this field.
And if you can, do it with your classmates. Job hunt coffee dates are the best! I know the finance thing can be stressful, but this shouldn’t be a competition. At least 6 classmates sent me the listing of the job I eventually was hired for. Such a great community of people to graduate with :)
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