Pharmacists: Don't Let Your Resume Cost You An Interview

In this competitive job market for pharmacists, qualified pharmacists are getting passed up by hiring managers because they have not taken the time tailor their resume to the position they're interested in. This can happen even if you have a recruiter representing you for a position.

A misconception pharmacists have about working with recruiters is that recruiters will be able to get you over the hurdle of being just a resume on someone's desk because they will be able to verbally tell the hiring manager about why you should be considered for a position, so you don't need to do much to represent yourself well in a resume.

Recruiters can certainly move you in front of a pile of resumes. However, just as with networking, even if a recruiter provides you with the value of a direct connection and markets you to a decision-maker, the hiring manager still wants to see your strengths and responsibilities relevant to the position backed up by your resume. If you decide to focus on responsibilities that don't tie in to the job you are applying for, you can get overlooked for an interview even if you are qualified.

For example, there is one hospital that is looking for a pharmacist who has started up an anticoagulation clinic or set up other pharmacy-run clinics. That is a main responsibility they are looking for experience in. I know a pharmacist who has had experience setting up pharmacy-run clinics, but she chose to just highlight all the anticoagulation clinic experience she's had, not the experience she's had in setting up a pharmacy-run clinic. It cost her an interview.

I know another pharmacist who didn't answer objections upfront about things that a hiring manager could have concerns about within his resume. It was not clear within the resume why he had transitioned positions within a 1.5-2 year period for the last few jobs, all of which were reasonable circumstances. Even though it may be explained to a pharmacy hiring manager by a recruiter, hiring managers are busy and can forget. When the hiring manager gets a chance to look over your resume, he/she passes a judgment based on what they see.

My advice to you is get clear about the responsibilities of the position you're applying for and take the time to address those specific responsibilities as much as you can. Also meet potential objections upfront someone may have about why you would be a good fit for the position.

Sometimes you can think you've addressed this the best as possible without realizing how 1) you have really undersold yourself, 2) you have not crafted your resume to market yourself to give yourself the best chance possible to be invited in for an interview. Get a resume critique from a pharmacist job market expert before you send off your resume/application. You may choose to do it yourself without expert feedback, but you may miss out on interviews and offers. You have no idea how many times you are getting passed over because of something that you can take control over, if you just took that extra step to get feedback. You deserve the best shot, especially for positions that you are qualified for.

Remember, in this competitive pharmacist job market, doing the same thing you've always done will not get you the results it may have a few years ago. Use what you've learned to make changes in the way you are approaching your resume writing to get results.