If you are reading this then you are probably at that stage of starting to look for jobs! Congrats! Whilst the stress of finding work and the right clinic is real, sometimes its important to look back on how far you have come with your Osteopathic journey, and my first advice would be to give yourself a MASSIVE pat on the back.
Typically clinics advertise all year round, but the ones who are a little more up to date with how the university’s work, tend to advertise mid year (VU grads) or towards the end of the year (RMIT grads) especially if they are looking for a new graduate. Most clinics will mention something along the lines of “new graduates welcome to apply”, but in case that isn’t clear don’t let it put you off applying if it sounds like your dream job. Most clinics will advertise on the Facebook page dedicated to Jobs in Aus for Osteopaths, or via Osteopathy Australia and some clinics even use SEEK (although it is expensive).
If you have come across an advert that looks appealing, there are a few steps you should take before you contact them regarding your interest.
Start by being a detective – look at their website and in particular their availability to book online. You should be able to see how many appointments they have available in that particular week, and if you look ahead you can see how far in advance a practitioner is booked out for. Look at every practitioner in the practice. If there are plenty available appointments either today or in the near future, this isn’t a good sign. Especially when there are many practitioners available! Sure, possibly they have practitioners that are leaving, however ideally you would want to be taking over from someone who is busy. If they unfortunately don’t have online bookings, then give them a call pretending to make an appointment. This way you will also see if they have reception coverage, and it may give you some great questions to ask in an interview (for example “will I have to do my own reception?”). A clinic that is hiring based on having a waiting list with every practitioner in the clinic is a good sign – it means they have room to accomodate a new practitioner.
Then move on to have a look at their social media. Sure, I get that socials isn’t for everyone and some clinics just down right refuse to use socials. However, if you come across a page that are quite savvy with the online world then you can do some more investigation. In particular, pay attention to things like – promotion of practitioners, what they announce when a practitioner is leaving, turnover of practitioners (are you always seeing them introducing new practitioners?) Do they recognise staffs birthdays? Do they have social outings which help build team morale? You will gain a lot of information here, and I think this type of digging is needed to ensure this clinic is the right fit for you. This information will also help you in your interview! You can ask questions about any concerns you have, and if you make reference to what you saw on the socials it can be a great way of showing the boss that you have done some research.
If you happen to score an interview with said clinic, you will learn a whole lot more when you are there. Arrive early, and observe the interactions in the waiting room. In particular, the staff and how they treat each other. Once you are in the interview, allow whoever it is take the lead and answer questions that they have. You should always have an opportunity to ask more questions so make sure you have them ready! Be upfront with your questions, at the end of the day you are are also interviewing them. Ask those tricky questions about pay, reception and contracts. If you noticed a high staff turnover, ask why? You could politely ask why the others have left the clinic, or if you would be taking over from someone else. If they get a little uneasy about your questions then potentially it may not be the right fit. In addition to this, you should ALWAYS ask about what support you will get coming into this role. In particular, mentoring support. A lot of grads that I see feel they were unfairly disadvantaged with the covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. But please be reminded that graduates for as long as I can remember have always needed support in their first few years out in private practice. So the question regarding ongoing support is one which business owners have been dealing with for many many years. Everyone needs support, not just new graduates, and being in a team environment where you can ask for help is extremely empowering, and will allow you to deliver a great service to your patients.
The right clinic is out there for you, and I do wish you all the best with applying for jobs in the near future. In addition, I offer mentoring services to new graduates from courses to ongoing 1:1 support. There is always more help out there if you do need it, you just need to take that first step!
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