The careers landscape for healthcare professionals is changing. With an increase in new graduates, it has become more and more necessary to plan and manage your career. At the same time, the options for you in your profession are potentially more varied and diverse than ever. The purpose of this guide is to give you a foundation of information to work from when you’re considering the next career step or applying for a new job. At Beat Medical, we provide our candidates with ongoing, career management advice - as well as providing a professional recruitment service. Having the right career management skills goes a long way towards building upyour dream career - planning it how you want it to be, rather than ‘going with the flow’ and ending up in the same place you were years ago in terms of job satisfaction, financial reward, and overall happiness. Includes: -Obvious mistakes to avoid on your CV -23 things NOT to put on your CV -9 things you must include on your CV -Career planning for healthcare professionals -Maximising your locum/casual career

1. 7 Obvious Mistakes
to Avoid Making on
Your CV
& OTHER CRUCIAL CAREER TIPS

2. The careers landscape for healthcare professionals is changing. With an increase
in new graduates, it has become more and more necessary to plan and manage
your career. At the same time, the options for you in your profession are
potentially more varied and diverse than ever.
The purpose of this guide is to give you a foundation of information to work from
when you’re considering the next career step or applying for a new job. At Beat
Medical, we provide our candidates with ongoing, career management advice - as
well as providing a professional recruitment service.
Having the right career management skills goes a long way towards building up
your dream career - planning it how you want it to be, rather than ‘going with
the flow’ and ending up in the same place you were years ago in terms of job
satisfaction, financial reward, and overall happiness.
Of course, if you have any questions along the way, please call me on
1800 633 505 or email me at shaun@beatmedical.com. We’re happy to help in
any way we can.
Shaun Hughston
Founder - Beat Medical
PS - If you’re a GP - make sure you scroll through to the end of the guide for a
special section dedicated to General Practitioners.

3. 3
CONTENTS
• 7 Obvious Mistakes to Avoid Making on Your CV p4
• 23 things NOT to put on your CV p7
• 9 things you MUST have on your CV p11
• How to get the most out of a healthcare recruiter p14
• Career Planning for Health Professionals p17
• How to prevent your locum or casual career dying on
the table p23
• 5 Preventable Career Mistakes to Avoid as a General
Practitioner p27

4. 7 Obvious Mistakes to
Avoid Making on Your CV
For doctors, nurses or other medical professionals, it might seem unlikely that the
formatting or structure of your CV can do much to hurt your job prospects. But
as recruiters, we know that there are some things that hiring managers get sick
of seeing, and that sometimes they can’t see past these mistakes to the capable
healthcare professional the CV represents.
A good resume is like a key – it should open doors for you by demonstrating to
prospective employers that you’re worth speaking with. If you’re not having any
success with your job applications, it might not be that you don’t have the right
qualifications, but perhaps that you don’t know how to best communicate them.
A medical recruitment agency like Beat Medical helps make sure your resume
ticks all the boxes before any potential employers see it. We know what
employers are looking for, and what will make them pass on you. The following
are some of the major things we look at to make sure your resume won’t include
anything to turn a potential employer off, they might seem simple, but they are
mistakes that people make over and over again.

5. 5
1. Missing Personal Details
This seems obvious, but it’s important to be contactable by phone and email.
Make sure your phone details are correct, and that your message bank is active
with a professional sounding message.
Provide a personal email address; one which includes your first and last name is
best. Inappropriate ‘joke’ email addresses are not suitable for a resume from a
doctor or other healthcare professional.
2. Irrelevant Career Goals or Summary
This is your chance to show a prospective employer you’re interested in working
with them specifically, but many people let themselves down by not tailoring it
to the particular job. You need to customise this section for each application,
aligning your goals and experience with the medical job on offer.
You can use this space to both outline your career goals and summarise relevant
employment history and highlights. Remember, this section should be unique to
each job you apply for, and relevance is paramount.
3. Medical CVs that are Too Long
As a medical professional, it won’t take long in your career for your list of
education, courses and training to get very long. Your resume is a summary
of your education and employment – try and keep it to two pages. Sentences
should be short and to the point. You don’t need to include every training course
in your CV – trim it down by including only your relevant study; tertiary, specialist
training, management courses and post-graduate studies that relate to the
position advertised.

6. 6
4. Grammar Mistakes
While your spell check and grammar check should pick up most mistakes, one of
the big ones we see is when candidates switch between tenses. You should use
the past tense consistently when referring to previous experience and study.
5. Not Following Instructions
It won’t always be the case, but sometimes instructions are given to reduce the
pool of applicants – if you don’t follow them, you’ve failed the first test.
A very simple example is when employers ask candidates to outline why they are
interested in this particular job – many doctors simply send in their regular CV
and ignore that request, which will instantly put them out of the running.
6. Inconsistent Fonts & Formatting
Formatting doesn’t need to be fancy, you’re a doctor not a graphic designer, all
you need to concern yourself with is consistent formatting. Capitalisation, italics
and underlining should be used sparingly and only to emphasise important
points. Fonts should be plain and in a size that’s easy to read.
7. Irrelevant Information
Hiring managers want to be able to scan your CV and pick out all the relevant
information quickly. This is made harder for them if you clutter it up with sporting
achievements, hobbies, family information, health background and other
irrelevant information. If you are going for the job of a doctor, nurse or other
health professional – mentioning sporting achievements or family situations is not
going to particularly help your chances.

7. 23 things NOT to
put on your CV

8. 8
Is my resume ok? Is it what is expected?
We hear from many healthcare professionals considering a new job, locum work,
or those who are wishing to work in the Australian medical system, that they
are not confident about their CV. They fear it is too long, too short, in the wrong
format, the wrong font, doesn’t include the right information, or is not what is
expected in Australia.
For the most part, their fear is well founded.
Having recruited to a number of different professions, I can say with absolute
confidence that medical CVs are among the very worst I have ever seen.
Somehow, amazingly, many doctor’s CVs seem to really hit every mark of ‘what
not to do’. Rest assured, though, that it is certainly a problem you can fix.
Why is it so?
The short answer is ‘market forces’. Did you need to supply a CV to get an intern
job? No.
When you applied for your next job as an RMO/HMO, did it really matter what
your CV looked like? Probably not - there were plenty of jobs.
There is a huge surplus of medical jobs in Australia, so by necessity, you haven’t
had to learn the skill of writing a CV. Just a few years ago, you could most likely
get a locum job with half a CV written on the back of a banana leaf.
What has changed?
Slowly, the medical employment market is becoming more competitive, and
regulated. Many colleges are not increasing the amount of training places
available and most employers are heavily formalising selection and employment
of locums, even for short term jobs.
There is now a need to really master the skill of getting your CV right.

9. 9
What not to do, in a nutshell
First, forget everything you learnt at school about writing CVs. It was a waste of
time. Second, never include any of these items in your CV. You may laugh at some
of these, but most of them we see every single day on resumes, some are rarer -
but are real examples of what I have personally seen.
1. Photograph
2. Marital status
3. Health status
4. Hobbies or interests
5. Details of children
6. Any paragraph longer than 40 words
7. Sporting achievements
8. Anything negative
9. Anything untrue
10. Your race or colour
11. Date of birth
12. Referees names and contact details (Why? Because you want to control
access to your referees)
13. Religion
14. Political affiliations
15. Height or weight
16. Weird or offensive email addresses (such as hotpants69@sexylady.com)
17. Irrelevant jobs

10. 10
18. Irrelevant education
19. Salary/income expectations
20. Anything spelt incorrectly
21. Irrelevant rants about your life, travel, desires, etc
22. Lists of every single procedure you have ever done, or considered doing
in your life
23. Detailed background of your Medicare fraud activities
There are some exceptions to these rules - for example, when an employer or
college specifically asks for certain information to be included.
Your homework
Open up your CV right now, identify anything that should not be in there, and
delete it. For some of you, you may have only a blank page left! You now have an
excellent starting point to a killer CV.

11. 9 things you MUST
have on your CV
In the last article, we pointed out 23 things that you should never put on your CV.
Who knew that there were so many ways to go wrong with a CV? We often have
a response of incredulity to our ‘resume rules’ (such as “Why can’t I have my Year
11 rugby victory on my CV?!!!”) but the results the healthcare professionals who
work with us get by following these rules is proof positive that they work!
There is no right or wrong format for a CV. In terms of layout, make sure that the
font is plain (such as Times or Arial), and that it is appropriately spaced. Use of
dot points is encouraged in order to create a sense of white space and encourage
ease of reading.
The most important factor to consider is the relevancy of the information on your
CV for the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an
Emergency locum, make sure that your resume has an emphasis on the relevant
skills and experience for that position. You may end up with a few different
versions of your CV for different types of positions.

12. 12
So, what to put on the CV (in order):
1. Contact details
This should include your name, postal address, home and mobile numbers, and
email address.
2. Summary
This is a two to three line precis of your professional experience. For example: “I
am a New Zealand trained General Practitioner with over 25 years of experience
in primary healthcare, corporate consulting, emergency medicine, and academic
teaching”.
Make it as simple as possible.
3. Key Attributes
This is three to four dot points on what makes you stand out as a candidate for a
position. For example:
• Experience in regional and remote environments
• Postgraduate qualifications in Womens and Children’s Health
• Appointments to the University of Auckland as a lecturer and clinical tutor
• Recipient of the college award for XYZ
4. Current positions
List the positions you currently hold, and the name of your employer
5. Career History Summary
This is simply a list of the relevant positions you have held, starting from the most
recent. A (shortened) example:
• General Practitioner, City Medical Centre
• Emergency CMO, Auckland Hospital
• Visiting Medical Officer, Auckland Women’s Health Centre
....and so on to your first intern position.

13. 13
6. Detailed professional experience and achievements
This section is the most detailed part of the CV, and is what really goes into
detail about your experience, and what you have done in each position. Where
relevant, we suggest that you break it down into various sections according to the
type of experience, such as “Primary Health Care Experience”, “Women’s Health
Experience”, “Academic Experience”.
The individual positions are then listed under the sub-heading; as below:
General Practitioner Experience
General Practitioner, January 2005 to present
City Medical Centre, Auckland NZ
Write 4-5 dot points on:
• Key achievements (e.g. started respiratory clinic for elderly population)
• Educational/research duties (e.g. ran meetings for registrars)
• Clinical duties (saw X patients per day, procedures, etc)
• Management/administrative (attended quarterly management meetings)
• Key skills utilised
7. Publications
List relevant publications in the format convention of your college or discipline.
8. Education
List the title of the course, awarding institution, and year. The most recent should
be listed first.
e.g. Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, Sydney University 2006
9. Courses and workshops
List relevant courses, with the most recent first.
e.g. APLS Course, Sydney 2001
The most important thing to keep in mind is that a CV is an evolving document,
that must change over time in line with your professional growth.

14. How to get the most out
of a healthcare recruiter
So, you’ve spent countless hours perfecting your resume and you’ve thought long
and hard about the kinds of jobs and locations that would suit you best, but what
next?
If you’re a bit overwhelmed by the sea of options out there and are unsure about
what your next move should be, then a skilled recruiter can be a real lifesaver.
Using a specialist healthcare recruitment agency like Beat Medical is a great way
to get access to large government contracts you may never find flying solo - not
to mention how helpful some third person perspective can be just on its own. But
like any other relationship, knowing how to handle yourself and meet the needs of
the other party can really help to take your recruitment connections to the next
level.
In this article, we’ll look at some great ways to get the most out of your
relationship with a healthcare recruiter and forge some truly valuable connections.

15. 15
Find a recruiter who knows your niche
Your first step when looking for a recruiter to work with, is to ensure that they
are familiar with the industry and more specifically, the particular niche you are
looking to apply for. It makes little sense to work with a recruiter who has strong
experience in landing roles for HR managers if you are looking to break into the
healthcare field.
Doing a little background research into a recruiter online to find out the kinds of
roles they specialise in recruiting for and who they have worked with in the past is
a smart move. A good indication is that the company the recruiter works for is a
member of a professional body such as AMRANZ.
Recruiters who are active on social networking websites will often have
recommendations from past clients which can also provide valuable insight into
the kind of work they do.
Deal with your recruiter professionally
Whether you meet with your recruiter in person for an interview or over the
phone, it is important to be professional in all your dealings.
Although a recruiter is there to help you and give advice (not hire you) you should
always consider that their reputation is affected by the kind of people they put
forward for roles. By being well presented, on-time, and courteous; you’ll be
giving yourself the best possible chance of being put forward for future positions.

16. 16
Recruiters are there to help you
When you work with a recruiter, you’ll almost always be starting on a clean slate
in terms of what that recruiter knows about you and your current skill set.
The more thorough you are in describing yourself and painting a clear picture
of where you currently stand, the better placed the recruiter will be to give you
meaningful advice; including helping you find a suitable role, and assist you with
networking and referrals.
It’s also important to note that working with a recruiter isn’t like having a job
interview. You are free to be honest, ask any burning questions you might have,
and be totally upfront about what you are looking for in your next role. There is
no such thing as a ‘dumb question’, as a recruiter is there to help inform you on
things that you might not have 100% in the bag.
Look for the bells and whistles
So far we’ve taken a look at a lot of things you can do to help smooth things
along with your next recruiter, but how about what they can do for you?
Don’t be afraid to look out for added benefits that a recruitment company (like
Beat Medical) can provide you with, such as pet care and travel arrangements
when working in remote roles, as well as professional career support with CVs,
interviews, and more. Be on the lookout for recruiters who handle themselves
professionally and provide friendly and reliable service, as this will say a lot about
how they conduct their business.

17. Career Planning for
Health Professionals
Is your career at a critical point
of change? Just starting out?
How do you navigate your career
crossroads?

18. 18
Do I really need to floss?
A dentist routinely asks her patients whether they have been flossing. They think
carefully, and say “Yes, of course”, knowing that the last time they flossed, Happy
Days was the most popular show on television. It’s something we should all do,
in order to avoid an ultimate negative outcome - but for some reason, most of us
don’t.
Career planning tends to fall into that category, and is often on the list of things
you do once in your life, like knit a scarf, take salsa lessons, or hit a hole in one.
Like most things worth doing, though, career planning is a process - not an event.
Who will be at your funeral?
Before you start, do this exercise - imagine you have lived a long life and you
passed away at the age of 101. Write a eulogy for yourself based on the way your
life is going now. Be honest - it has to have the good, the bad and the ugly.
Now, write another eulogy based on how you want people to remember you -
what they will say you did, how you carried yourself, and what you achieved.
What is the point?
The point of this exercise is to get you thinking about a day other than today,
tomorrow, or next week. Even though your plans will change, you have shifting
goals, and you will change your mind over time. Now is the time to start planning
how you’re going to get to that ultimate destination.
Writing a career plan
A good career plan needs to come from the heart - nothing more than one
handwritten A4 page. It can have words, flowcharts, timelines, pictures - really
anything that makes it clear for you what you really want out of your career, and
how that relates to your life. We don’t suggest any particular format or template,
but it should at a minimum contain the following elements.

19. 19
Your unique points
List as many unique points about yourself as you can think of - be positive, and
specific. You might even use a mind-map to do this. For example, if you are a
good communicator - partition that particular skill into subsets, and keywords,
such as “Superb presentation skills”, or “Excellent bedside manner”.
The purpose of this activity is to find at least ten areas you excel at - this should
give you a picture of where you should be heading. Take time to think about
the feedback others have given you, and consider the activities you are most
passionate about. You should use these points (and your own personal values) as
a guide to where you are going. They can also be used as keywords to build your
resume, application letters, and interview scripts.
Your team
Consider two doctors. They both aspire to be neurosurgeons, specialising in a
particular paediatric neurological disorder only found in Venezuela. One has a
mentor who already does that job. The other does not. Which would you assume
would be the most successful?
Having a mentor means support, guidance, a role model, and accountability.
You may even wish to have a few different mentors to give you a balanced
view - and feedback on how you are going. It can be confronting, and a bit
embarrassing to ‘ask’ someone to be a mentor - but most mentoring relationships
are informal - and the word ‘mentor’ is never even mentioned.
Being a mentor can be just as rewarding - there may be a junior doctor, a medical
student, or even an international medical graduate who would appreciate the
opportunity to have guidance from someone who has “been there, done that”.
So, write on your career plan at least three names of potential mentors, and a
plan for how to arrange a time to meet one on one. Also think about the type of
person you would like to be a mentor to.

20. 20
Another very important part of your team is your referees (who may well be your
mentors). All too often I hear the phrase “so and so didn’t even mention they
wanted me to be a referee”. Any reference following this statement is usually less
than ideal!
Think very carefully about who your ‘verbal’ referees are. By asking them for
a written reference as well, you will get an indication of what they will say to a
potential employer, or recruiter. If the written reference states “Bill worked here
for one term in 1987. His performance was satisfactory, he was well liked by his
peers”, you are in trouble. You need positive, glowing, incredibly enthusiastic
references. Keep looking until you find people who can help you in this way. They
are your slam-dunk after an excellent interview.
The final part of your team is professional representation. Sports people,
actors, and other professionals have agents- so why shouldn’t you? Professional
healthcare career planning and recruitment organisations can add a new
dimension to the breadth and scope of your career by helping to open up the
‘hidden’ employment market - and helping you keep on track with the basics of
resumes, interview planning, and contract negotiation.
Networking is for losers
As I write this section on networking, I can feel the psychic cringe from our
readers. Networking does not need to involve specific events, anything related
to pyramid schemes, or handing out business cards. Rather, networking is
consciously considering how you can help others, and how they can help you.
One key to good networking is collecting information - phone numbers, email
addresses, and details about the people you meet. When you meet other
professionals, show genuine interest in what they do, where they work, and what
they are saying.

21. 21
Imagine you meet someone at a conference who mentions a need for specific
training at their hospital. Later on, you realise you have a colleague who carries
out that training on a regular basis. By connecting those two people, you have
created positive energy which helps to build a consistently positive perception of
you.
In your career plan, think about people you would like to set out to meet at
conferences, or social occasions in order to build your network. It is simply about
collecting information that may help others, or you at a later stage. Keep in touch
with these people - with a note from time to time, visit when you are in town, or a
Christmas email.
Knock-backs and failure
Knock-backs and failure are reality. There is no silver bullet we can suggest to
make it feel better.
You may be rejected for your dream job - perhaps repeatedly. This means they
don’t want you, or you don’t want it enough.
If they don’t want you, find out why. Make a time to go see the interview
convenor to discuss it. Instead of asking them for feedback on how you went -
which will invariably make them defensive and uncomfortable - ask them “what
did the successful candidate do to get the job?”.
On your career plan, you need to have some go-to actions to turn to when you
are facing difficulty in following your plan. These alternate paths and back doors
will be there to help you evaluate the situation more effectively, and to take the
right action in that moment. For example, your crisis action points might be:
• Talk to mentor
• Come up with 10 options in this situation
• Take a day with no action to think
Plan for the speed humps now, and you will see the difficult times with more
clarity.

22. 22
The path to enlightenment
Here is where we depart from typical career planning. We do not encourage a
career goal, or ultimate job. Your career plan simply needs to be consistent with
your unique points, values, and the advice of your team. So, on your career plan,
write at least five ultimate career options (i.e. the job you want to retire in). Pick
one of these, and run with it for now.
You may choose twenty potential careers, and end up in none of them. One
person’s options might be:
• Emergency physician
• GP
• Farmer
For now, choose the path you are most passionate about, explore it, test it - then
accept or reject it. The good news is that you might be able to follow more than
one path at a time.
The rules
The final section of the career plan should be ‘your career rules’. These should
be based on your principles, beliefs, and values. For example, you might write “I
will never let others’ perception of me guide my career choices”, or “I will always
work in a position that benefits others”. These may change over time, but set the
ultimate direction now.
Share and be accountable
As soon as you have written your draft career plan, take it to one of your
team (mentor, partner, friend), and discuss it with them. Encourage them to be
positively critical - and to challenge you on why you have chosen the paths you
have. In considering the feedback and perception of others, take it into account,
think upon it, and let it pass.
• Mother
• Philanthropist
• Writer

23. How to prevent your
locum or casual career
dying on the table
In his third year of being a doctor, Dr. James Jones decided to do some
locum work. He had heard stories from colleagues about amazing rates,
easy shifts, and secretly resented his award pay rate after the years
of study he had put in. A locum agency had come to give a talk at his
hospital, and made it sound even better. He spent a few days setting up
some shifts, and arrived for his first locum shift at Backwater Hospital
Emergency Department. When he arrived, there was no accommodation
organised, and he didn’t have a clue where to go. It was hard enough
to get there in the first place, and the rates really weren’t what he was
after. James had thought about signing up with that locum agency, but
decided he’d give it a go himself – how hard could it be? Alas, once he
called the hospitals, the suave negotiator he imagined himself to be went
out the window altogether. He ended up with shifts that he was just
happy with, and at rates he was just okay with, and it had taken over a
week for the hospital to get back to him. James thought that as a locum,
there would be hospitals welcoming him, and eternally grateful for his
services. Instead, there was no-one to greet him, and it turned out he was
just another locum.

24. 24
In my business, I hear stories like this every single day. Although many doctors
have very positive experiences as locums in the public health system, there is an
administrative minefield which most are surprised to find – until they try to wade
through it. There are often policies, procedures, and paperwork to contend with
just to register with a hospital – and that is before you even start work!
An example of this is the drastic changes NSW Health made several years ago
with regard to locums. There were limitations placed on how much hospitals
could pay (some metropolitan hospitals can now only pay award rate), there were
new standards for training, and documentation that had to be completed. You
may not have heard anything about these changes like these, as they often come
unannounced.
Locum work can be of great benefit if you are after more experience, money, a
working holiday, or all of these. However, before you get started, it is important to
consider your reasons for locuming, and what you want out of it:
• Think about why you want to do locum work. If it is to make more money, do
you have an end in mind (for example, a new car); – and will you stop after
you have reached your goal? You need to define how long you will do it for,
especially if it is in addition to a full time job. Consider the very real effects of
burnout and stress.
• Locum work needs to be consistent with your overall professional career
plan. Locuming can be an effective networking opportunity. Thinking about
applying to a particular hospital next year? Doing some shifts there will
develop some invaluable contacts, and a ‘foot in the door’.
• Where do you want to go, and what do you want to do? Do you want to
experience a remote area, or prefer to stick to the city? It is fairly certain that
the further you go out of metropolitan areas, the more you will be paid – but
balance the location with the experience you are seeking.
• What do you want to be paid? Be honest with yourself. If you are a PGY3,
are you really worth $200 per hour? If you think so, good on you! Look at
what the market is offering, and don’t push the envelope too much. Once you
develop a relationship with the facility, you will have a world of opportunities
for ‘desperation’ shifts with much higher rates.

25. 25
• Also, think about additional benefits you would like, such as flights,
accommodation, taxi vouchers, meal vouchers, reimbursements, on-call
allowances, paid travel time, traveling allowance, mileage, and more. Your
imagination is limitless, but hospital budgets are not, so be judicious about
what you ask for.
• Be shrewd. Consider why there is a vacancy at that hospital. Try to talk to
somebody who has worked there before to get the scuttlebutt. Is it filled with
mad consultants (or no consultants), does it have terrible accommodation,
or poor after-hours services? Do your research first, or make a small
commitment to test the waters yourself. If it is not good, move on.
• Take time to prepare for being a locum. Your resume is your sales pitch to the
hospital. You will probably need to do a complete revision on your resume to
make sure it is presenting the key benefits of employing you as a locum, as
there is probably more competition out there than you realise. Resumes are
often a testament to what you want, and what you have done. Your emphasis
needs to be on what you can offer that hospital. Read through your resume
with this story in mind, and take a few hours to do some resume renovation.
Every single benefit you present needs to be specific, and backed up by
examples, where possible.
• When you are ready, you will then need to start making calls to hospitals to
see what is available. You should have a list of prospects ready, and look at
transport options to each location to see if they are feasible. When speaking
to the manager at the hospital, be polite and avoid discussing money until
the end of the conversation. However, don’t be afraid to ask for details about
accommodation, flights, and other benefits.
You may also wish to consider engaging a locum agency, which is always
free for doctors (they charge the hospitals). Locum agencies keep up to date
with key industry changes, and will often take away the administrative work
from you. Pick your agency carefully, because they are not all the same. They
range from professionally run outfits to ‘factories’ with young salespeople with
no appreciation of the health industry. Look for experience, credibility, a fast
response to you, and a good reputation. Do not leave your career to chance, or in
the hands of an inexpert locum agency.

26. 26
So, what happened to James? He continued doing locum work, but spent too
much time trying to find it, negotiate with the hospitals, and keeping up to date
with the constant changes in the health department regulations. He gave up after
a few months. James wasn’t aware of the secrets to successful locum work:
1. Know why you’re doing it, and how long you’ll do it for
2. Use locuming as an effective networking opportunity, and a chance to try
a position ‘before you buy’
3. Have a plan about where you want to go
4. Make sure what you do as a locum is consistent with your career plan
5. Be clear about what you want to be paid, but stay congruent with the
market
6. Seek out opportunities for added extras like flights and accommodation.
7. Be shrewd about where you go – speak to those who have been there
before.
8. Prepare for being a locum – make sure your resume is in good order, and
emphasises the key benefits of employing you.
9. Make sure you have all of the right documentation ready for the hospital
to consider you.
10. Consider a locum agency – you take your car to a mechanic, and go to an
accountant for your tax. Why should your career be DIY?
Above all, keep evolving. Locum work is an opportunity for growth, and you
will develop experience you may never in your day to day job. Heed James’
cautionary tale – follow these secrets, and you will succeed as a locum.

27. 5 Preventable Career
Mistakes to Avoid as a
General Practitioner
BONUS SECTION
There are a lot of reasons doctors choose General Practice as a career. Some of
the most common ones we hear include:
• Family friendly work hours
• Mixed caseload
• Stability
• Regular income
• Getting to know patients
• Being part of a community
Once you’ve received your coveted FRACGP or FACRRM (or maybe you already
have VR status), there are a lot of options for you in terms of working as a GP –
either taking up a permanent position, or working as a GP locum.

28. 28
I have been working in medical recruitment for over ten years, and I’ve helped a
lot of GPs find new positions during that time. Often, though, they come to us
after they have already had a negative career experience.
So, here are the top five preventable career mistakes we suggest you avoid:
1. Failing to think strategically
Your career is likely going to go for a long time, and general practitioners in
particular tend to retire late. During the breadth of your career you are going to
experience a number of jobs in different places. Some of these jobs you’ll love,
and most likely, some you will hate.
Before accepting a position, consider your overall career path. Does the position
add value to what you’re hoping to achieve overall? Does it align with your
values?
For example, if one of your values is quality care, is a practice that puts pressure
on you to see a patient every five minutes going to be the best place for you?
2. Having a bad quality CV
I’m going to say it – doctors are bad at CVs. If you disagree with me, send me
your CV. I realise this is pretty harsh, and it’s true that it isn’t always the case.
However, over the thousands of CVs I’ve seen over the year, not many of them
would cut the standard required for many employers. On that topic, more and
more employers are requiring up to date records of your CME, CPR training, and
copies of all of your qualifications. Make sure you’ve got them all in good order in
a safe place.
The good news is that it’s pretty easy to fix. There are a number of resources on
this very blog about CV writing, and as professional recruiters we love to help
GPs fix up their CVs. All you need to do is ask!

29. 29
3. Misunderstanding the role of a recruitment agency
A good GP recruitment agency ought to work for you to find you a position that
suits exactly (or as close to that) what you want and need. Of course, what is
available depends on market conditions. However, a recruitment consultant needs
to do more than just present you with a list of vacancies.
When it comes to permanent or locum GP positions, your recruitment agency
should take the time and effort to get to know you and what your unique needs
are. A recruitment agency is much more than just the current vacancies on its
website.
A professional recruiter should add value to your career – providing you with
options you may not have already considered, or you can’t just find yourself. They
are your advocate, your negotiator, and sometimes your educator (when it comes
to career management). If you are working with a recruiter who can’t or doesn’t
provide this level of service, reconsider whether they are right for you.
4. Not knowing what your options are
Being a GP means that you have a multitude of options when it comes to where
to work, what you’ll do, and how often you work. Of course, the path you take will
determine how much you’re paid as well.
So many GPs we work with don’t have a good idea of what their options for their
next job could be.
As a procedural GP, you might want to work in a remote area providing
emergency, O&G or anaesthetics support. Alternatively, you might prefer to work
in a suburban family practice.
However, have you considered a mix of different options? Perhaps you could work
a couple of days a week in an ED, and the rest of the week in a practice. Maybe
you’d like to spend more time travelling as a locum?

30. 30
We work with GPs in family practices (small, large, corporate, superclinics),
corporate health, aged care, on Australian Defence Force bases, in hospitals,
overseas on peacekeeping missions, on vessels (and other offshore installations),
and other locations you may not ever imagine working.
It’s important to at least consider all of the options that are open to you, and
integrate them into your overall career plan.
5. All that glitters is not gold
Insofar as choosing a job, it turns out WS was right:
“All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold…”
– The Merchant of Venice
It’s pretty easy for practice owners and managers to put on smiles and spruce
up the place a bit for a potential new GP. What lies beneath may be something
else altogether – a potential employer might have systemic issues, a negative
work culture, bad finances, or may be simply wrong for you. Listen to your gut,
and don’t overlook things that make you feel uneasy. Choosing a job (even if it’s a
locum job) is a big step – don’t rush it.
Create some of your own ‘mandatory criteria’ for potential jobs – and don’t break
them whatever you do.
Although this is not an exhaustive list of potential pitfalls for GPs, this might serve
as a guide for future job applications and determining your career direction.
Beat Medical provides free strategic career services to candidates, as part of a
professional, effective recruitment solution

31. Phone: +61 2 4263 1500
Skype: beatmedicaladmin
Email: recruitment@beatmedical.com
Address: Level 1, 385 Crown St, Wollongong NSW 2500 Australia
Website: www.beatmedical.com
Twitter: twitter.com/beatmedical
Facebook: facebook.com/beatmedical