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If I cannot find a job in my career field after college, what should I do?

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Ken’s Answer

If you use the process which I present below, you will increase your chances of not only landing an appropriate job in your career area, but you will be well prepared if you ever lose your job and have to seek another. At least 80% of people who find jobs find them through the creation and maintenance of interpersonal networking relationships developed through the following processes.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Kim’s Answer

Katy,


You will find a job in physical therapy!! So long as insurance continues to cover PT, doctors will keep sending us. As one who is at the tail end of the baby boomer generation, I can tell you, there is a lot of work, esp. here in San Antonio. I encourage you to develop good references as you go. This includes not only the actual skill and knowledge of PT, but the other skills. . . customer service - how you treat people in any environment, is important! Documentation - your ability to keep detailed and accurate records -wherever you acquire the skill, is transferable! Privacy - ability to be discreet and safeguard client information - it could be credit card numbers, phone and address - not just medical info. Infectious disease control - even good sanitation practices handling food service ----All of this transfers and will go to show you will be a good employee!


As to San Antonio, there are much more than simple outpatient PT facilities. Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) offer 1 hr of therapy per day. LTACs - Long Term Acute Care Facilities - offer PT. Some doctor offices offer PT - such as Northeast Orthopedics and also TSAOG (the San Antonio Orthopedic Group- a top rated employer to work for - even if you start in admin, look into getting a job here!). Hospitals have rehab. This includes Northeast Methodist, which has an orthopedic wing. Places like Warm Springs do 3 hours of therapy a day, usually in 2 sessions, spread apart. They make sure patients can bathe and dress safely, climb steps, etc.


In addition to PT is OT, occupational therapy, which teaches people how to safely function. There is a lot of concern for the aging populace, which is very prone to falling and increasingly live alone. Teaching them how to reach, bend, etc, and improving their balance. My parents are in their 80's - I've been around a lot of this! They also do a lot of therapy for patients recovering from illness. When an older person has been bed-ridden for 7-10 days they lose a lot of muscle tone!


However, you can also work with younger people. They want to stay 100% functional . . . I have seen them in therapy - hand injuries , fractures, etc. They are a very motivated group!


I realize I have not answered the question. The short answer is, you find something else, and keep trying to get into your field. However, the longer you are out of school without going into your field, the harder it is to get into it. So, should this happen, you want to at least stay close to your field - such as having a different job in a PT or doctor's office. I read somewhere that truly successful people don't have a "Plan B," as they do not expect to fail. That sort of makes sense. It's also sort of scary. Again, with all the facilities in and around San Antonio, I expect you will find a job!
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