Standing out in a highly competitive job market

Physician Executive, Jan-Feb, 2007 by Carol Westfall

How did she land that interview? How did he get that job?

We've all asked these questions at least once in our career, when a colleague or acquaintance lands a sought-after position, beating a field of candidates whose qualifications appeared to match--or exceed--those of the winning candidate.

Competition for the best physician executive jobs is more intense than ever. More physicians are gaining the required clinical leadership or operational training and experience, while consolidation and other market forces are keeping the best jobs at a premium. When a desirable position with a terrific organization opens, hundreds of candidates may apply. And somehow, amid this fiercely competitive pack, a handful of applicants make the short list, a few advance their candidacy to the interview, and one lands the job.

How can you stand out from the crowd? You must find ways to differentiate your candidacy.

According to a poll conducted by Cejka Search, in partnership with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), 71 percent of chief executive officers and vice presidents of medical affairs who responded said they "sometimes" or "rarely" encounter an exceptional job candidate who "clearly differentiates himself or herself from the other candidates."

At the same time, 76 percent of these top decision-making executives said that the candidates they chose possessed a "single, compelling attribute that most impressed them."

By identifying your own compelling attributes--and cultivating a personal marketing plan to highlight those strengths--you can gradually cultivate a personal brand, increase the demand for your skills, and stand out as the candidate of choice.

Know what the employer wants

As in any successful marketing program, you must first know your target audience. Health care executives are clear about what they want in a candidate: a performance-driven leader, who represents low risk and a high probability of being a good long-term fit. [See Figure 1.]

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While these general qualities and attributes are universally demanded, each hiring organization has a unique culture, challenges and business needs that are driving their search for a physician executive. Understanding the job and organization, its service area, its financial drivers and its decision-makers is critical to successfully marketing your skills and accomplishments.

As you will see in the following tips, and through the insights shared by two experienced physician executives, the recurring theme is "Marketing 101"--customize your message to your audience, communicate it clearly in language they understand and invest in building your personal brand.

Bring your resume and cover letter to life

An advertiser has only seconds to grab your attention and communicate a benefit.

The same principle applies to your resume. This is your first impression. You will have only 20 to 30 seconds to establish a brand message and sell yourself to the hiring manager who is skimming through a very tall pile of resumes of your competitors. Your resume can immediately move you to the top of the list, or leave you among the pack.

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Your cover letter and resume should carry a consistent theme--that you are a polished executive with strong skills that can benefit a new organization. It must be succinct; at a glance it should tell the story of who you are, where you have been and where you want to go.

Your cover letter and resume must be customized to the job. Read the job description and spend time on the organization's Web site. Be sure you are using similar language in your cover letter and resume.

John Rush, MD, FACEP, MBA, MHA, is chief medical officer of Hanger Orthopedic Group in Bethesda, Maryland. Rush has had responsibility for hiring over two-dozen physician executives in his career thus far.

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"I expect to see a resume from a physician executive, not a curriculum vitae, which is a clinical indicator. A resume should be one to two pages with information that is written specifically with the desired position in mind," Rush said.

"List competencies specific to your strengths, use strong action verbs. In your executive highlights section, provide specifics about how you positively impacted the company. Show the correlation of action and results in terms of dollars and cents, if possible. If you can't quickly and clearly demonstrate results on paper, then the rest is just fluff."

Robert Pryor, MD, MBA, CPE, FAAP, FCCM, FCCP, chief medical officer of Scott & White Children's Hospital in Central Texas, agrees that the effective resume communicates measurable results and tells a story of a clear, thought-out career progression.

"I want to see experience that increases in responsibility--and skills that translate to measurable results," said Pryor. "Be able to highlight a specific issue or goal and show where the metrics started, what action steps you took to improve those metrics and where the metrics ended."