When to begin applying for jobs?

[tmflac2]

I will be graduating in June and am in my 4th 4 week rotation of the clinical year. At what point during the clinical year should I begin contacting places that have open positions? With a family, being out of work for ~6 months post graduation would be quite a strain financially, so I really want to try my best to be making contacts as soon as it is reasonable. Thanks in advance for any and all help/suggestions provided!

[JtheWorker]

You are about 8 months out. Now is the time to start networking in my opinion as most places won't hire yet. Find an area, geographically and area of medicine, that you want to work and make contacts there. Conferences may help, as would shadowing for a half day somewhere during your Christmas break. Update your resume soon and give to any rotations you like, even if they aren't hiring at the time. I am an outlier but secured my job 9 months before graduation by doing this because I knew a PA there would be leaving in a few months. I also believe a commonly untapped resource is drug reps, especially for specialties. They will know who is hiring and what places are good/bad to work. Make contacts with these folks.

 

Hope this helps a bit. In my opinion this is early enough to start looking, but too soon to stress about it.

[greenmood]

Agree. Start looking and by the time most places are ready to hire, you'll have a better sense of what offers are out there and what seems reasonable in your specialty of interest.

[paproof]

Back when I was still in school, someone in my class found a job 10 months prior to graduation.  Granted, it was through a rotation they had, but the clinic was willing to wait for him to complete school.  I started applying for jobs 6 months prior to graduation.  Didn't start getting interviews until 3 months prior to graduation.  Job offers came 2 months prior to graduation.