Pharmacy Technician Job: Three Strategies for Getting a Job

While searching EzineArticles for pharmacy technician jobs, I found many good articles written on how to become a pharmacy technician or various reasons why you should become a pharmacy technician. In general, they all make good points and provide useful information. It has made me think about what we are missing. I don't want to just repeat the same themes and then add some of my own thoughts. Then it occurred to me, I have a perspective that few people write articles for pharmacy technicians. I am the person who sits at each pharmacy technician interview at my institution's inpatient pharmacy. Over the course of just a year, you will probably interview about 50 to 60 technicians for about 10 to 12 vacancies. So here it is, what are the three things you can do to get a job when you just got your license / certification / registration (depends on your state), still working on your license, or maybe just moved to a new one area and want to find a job (this happened to me as a pharmacy technician, and I'll share one of my biggest mistakes when looking for a job).

Volunteer or complete your required hours (depending on your state's licensing / certification requirements) at a pharmacy practice site where you would like to work. Many states require that you obtain hours of practice before becoming a pharmacy technician. If your state does not require hours before you become a pharmacy technician, choose a set number of hours (40 to 80 hours you should) and volunteer at a pharmacy. The pharmacy you choose should be a place where you would like to work. If you know you want to work at a hospital pharmacy, don't get your hours or volunteer at a community / retail pharmacy. Then take advantage of this moment by showing your office how good a pharmacy technician is. The traits I look for the most are someone who is a team player, proactive in taking on any job he / she sees needs to be completed, and spending a lot of time with other staff. I'm looking for a good fit, not necessarily the smartest technology, but the one that will be a good team member. What it really means this time is a trial period where the pharmacy can see how you work and you can see if you really want a job there. I have had a few students who tease or text during a large part of their time at my pharmacy. Unfortunately, they won't even be on the interview list for the next open position.

Earn national certification, BLS / CPR, and be active at one of your state's French pharmacy onlineorganizations; and make sure you have these items on your resume. Regardless of whether or not your state requires you to obtain national certification, you should. The two main most recognized national certifications are the PTCB and the ExCPT. BLS / CPR (basic life support / cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for the most part is the same) is a nice additional skill that most pharmacy managers will consider a bonus. It tells them that the applicant is in healthcare and is more likely to do so as a pharmacy technician. The involvement of the state pharmaceutical organization (either the ASHP state affiliate or the APhA affiliate) is another way to show your commitment to the pharmaceutical profession. In most states, it costs very little to be a member as a technician. Once you're a member, look for the website link to join a committee. If you have options, join the committee that sounds the most fun (I personally like the defense or the legislation). Now be active on your committee, this is a great way to network with pharmacists and other technicians. The pharmacy is a small world, the more connections you make, the better you will be. Once you have done some or all of this, be sure to resume the update.
Search the company's websites for job openings and not just the local newspaper or the online newspaper site. This was my big mistake. After living on the east coast for many years, I moved to the west coast. I started looking for a job in the local newspaper and there were a few, but not the ones that interested me the most (I was a sterile compounding technician and wanted to work in a hospital or intravenous infusion setting) that were never open. Fortunately for me, a large healthcare system (the one I currently work with after 11 years) was hiring a cemetery technician and I didn't get enough applicants from their internal site, so they placed an ad in the newspaper. After getting a job, I found out about the company's job posting website, and was very sad p