Physician assistant jobs are perfect for professionals who are looking to raise a family. Even if you’re single, the fantastic salary and benefits that most PA jobs offer will help attract you to the position. For those who’ve already been working as PAs, you’ll likely know that the job market is massive right now. To take advantage of this, you need to perfect your resume and interview skills before you start your job search. Once you’re entering the interview process, there are some rules you need to follow. To help you out, here are eight tips for getting hired as a physician assistant: 

1. Interpersonal Skills Are a Must

Without the ability to effectively communicate with your patients, clinical staff, and other people you’re interacting with every day on the job, it can be nearly impossible to excel as a physician assistant. Demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively, and to make complex information accessible to patients, will greatly benefit your ability to find quality physician assistant jobs in 2022 (and beyond). 

2. Don’t Settle for Just Any Job

One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a medical professional is settling for the first job you’re offered (unless it happens to be your dream job). With the massive demand that exists for quality physician assistants, you’ll have the ability to choose from several offers in most cases. Typically, you can even get employers to raise their salary offers if enough practices are offering you a position. Make sure to never underestimate your worth. 

3. Prepare Anecdotes that Demonstrate Your Compassionate Professionalism

Being a compassionate professional is essential when you’re working as a physician assistant. While you can easily put your stellar compassionate professionalism on your resume, you must demonstrate your skills in this area in a more personal fashion. By preparing an anecdote that highlights your interpersonal skills, you’ll stand out from other candidates your potential employer is interviewing. 

4. Have Experience in the Sector You’re Applying To 

If you need a job now, you want to focus on positions that exist within sectors of the medical field where you already have experience. By doing so, you’ll have a much higher chance of success. That being said, if you want to branch out, it’s always worth applying even if you don’t have formal experience just yet. Switching between family practices, hospital settings, and urgent care settings can be difficult at fit, but it is possible. Remember, digital skills are also becoming extremely important for medical professionals. 

5. Certifications are Everything 

Demonstrating that you’re certified to work as a physician assistant is your number one goal when crafting a resume. Having physical copies of these certifications prepared for your interviews is highly recommended. Depending on the position you’re applying to, the certifications you’ll need to have ready can vary wildly. Thankfully, most employers list the certifications they’re looking for in the job descriptions. 

6. Demonstrate Your Interpersonal Skills During the Interview

As we mentioned before, being able to communicate in a professional, compassionate, and efficient fashion is crucial when you’re working in the medical field. During your interview, you should be ready to demonstrate how clear and personable your communication skills are. If you fail in this area, your chances of being hired for a position will drop significantly. 

7. Be Kind and Patient

Even before the actual interview begins, you should act kind, patient, and professional during every step of the application process. If you’re talking to a recruiter before a formal interview, you need to treat it as if you’re already beginning the interview process, after all. Just be yourself, and focus on your professional skills, and you’ll be certain to nail any interview you experience. 

8. Ask Your Interviewer Questions About the Position

Job interviews should not be a one-sided experience. If you have any questions about the position you’re interviewing for, or if you’re confused about any of the work conditions associated with the job, you need to be questioning your interviewer. However, make sure to maintain a kind, compassionate, and professional attitude when asking your interviewer questions. In doing so, you’ll demonstrate that you’ve done tons of preparation before the interview began, making you a much more attractive candidate. 

Time to Land a Brand-New Job

Especially if you’ve been looking for a change in your professional life, perfecting your resume and interview skills is a must. There are many, many amazing PA jobs out there waiting for you to apply to them. By being proactive, you can easily outdo the other candidates that you’ll be competing with.