If you are a candidate with no experience, you are at a severe disadvantage until you are able to make good the deficiency in your resume in the eyes of potential employers.
An effective means of doing this is to work as an intern. Interns may be paid or unpaid and the actual circumstances will depend upon the employer and the demand for the work. Working as an intern will allow you to gain the experience that is required for you to make formal applications but it is also sending a powerful message to the employer who sees your resume; it is saying you are really motivated and interested in doing this type of job otherwise why would you accept a position as an intern?
Do not believe for a moment that working as an intern is in some way menial; senior doctors who are looking to work within a specialty for which there is a large level of demand amongst potential practitioners will take time to work as an intern in order to gain the skills and experience which shows they are serious about embarking upon the frequently more arduous and challenging training that becoming a specialist or consultant requires. The reality is that internships may carry a great deal of responsibility and open the candidate up to new experience, which is simply not available elsewhere.
One of the benefits of gaining experience with an internship is that frequently, because the position is being filled by volunteers or low paid candidates, there is a great deal of flexibility that is offered to position holders. This may not always be the case depending upon the actual nature of the work but if you are looking to apply for work in pathology for instance, then the only way you will be able to gain that experience is by working unsocial hours in the middle of the night. This is where internships really help to develop your experience. Future potential employer is not concerned as to how you gained the experience, the quality of the employer or body where the experience was gained, what your responsibilities and duties actually were and that you completed the internship satisfactorily.
You can find internships widely promoted but they tend to be done in a low-key manner within trade and healthcare provider press and media channels. The problem is that you have a great deal of work to perform in order to find a position that is suitable for your future career aspirations. Too often, candidates simply take a try it, see approach, and hope that they will be able to spin something out of the internship that they can use to effect when it comes to submitting job applications. The truth of the matter is that it really pays dividends to research and prepare very carefully what you are looking to do and what you can realistically expect to gain from the internship.
It is frequently the case that what starts as an internship develops into a job offer because the employer has the opportunity to see how you perform, interact with the team, and clients using the services delivered. Even if a job does not develop out of the internship, or a position that you are happy with, you will be able to gain the experience you need to be competitive when applying for positions. You will also gain an insight into the work, which will help you in that application process as well as developing some professional connections that will be able to act as referees and sources of information on positions that may be available in the future.
In summary, interns may be paid or unpaid, but in either case, they provide valuable experience that many employers demand and without that experience, your application is unlikely to be even considered never mind get you an interview. Working as an intern is a route into many healthcare positions that are exclusively available only to those who have demonstrated the motivation to work, often for low or no pay (but not always), while the experience that is gained proves invaluable for future career development as well as setting the foundation for building references and professional connections.
