Walton Search Blog

Orthopedic Surgeon – WA

Excellent opportunity for a Orthopedic Surgery Physician to join a well established practice. Position is located within 30 minutes of Seattle in the suburbs of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington area.  Preferred qualifications include a background in hand, foot, or sports medicine but general orthopedic surgeons will be considered.  Surgeons who are at the beginning of their practice or career are encouraged to apply. Board eligibility must be within 2 years of completing residency.

The new physician will see 20-30 patients per day and the position offers shared call and a competitive compensation that increases upon partnership. This practice also has an in-house surgicenter, physical therapy and imaging on site.

For more information please contact Shannon Myers, Managing Partner at shannon@waltonsearch.com or (215) 793-4892.

If you are like the millions of people this year who have made career resolutions or set goals for yourself you might be beginning to plan out how you are going to accomplish those goals. The reason most goals fail is lack of planning. Sometimes it may be that the end result may seem so distant or it might just be so overwhelming you might not know how to take the first step.

In setting goals we often see things in a systematic approach of starting with a goal in mind then systematically setting how to achieve those goals from step 1 to step 2 and so on. Sometimes that proves to be very difficult.

If you get stuck in the planning process try not to think of your goal setting process in a linear fashion but fill in the blanks as you have them. You might even start backwards. In other words, what would you have had to do to reach your final goal? Fill those in. For each of those items what would you have to do to get those done and so on.

Try brainstorming your thoughts on paper or even as they come to you. One of my college friends was an excellent typist and I’d pay her a small fee to type my papers. What she found amusing was the format I gave the papers to her. I would carry around index cards and write down thoughts or paragraphs as I did research. As with goal planning they weren’t done in a straight line but once I took all of my thoughts or index cards in this case and put them in order I ended up with my goal, a completed term paper.

So next time you get stuck in your goal planning think outside of the box. Your first step is done; you’ve set a goal for yourself. No one will ask you in the end how you got there.

“Sometimes the path you’re on is not as important as the direction you’re heading.”                                                                                                                           ~Kevin Smith

Internal Medicine Physician – WA

Excellent opportunity for a hospital sponsored solo position for an Internal Medicine Physician. Position can be located on the hospital campus or within one of the many associated healthcare clinics. Physician will have the choice of a traditional practice with call rotation or an outpatient only position. As an employee of the health system you will receive a competitive compensation package and benefits as well as the support and referrals from associated physicians in the sytem. Position is located within 30 minutes of Seattle in the suburbs of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington area.  This is a fast growing community and the practice should be up with a full case load very quickly.

For more information please contact Shannon Myers, Managing Partner at shannon@waltonsearch.com or (215) 793-4892.

TX Orthopedic Surgery

We are currently searching for an experienced Orthopedic Surgeon to help serve the growing population of the medical community located in a large city in southern Texas. This is a hospital sponsored private practice offering a very generous compensation package which allows and individual to work as though they are an independent but with strong financial support including comp and overhead as well as patients from the hospital. Hospital is part of a large well recognized health system. Current call schedule is 1:3 sharing call with 2 established physicians in the area however this could improve.  

For more information contact Shannon Myers direct at (215) 793-4892 or shannon@waltonsearch.com.

Clinic Director – Physical Therapy   Multiple Opportunities in Maryland  

Work for one of the most advanced Physical Rehabilitation Therapy companies in the US. Company is committed to offering the most advanced equipment and training available with reasonable caseloads to allow maximum patient care. 

Position offers an attractive bonus plan in addition to a competitive salary. This is an excellent opportunity for a skilled therapist with an entrepreneurial spirit to advance within the industry and explore income potential beyond that of the average Physical Therapist. Position requires a PT license in good standing and a minimum of one year post graduate hands on patient care.

 Walton Search has a large number of additional Physical Therapy opportunities nationwide inpatient, outpatient, clinic, home care, LTC and specialized care services. All positions are full time and require an active PT license in good standing. New grads are welcome to inquire.

The new age of “Thank You” by Email

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to touch upon a subject a lot of candidates skip in the interview process and is a lost opportunity and that is the Thank You Note.  This simple gesture can go a long way to help you stand out in the interview process.

Thank You Notes were traditionally a hand written card mailed after an interview. While handwritten notes are still in use, with today’s technology and competitive environment for positions the Thank You Note can now take on a different form as a Thank You email. So what is different about an email over waiting to mail a card? An email can be seen immediately while you are still fresh in the interviewer’s mind, can be shared easily with colleagues who also may have an impact on the hiring decision and is a great way to show your strong interest in the position.  

Some tips on the Thank You Email:

• Pre-write the essentials of an email ready to add key points.  For most people when it comes to writing resumes and thank you notes, even the best writer gets writer block under pressure.  Writing a generalized Thank You email and then personalizing it later is usually much easier.
• When you are doing your research on the people who will be interviewing (another important step) you be sure to note the correct spelling of their name and email if it is listed anywhere. Be sure to get any names of additional people you meet with.
• Take notes during your interview or write them down immediately after the interview so you remember the key points to add once you are back in front of your computer.
• The two things you want to address in your email is why you feel you are a fit for the position based on the interview and to address any questions you might have not answered well or feel like you need to elaborate on especially if it is something not covered in your resume.  
• Keep the email short and direct. You want to thank the person for interviewing you, show your continued interest and enthusiasm for the position, address any key points you believe relate to the position.
• Remember to check your spelling and grammar. If you can, have someone else proof read it a second time before you send it but do not delay more than a day before getting the note out.

Everyone has their priorities in life as to what needs to be done to keep things running and working at their optimum performance. We get comfortable and put things off but we all have had those circumstances when we wish we would have stuck with the plan. It’s that time that our hard drive gets wiped out that reminds gets us to back up more frequently in the future. It’s that time that someone we know gets a late diagnosis for something that would have been caught in a routine doctor’s appointment that gets us in to get a physical. 

This year was a reminder to many with the recent layoffs and downsizing of organizations where professionals who had not needed to look for a job for 10-20+ years were suddenly on the market for new opportunities. The job search climate had changed, many didn’t have resumes and even masters in their field were stumbling in interviews, rushing to create resumes and often confused by the recruiting process.  Though Social Media is nothing new the speed in which it has grown this year also has left those late adopters struggling to figure out how to add it into their company or personal career strategy.

Knowing this how do we keep our professional selves maintained? Like anything else we do what the minimum requires but to keep things moving in the right direction I suggest creating a plan or at least looking at where you are currently to allow yourself to incorporate small changes to develop and maintain your professional goals.

Your Resume & Online Presence

Take out the most current resume you have and update it. If you haven’t written a resume in awhile don’t stress yourself out trying to perfect it yourself, look to professional assistance. What inevitably happens if you look to a professional resume writer or work with a recruiter is you spend tons of hours an angst trying to write the perfect words, use the write font, line things up and then we either re-do it in five minutes or rip it apart. Get your basics together in an outline with dates and general descriptions then get help. Seriously, save yourself the anguish, reviewing someone else’s resume is not hard, writing one for yourself is. Whether it’s a professional resume writing service or other sources such as a recruiter (like me) or even career services department at the college you graduated from get help. I think a lot of people forget about their career services for alumni but even 20+ years out they are still usually happy to assist.

Once you have your resume the way you like it, use smaller pieces of this to create your online profile on sites such as LinkedIn.

Once these are done don’t forget to update them. When you publish an article, present at a conference, get a promotion, etc update it on your profiles and your resume. It keeps your profile online fresh and a resume ready at a moment’s notice. The added bonus is usually when you update your profiles online those that you are connected with get an update notice. It’s a great way to keep your network informed of what you are up to. You would be surprised how many more referrals you get in business when you remain fresh in people’s minds.

Keep Your Network Fed and Watered

Again, updating your profile is a good way to keep your network updated but what about your closer important professional contacts? Make a list of those people you would use for references. When is the last time you talked with them or updated them on what you are doing? Try to keep this list updated at minimum every 6 months.  One of the things that I have learned as a recruiter is when reviewing a resume I always ask the candidate if they have a list of references and if they have not reached out to them recently. Too many times I’ve had a candidate get through the interview process only to come to the final offer process and find one of their references is hiring for a position or that they know of someone who has a position that is a perfect match already.

Again, update your profiles. Don’t post everything you are doing at work on Facebook but things like a promotion or an article you have published might want to go out to not only your professional network but your personal one as well. Do your friends and family really know what you do for a living? Are you sure?

What would your friends, family, co-workers, references say about you if someone asked what you do? Ask them you might be surprised.

Get Out There

When is the last time you went to a professional conference? If it was more than a year ago, go online, find one and go.

Get out there frequently, network with others in your field or just other professionals in general. Places to look, local organizations, professional associations, conferences, meetup.com, local business journals and publications. It need not be industry specific just get out of the office every once in awhile. Again, the more you find people asking you what you do the easier it will be to explain it in an interview or get the word out there about your career for referrals.

One of the things I often remind my own network is I live near a major city so if they are in town for a meeting or conference, even if I’m not attending I find time to meet up with them. If you are a potential candidate, employer, vendor or colleagues if you are in Philadelphia, give me a call, I’d love to come meet you!

Get Educated

Owning a business is a wonderful thing but one of the things I most miss about working for a larger organization is the continuing education programs. Does your employer have a program for continuing education? Whether it is CE Credits, Conference Fees or reimbursement for classes, it is a missed opportunity not to take part in these benefits. 

No costs for events or classes? Think about registering for an adult learning class at your local college or sit in on the endless number of webinars available. (Walton Search offers many free online webinars for job search and social media just go to our events page.)

If you haven’t set up a reader or are unfamiliar with what one does, look at Google Reader or many of the other online services that bring online content to your hands daily. It saves you from reading through stacks of magazines and journals or clicking on multiple web pages to look for new information. Readers bring the news you want to read to you. Take ten minutes a day to sift through updated articles and web pages that relate to what you do for a living.

Professional Image

Like the saying goes that every woman should have a little black dress, every man should have one good navy or dark grey suit. Have your wardrobe ready for two occasions, one semi-casual outfit and one professional outfit. If you do not wear a suit or dress on a regular occasion, clear out your closet once a year and be sure your 2 outfits fit, are still in style and are clean and accessible. The last thing you want to do is have an interview or meeting pop up and have to worry about what to wear.

This is on my own to do list but once a year have an updated photo taken. Your facebook profile, LinkedIn, speaker bio should have an updated photograph. It need not be a professional headshot but something recent and tasteful.

One of the cheapest marketing materials most people can purchase is a business card. When is the last time you updated them? Be sure to update emails, phone numbers and links on your card. Again, it’s a good way to update your network. Give them a new card and remind them what you do.

Get out there; be prepared because work, it is changing. Are you ready?