The hardest positions to fill, Lavoie said, are those requiring the most specialized experience, including occupational therapists, operating room nurses, and speech pathologists.
Types of people and skills Experience tops Lavoie’s list of desirable qualifications. But a close second is any activity - volunteer work, co-op experience, job shadowing - that shows recruiters the applicants are serious about their careers.
“Just showing that initiative is huge,’’ he said.
For administrative positions, recruiters look for solid customer service experience and a track record of sticking with jobs for two or three years at a time, he said.
A background in the health care industry is not necessarily a requirement for some management and administrative roles, Lavoie said. The hospital values the new perspective employees can bring from other industries, he said.
“Bringing in someone who has a completely fresh approach is something we do all the time, especially on the administrative side,’’ Lavoie said.
How to get the skills Many jobs at Brigham and Women’s - and throughout the health care industry - require bachelor’s, graduate, or nursing degrees.
Those with a degree but little experience in a particular area can make themselves more attractive candidates for specialized positions by finding lower-level jobs that offer exposure to their field and opportunities to learn, Lavoie said. Nurses interested in pediatric medicine, for example, could take a position at a pediatric rehabilitation center to build their credentials, he said.
Job seekers interested in pursuing health careers can also take advantage of the workforce development offices at Brigham and Women’s and other area hospitals, Lavoie said. These facilities, he said, can help people identify possible health care career paths and find the training they need to qualify for such jobs.
Getting in the door Lavoie credits business networking site LinkedIn with helping him score his current job.
When Lavoie was considering a switch to health care, he saw a job posting at Brigham and Women’s on LinkedIn. The hiring manager, it turned out, belonged to some of the same LinkedIn groups he was in, so he used the connection to bring his resume to her attention.
It’s a strategy he recommends to others looking for a position with the hospital; joining industry-related groups on the site can help job seekers get noticed by recruiters, he said. “We’ve done a lot of hiring via LinkedIn,’’ he said.
