Career Planning

What are some career pathways in pharmacy?

• Community Pharmacy – Retail and independent pharmacies.

• Hospital & Clinical Pharmacy – Inpatient settings, clinical roles.

• Pharmaceutical Industry – Research, regulatory affairs, medical science liaison.

• Managed Care & Health Systems – Formulary management, PBMs.

• Academia & Research – Teaching, mentoring, clinical research.

• Non-Traditional Careers – Informatics, policy, consulting, entrepreneurship

How do you assess for career planning?

• Identify personal interests and strengths.

• Consider work-life balance preferences.

• Assess skill sets and areas for development.

• Use career assessment tools or mentors for guidance

How should you format your resume/CV?

• Tailor your resume for specific roles.

• Highlight clinical experiences, leadership, and skills.

• Keep a professional and concise format.

• Update regularly with new achievements

What are some job search strategies?

• Utilize job boards (PharmDJobs, LinkedIn, ASHP CareerPharm).

• Apply for internships and residency programs early.

• Network and leverage referrals.

• Prepare for interviews with mock sessions

How can you develop an action plan?

• Set short-term and long-term career goals.

• Develop a timeline for skills and experiences to acquire.

• Establish a support network of mentors and peers.

• Stay adaptable and open to new opportunities

What are personal brands? How does personal brand affect success?

• Personal brands are the cumulative perceptions others have of individuals’ traits, behaviors, and actions

• Personal brand affects the success with which individuals are able to influence others

Building a personal brand requires what?

• Building personal brand requires a mind-set characterized by focus on career distinction and recognition of the importance of active career management

To build a strong personal brand, what should you do?

• Self-reflect

• Be willing to envision a future state and your place in it

• Be aware of your near and far ground to identify and capitalize on opportunity

What is personal brand similar to?

• Similar to a company brand

• What do you want to be known for?

• What do you aspire to?

• What is your story?

What is internal vs external brand?

• Internal brand: how you would describe yourself

• External brand: how others see you

What does brand clarity compare?

• Brand clarity compares internal and external brands

  • To better understand brand clarity, write down five words that describe you, then ask colleagues to think of five words that come to mind when they think of you

  • How closely are these lists aligned?

  • If lists are out of alignment, you may need to work on reconciling internal and external brand

In brand clarity, what are questions you want to ask yourself?

• How you want your brand to be seen

  • What do I want key constituents to say about me when I am in the room

• How you are seen

  • What do key constituents say about me when I am not in the room

• How you do not want to be seen

  • What do I never want key constituents to say about me when I am not in the room

What is personal brand credibility?

• Personal brand credibility is a function of others’ perceptions of your competence, trustworthiness, passion, tenacity, and objectivity

What are 2 primary factors that impact credibility of personal brand?

• Trust

• Competence

What is competence defined as?

• being adequately qualified in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities

How is credibility developed through? What does trust demonstrate to decision makers?

• Credibility is developed through consistent demonstration of competence over time

• Trust demonstrates to decision makers they can be comfortable giving you more freedom to manage

Trust involves what 4 critical components?

• Consistency

• Honesty

• Benevolence

• Vulnerability

What are factors influencing credibility?

• Competence

  • Skills

  • Traits

  • Knowledge

  • Beliefs

  • Capability

• Trust

  • Consistency

  • Vulnerability

  • Honesty

  • Benevolence

How is passion demonstrated through?

• through enthusiasm for work, ideas, and the organization’s mission and vision

How is tenacity defined by?

• by an individual’s determination and willingness to continue working or advocating despite problems or challenges that arise

How should passion and tenacity be balanced by? What does this require?

• Passion and tenacity should be balanced by objectivity, which requires that individuals base judgments and decisions on sound evidence rather than personal feelings or beliefs

What is limited if you do not have a plan to communicate your brand?

• Visibility

In communicating your brand, professional competence requires what?

• Requires perpetual career management

  • Have updated versions of your résumé and professional
    biographical statement available

In communicating your brand, how should you create your biographical statement?

• Tell your story in a way that is memorable, using vivid language and quotes

• Reflect your vision, purpose, goals, values, and passions in a one-sentence brand statement

• Back this statement up with the who, what, where, when, and why details that tell your story

• Create versions that are tailored for a range of audiences

When communicating your brand, how should your resume of distinction work as? What is the goal? What should you ensure?

• Should work as an advertisement for you, emphasizing your skills and your match to the targeted opportunity

• The goal is to capture attention in the screening review and stimulate the reviewer to want to pursue your candidacy

• Scrutinize the look and tone of your document, and ensure content is aligned with position you are seeking

When communicating your brand, your cover letter should be what?

• Should be crafted for a specific person

What 4 basic versions of cover letters be targeted to?

• Networking contacts

• Human resources contact

• Hiring manager

• Recruiter

What should your cover letter include?

• Leadership experience, connections to new opportunity, executive summary

When communicating your brand, what should you consider for your digital blueprint?

• Google yourself weekly to protect and realign your digital footprint as necessary

• Improve footprint by expanding online presence and increasing credibility and visibility

When communicating your brand, what do successful brand communication rely on?

• Clarity, consistency, and constancy

  • Clarity assures that you are clear about who you are and are not

  • Be consistent with the message

  • To be effective long term, a brand must have constancy

What are 5 strategies to change or improve brand fit?

• Leave the organization

• Move within the organization

• Associate with different people

• Take advantage of opportunities presented when a new leader comes from outside the organization

• Transform your brand

When transforming your brand, what is the principle of resources?

• To begin transforming your brand, identify the resources most valued and needed by the organization

  • Develop these resources

  • The more valuable the resources or assets you provide, the better your brand may be to that organization

When transforming your brand, what is the principle of scarcity?

• The resources that matter most are those that are both valuable and scarce within the organization

When transforming your brand, what is reinventing you brand? What should be kept in perspective within the larger picture? Brand transformations should be what?

• Any attempt to transform your brand should be thoughtful, and personally and professionally sound

• Personal goals and aspirations should be kept in perspective within the larger picture of professional and organizational issues

• Brand transformations should be authentic and reflect who and what you truly are, or your efforts will appear self serving

Personal branding creates a platform from which to influence what?

• Issues, ideas, proposals, or positions

What does influencing involve?

• Building affinity for an idea as it moves through the decision process

• Leaving relationships stronger due to the interaction

• Overcoming resistance

• Championing a position

• Recognizing a need