OT - Interview Tips (Part 2)

Hi everybody, welcome to this build OT podcast. This is your host Robin. I actually just recorded an entire introduction and it was getting pretty lengthy. I set a lot of things in there and it all did not record. So it was meant to be that this episode we just go straight into the interview. We are resuming our interview with Angelica. She was kind enough to share about the tips and tricks that she learned, about interview skills and interview questions, and some of her own experiences during the interview process and what she has learned along the way. I personally found this really, really informative. I have interviewed at a lot of jobs, but I've never really had that interview e-roll. So it was cool that she had experienced both sides of this and I love her perspective because she was able to chat from what it's like when you are the interviewer and what it's like when you are being interviewed. So I think all of the information she shares is just so valuable and I hope that you enjoy. Quick thank you to everybody who has rated and reviewed this podcast. Oh my gosh, it means so much to me and there's been a big influx of them lately. So I read every single review and it seriously means the world to me. I am officially no longer getting paid to podcast. My one sponsorship has run out. So my only incentive here is really to just share some information with you and the reward I get is that you are all just so sweet and nice and thank you. So the ratings and reviews mean the world to me if you haven't done so yet. Seriously, it makes me hold that but no pressure. Also, couple updates on the spill.ot.com website. The OT party has officially begun. We have a couple members now and I'm so excited. So there's a lot of information on the website itself and then a new resource is added every single week. So this week it's going to be a Thanksgiving visual motor, visual perceptual activity. It's more towards pediatric clients. That's kind of my intention, but you could definitely take aspects and put it towards your adult clients as well. One thing I recommend is that if you could print and laminate this, you can reuse the pages. So you could put them in paid protectors or laminate them and then you strive a smart car. And that way you can reuse and you only have to print them one time. And then I'm kind of working on a cycle. So next week will be an adult resource. The following week will be something for interviewing or your resume, that type of thing. And then they'll be a resource for holistic and mental health. And then back to pediatric. If you're not ready to be a party member, I do have a virtual store. And in that virtual store, you can purchase any of the activities that I create a la carte. And you can purchase the ones that you want without having to be a party member. Also, quick shout out to the blog on my spill the ot.com page. In this blog, I'm interviewing therapists the way that I used to interview them on the podcast. And by that, I mean, I'm talking to otis who work in early intervention or otis who are entrepreneurs or speech pathologists who works with telehealth. And during the interview, I asked all the same questions, like what's your schedule? What are some of the treatments that you do? What's a typical day look like? How much are you getting paid? All of those things that I ask on the podcast, I'm asking via the blog. It just honestly saves me so much time because to find somebody to interview, have the interview process and then edit that episode easily takes about five, six hours. So being able to get the same information out via a blog is just so much easier because it takes me about half an hour to 60 minutes with the prep time and then follow through. So it's just saving me a ton of time and yet we're able to get a ton of the information. So keep an eye on there. It is free. It's public and you can access, I think we have five or so interviews at this point. And that is at spill the ot.com. All right, enough about me. Let's jump straight into the interview with Angelica and I hope that you enjoy. Okay, so I really want to hear like the tee on "Have you ever had like second-hand embarrassment while interviewing someone?" Has somebody responded that was just so out there or just so the wrong answer that you were like, "Oh, you missed the mark." In all honesty, I kind of wish I had like a train wreck of an interview just not to not to the poke fun at it just to see what it's like because I truly have had pretty good interviews. Not everybody answers as fluid. You know, you can tell those people who just don't do well in social situations. I feel like there's been more others awkward interviews, but I've never had like a total flop of an interview, but I think it just gets down to the role we're interviewing for. I think we in school learn to be very aware of other people to build a rapport. I feel like all of occupational therapy is to meet the needs of the person that's in front of you. So I feel like it lends very well to interviewing because you really reading the room, reading people's facial expressions. So I would say the only thing that I wish I had more tea for you. I truly do, but I haven't had anything like that bizarre or crazy. I've had crazy stories about students and, you know, not being aware of themselves, but in interviews, people have done very well, but I do have to say the advice I always give to people that I'm friends with that are going in for interviews that are so nervous. If I know them and I know that they speak well, they articulate themselves well, I always tell them you don't know how other people interview. Most people do not interview well and you're going to shine. Just be yourself, put a little jokes in there. I know for my interview, when I was getting my position, they asked me why should we hire you? And it was the end. I was sweating. I just was so nervous and I just, I didn't even think about it. I just answered because I'm awesome. And how embarrassing maybe that's the tea. I was like, right as it came out of my mouth, I was so embarrassed. I loved it. Yeah, but so many people around the table were just like chuckling and it was like the perfect ending to my interview, you know, because I'm the furthest from the person that would explain, you know, to talk themselves up. I don't necessarily talk myself up. I try not to talk negatively of myself, but I'm not one to brag or anything like that. So for me to say that was so unlike me, I couldn't even believe it came out of my mouth, but it was perfect. It was perfect. So I'm just saying that to mention, if you find that something's a little awkward, then maybe it is and just lighten the mood. Just be professional, but act like you're talking between friends in a professional manner because everybody likes to feel relaxed and at ease. If everybody feels in the room that it's very strict interview, there's no like room for being relaxed, then that's going to be a good, it's going to lend itself to express what you might be like working with. And you really want to be that relaxed person. Yeah, that's amazing. And I'm so glad that you said that during your interview. I know that when I'm around someone that's really nervous. First of all, my heart goes up to the person because like I get nervous. I totally know that feeling. But I feel like when it's taken to that level of like, they're really, really nervous. It starts to kind of make the energy of the room feel kind of tight and uncomfortable. So if you can break the eyes or just say like a little something just to show like you are human and that you're a real person, you're not some robot that's just trying to memorize answers and give the perfect answer that they think everyone wants to hear. Absolutely. I just don't know what, you know, I feel like it's a common thought that interviews are scary. But really you're just going in for conversation. It's like when you were in school and you had to present and I always remember the teachers being like, it's so informal and just informal. Don't worry about it. Think of this as you have to be professional, but look at it as more informal because if you're there in your suit and you're standing up straight, like it doesn't create a sense of welcoming and being approachable. You want to be approachable and the easiest way to do that is to really show your own personality in a respectful way. So how about that part of the interview where you say, do you have any questions for me? What are you looking for people to ask you and how do you feel when they freeze and they're like, I don't know, I don't know what to ask and like what are your thoughts on that part of the interview? I honestly feel like they should be interviewing us as much we are them because you want to come work here and I feel like you should know something about the facility. So anytime I went for an interview, I would always research a company just so I knew one thing about them because sometimes interview says like, why do you want to work here? And then I could say, oh, you have this great cancer wing and you guys do so much for this group of people, whatever that hospital or that facility is known for or has done or maybe there's a legacy that they have. You need to know something about the company that you're going to work for. And if you don't, it just shows that like maybe you didn't really research it, maybe you have a lot of places you're interviewing for and this isn't maybe your top choice. So questions to ask personally, I would ask about, because this is an interview for you as well. You need to make sure this is the proper fit for you as the person wanting to come on board before you spend all that time and energy applying for a company. So my questions that I've asked and that I respect people ask when I'm interviewing is what's your retention rate? How often do people leave? Because if they answer me and they're kind of being around the bush or they say, oh, we just had a bunch of people retire, you know, if they're trying to make excuses then that is a red flag and tells me, do I really want to work here or is another location or another job better fit, especially if I'm interviewing multiple places. Another question I think is great to ask is, is there a mentor? I asked that at my first job and they told me no, there was no mentor. Turns out I worded it wrong because there was not somebody directly available to me 24/7, which I never anticipated, but I did have somebody that I could reach out to and that was my contact person. So if you get an answer that doesn't, like for example, I asked, do you have a mentor and they told me no, I should have asked, is there somebody that will be my contact person as a new employee that I could reach out to that if I have any questions concerns, I don't have to go to somebody random, do you guys have like a program or do you have somebody, do you have that kind of, you match somebody up with somebody? And I feel like that was invaluable to have a contact person because as a new grad, you want to feel comfortable, but not feel like somebody's hovering over you. So by having that contact person, you were on your own, but you have somebody that you can reach out to versus a mentor, I feel like checks in with you kind of like you being a student and you really don't want to be a student. And then as somebody who was applying to a job after I was no longer a new grad, I'm not asking that question anymore. So now my question is really focused on the mentor, really focused on the retention rates and the benefits and the vacation time people get, you know, you can ask questions like that. Sometimes it's not answering the interview, it's answered through HR, but it's still good questions to have. And you can even say, oh, I have more questions, but I think they pertain more to HR, you know, that's okay to say too. I really like your last suggestion about having more questions, but that they pertain to HR. I've never thought about saying that, but that's usually where a lot of my questions are is like, what are the benefits, what are the vacation hours and is it all coming from one PTO or do you have separate sick time? Like those are a lot of the factors that I think about. Correct. And the sick time and the vacation question you can ask in your interview, another question that's great to ask is what are the schedules like for your therapist? How many therapists are on board? Because I've had people who have taken a job and then after they've agreed to take the job, they find out they are the only therapists there. And if you're in new grad or you're somebody who's switching settings, you do not want to be the only therapists there because you have nobody reach out to. So those are fantastic questions to ask. The things that you wouldn't be able to get the answer for is what your salary going to look like, but you could also ask, what is the productivity standard here? That is a huge question to ask. And then asking your friends and seeing what's normal in other settings, choose the similar setting, because the productivity in a SAR and the subcuterie have versus the productivity in outpatient facility versus a hospital, they're all going to be slightly different and different areas are going to be different. So definitely ask that question because I think it really lends you to know what to expect. And the other big thing I would say is if you're working in a subcuterie hub, I say subcuterie hub because that setting in maybe home care, I have heard people not getting the hours that they're supposed to get. And then the company saying, oh, you got to go home. And as somebody coming onto the job, I'd be like, what do you mean? I was anticipating to have 40 hours each week. So making sure you ask, is this a 40 hour, you know, whatever hours you're applying for? Say, is it guaranteed? What happens if the case, if the case load is low? What happens if it's high? Because sometimes they expect you to stay longer. So asking questions like that is really, really important. So think about what's important to you. And unfortunately, you know that questions you want to ask with more experience you have, the more places you've worked, that sort of thing. So I encourage everybody to ask around what their friends are dealing with, what are their negatives? So people usually ask, what do you love about your job? I always ask, what do you not like about your job? And why? Because that gives me a sense of like, maybe it's something that's not a deal breaker for me, but it's good to know and to ask. I love your questions about being specific with case loads and census because I remember one of my positions, it was maybe my second year working. I had been on a job where my hours were cut short. So I knew that that was a possible factor. So I made sure to ask on the interview, hey, what happens if the census is low? And their answer was very vague and put me at ease because they said, well, we haven't had that issue before and all of our therapists maintain a full-time schedule. But it was very vague and there was nothing specifically written in our contract. So a couple months in, sure enough, I'm going home with like 25 hours a week. And that was consistently like 20 to 25 hours a week as a full-time therapist. But there was nothing in my contract other than me feeling shocked because I had asked that question on the interview. And I thought that I'd cover my bases, but really I hadn't been thorough enough. Yeah, I think that's a huge problem that people face. And when you're graduating, you're just looking for a job or in the current state when there aren't that many jobs available because of changes in payment structures with Medicare or whatever the reason is right now with the pandemic. It's just, it's been hard because jobs have been at risk and people have lost their jobs because so many, you know, I never thought as a therapist that anybody would be concerned for their job. But between Medicare, changing their guidelines a few months before the pandemic started and then pandemic started. And then people were not coming into the hospitals to get therapy. Our patients were closing. I mean, it was something out of this world. I would not expect it wasn't something covered on the news. And people in therapy, people in nursing were at risk for losing their job. And I know that's a very specific situation, but I actually know somebody who applied to a position during the pandemic got the position and knowing how many people were actually being laid off. She actually had a written in her contract that she will not be laid off because of anything directly regarding the pandemic. And if she had not had that written in her contract, she may have lost her job because she said it was slow for a decent amount of time in the setting she was in. And that was such a good idea on her part to have that written in to take away that concern because she was leaving a very stable job to go to this brand new thing that she's never experienced. And she doesn't regret a thing. But I thought that was very smart of her to add that into the contract. And I just always like to my husband's an attorney and he always reminds me that when you're reading a contract, that contract is to protect the company. So while you don't want to necessarily rough any feathers if you really want that job, if there is a non-negotiable in there, you need at least bring it up and discuss it. Because if you're at the point where you're reading a contract, the job is offered to you. So you have some leeway. And if they're not willing to move on, budge on that and they'll tell you, nope. And then you can decide to not take the job and go away from the contract. Or it's okay to potentially get a no is what I'm trying to say. A lot of people are scared to ask a question because they think there might be a no. But the thing is if you don't ask the question, you get no answer. So ask the question as hard as it is. That is your opportunity. And I know it's it's really hard to do that when you really need a job. But you need to make sure it's a good fit for you. Your time is valuable. And the company is always going to look out for themselves. And I say that in the nicest way possible. I'm not saying that at any place I've ever worked. You know, if you own your own company, you're always going to look out for yourself. Not because you want to be against the person's working for you. You want to make sure you're offering them everything, but ultimately you need to protect yourself. So as you're reading that contract, you also need to do the opposite and make sure that everything aligns into what you need as well. This is so much helpful information. This is stuff that I seriously wish I had known like seven years ago. This is great. Thank you. Okay. A couple more questions. I don't want to give everybody a complex, but after you are in the room with somebody who interviewed, do you as a team kind of go over that person? And what does that conversation usually look like? Is it very formal or is it more like I didn't like the vibe of that chick? What's it like? Sure. So we write, actually we write numbers down on paper and then we show each other. I'm just kidding. The person doesn't leave. And then you say, oh, I don't like them. I do like them. You're still very professional when that person leaves because it's still your co-workers. And you respect the interviewer's time when they come in there. But every place does it differently. I've had some places where you had a paper, you know what? Every single place actually had some form of this. Under each question, there is a rating of 0 to 5. And one place I used to do interviews, it was broader. Like you chose your questions and then under each one, you put a word that you were looking for that person to say. And if they said that word, or they kind of went around that idea you were looking for, then they got a higher score. And then the current place I've at is just like how well do they answer the question to what you liked? Which is, I know sounds very similar, but I specifically had a write-in kind of what I was looking for. And in this current location, I'm speaking to more like interviewing students. You're just looking to see how all they answered it. Do you feel like they would be a good fit and like on a scale of 0 to 5 or 0 to 10? How good of a fit do you think they are? And then you keep those little tallies. And then once that person leaves, you go through your paper and you kind of add up and see where you're at. And you just have a general discussion. Like was there something that alarmed you about this person? And sometimes you might get two or three interviewers that you're like, oh, I really like these people. Why don't they come in for a shadow day? And then see how they match up to your co-workers. And then all the co-workers during a huddle or something will come in. And I've been a part of that, not being an interview, but being a part of the team, that this person shadowing. And then at one of the huddles when the person's not there, getting together and saying, hey, team, what do you think about this person? No questions were asked. They were just shadowing. So knowing the importance of shadowing too and showing that you're a go-getter and you're not just going to stand by and watch. So you're going to be like, what can I help with? Within the scope and within what's the reasonable. You know, you're not a person who's working at the facility. So you're not going to be like, oh, I'm going to help you scoot that person up in bed because maybe that's a liability thing. Maybe asking, hey, is it OK if I help you with this? Or you're not going to go answer phones and stuff. You know, you're going to find something that's within what's appropriate for you as somebody who's shadowing. And maybe that's just asking the therapist, what do you want help with when a situation occurs that they clearly need help? What do you feel comfortable with me helping with? But just showing that you're going to step in and assist in some manner. So going back to the original question of what sorts of things do we talk about? Do we think this person is going to fit if the majority thinks it is, and then you look at the next step of should they shadow, should they not? It's not really in a abrupt, like, didn't like them, see you later. Like, everybody is very open. You know, and it comes down to like maybe their experience. They're applying to an acute care hospital, but all their experiences is in subacute rehab. Well, chances are, unfortunately, they're probably not going to get that position unless nobody else applied. Or they show that they have a lot of potential to fill that position, even that they don't have the experience. They-- the setting they work in actually has a lot of diagnoses that we see here. Maybe it's a more complex subacute rehab. So there are situations where somebody is just like a complete out, like-- but you wouldn't-- you probably wouldn't ask them to come interview. I think it even goes even back further that you get your resumes first. And a lot of resumes that come through, you're like, nope, this isn't work. Nope, this isn't work. Or, you know, a social media is huge. If you have a social media account, you want to make sure that one, you have pictures that are professional. It's OK to have one. But make sure they're professional. And I would really make it private. Because if I, as an interviewer, or the company that is looking at your resume, when I go look at that, and you have crazy pictures on there, you know, that is a reflection of you. And do I want my company-- when you work for somebody, you reflect them always. So when I'm out and I'm wearing my scrubs out of the grocery store, if I'm rude to somebody, they can see the person I'm working for and call that company. So I want to make sure that the person shows that they are a good reflection of anywhere they would work. So that's a concern that you might look at. So social media is huge. So don't underestimate that. If you're writing negative things or you're posting about, I've seen people post about the patients they saw. If I go on to your social media and it says, like, oh, I had this patient today, and they were so rude. And you're talking poorly about a patient you had. I don't want that to reflect my company. So I'm not going to even interview somebody that acts that way. So some other things that would knock you out even to get to the interview is-- I've had people who have-- I've actually-- there's been students who haven't been that great. And then they apply and you're like, I kind of know what they were like then. And now they're applying again. So it's just the therapy world is small. Is the biggest advice I can give. The therapy world is small. And people will contact other people and ask, hey, do you know this person? They may do that. I'm not saying that it happens one or if there's that in the time. I haven't been involved in that. But I have heard that that could occur. Where somebody calls just a friend of theirs. And they're like, hey, have you worked this person? How are they? And if they're argumentative or you find out they call out a lot, you might not interview them for that position. But your company can't, as a company, call that facility and say, do they call out? There's strict things they can ask as a company. So just keep that in mind. That as a company, they can only ask certain things. But as an individual who has friends, you can ask other questions. So it sounds like a lot of the getting into the door part can be more informal. Absolutely. I highly recommend if you want to work somewhere. And this works both for the company and for you. My bigger foundation I have is to actually apply PRN. Before I got the job where I am, I actually worked there at PRN. And I loved it. And I was actually waiting for a position to open because I really, really enjoyed that setting. And it was somewhere where the retention rate was super high. So it would be really left. So I was the first one in plus, as a PRN, you are now internal. And positions always go out to internal before they go out to external. So you want to really make sure that you're the first one available. And it also helps for the company. Because now you've worked for the company. They know what kind of work you do. They know how you interact with people. And I've been very fortunate to work with a ton of great co-workers that there really has been anybody I didn't want to work with. But again, I think it's just having good interviewers. I feel like my manager really got to know who I was and knew who she was hiring. And I felt like the group that I worked with in any facility was always very well intermixed. Now, please, I worked at PRN. I can't speak to this much because you don't interact with co-workers as often as PRN because you're not there as often. But I just felt like this company even interacted with their PRN well. And I was like, this is the place I want to work. Because they really care about the PRNs just as much as their full-timers. And they appreciate the PRNs as much of their full-timers. Because there's some facilities that your PRN and you're just the extra staff and you're not included in stuff or you can't go to meeting because, oh, your PRN. Or they'll give you the worst cases because your PRN. There's different situations like that. And I know I'm getting slightly off topic. But I would say if you want to work somewhere, definitely apply and work PRN because knowing them just knowing you gets you in the door. Getting your foot in the door is definitely a thing. - Angelica, I literally think that you are giving the most brilliant advice because so many people right now, it's like hard for them to find a full-time job. And a lot of the feedback I'm hearing from people is try and just get in PRN. If you can just get your foot in the door, that way they know your face, they know your name, you're already in their system. And then eventually, a full-time job is going to come available. So it's just getting your foot in the door literally while you learn the system. So this is such good advice, thank you. - Absolutely. And I also want to say to go back to the therapy world as small, remember that for every action that you do. If you don't get along with the manager, they are just, let's make a completely random example. They're just like so difficult to work with as a manager. They do everything that you don't like. And then you talk smack about them. And then you end up leaving the company and you tell other people about that. I can almost guarantee you that that is going to get back to you at some point. I somebody told me once that they were a student of somebody else's. And then down the road, 10, 15, 20 years later, I forget what it was, it was a long time. The employee who was interviewing was actually the student and the CI who was the CI long ago was the one interviewing for this position. And if you were really rude to that student or something like that, that may affect you getting that position from a personal standpoint. So just always be professional, be friendly. Even if you work somewhere that's like the most awful place, find the positive in it and if you can't, then just quietly go, do the right things to leave appropriately, don't just piece out. I mean, you're not working in a restaurant when you're 18 and you got fed up and you just left. Like this is a professional world and everything you do is remembered. Even if you leave the state, I've just heard the craziest stories of different connections. So just don't burn any bridges. It's not worth it. It's not worth it at all. Even if it's for your own pride, do not burn bridges. I can't explain that enough. It's just so important. Just make sure that you always try to find some kind positive and never talk to smack about different places. I think you are giving people the best advice and on real quick story. I worked with this physical therapist who left the state and she was just kind of a rain cloud. I'm not going to lie. Like I'm not saying you have to be chipper and cheerful all the time but when your negativity is affecting other people and you're creating more of a toxic environment that is a feeling that people will remember. So when this person moved back into state and was looking for a job, of course she tried to apply to this facility and they wouldn't even take her on for an interview. Even though she had worked there for I don't even know 10 15 years because the environment had lightened up so much with her gone that the thought of bringing back that rain cloud energy was a hard pass. Yeah and it's simple stuff like that. You know you don't you have to really think about how you impact others and that just comes down to being aware of yourself and if you can't be aware of yourself how are you aware of your patients. So do you think that managers really do Google people and Google their social media? Absolutely because as a C I as an instructor I before I get my student before they even come interview because we have the opportunity to interview them to make sure again it's a right fit for them and it's a right fit for us. I do look at their social media. Now as a student I don't think it'll impact you so so much but maybe I mean it just gives you you know you don't like to make assumptions of somebody but perception is everything and I just think it's really important to show that professionalism. I mean I think that was the first thing that people said when I was graduating everybody said make sure you look at your social media make sure you delete any pictures. I mean everybody was in college everybody took that picture with the alcohol on their hand. Those days are over you know it's not saying you can't go out and have a drink but you're not posting your party pictures on social media just it's there's a time in a place for it and when you're trying to look professional it's not saying you're not going to get the job because that's there but why position yourself in a lower position when you can have no negatives against you you know think about like a tally like okay everything's great but this thing why not just present yourself as your best self showing up. I did want to quickly mention that the other big thing in interviews that I have heard being asked and it's mostly I've heard it more for like a tech position but it can very easily be asked for a actually it is asked an appear in position a lot because a lot of people are interviewed up they apply when you're interviewing the worst thing you can say is that you don't know how long you see yourself there you think you're going to move out of state in a month it costs a company a lot of money to do all the hiring all the health stuff all the time it takes not just do the interview just a whole onboarding process it's very lengthy and expensive they are paying you to do all of this stuff on computers however the documentation system is it's just a lot of time and effort and money they're paying you and then to get you on to the point where you're able to be actually a productive employee so to tell an employer that you think you might go travel and do travel there be in a year or you this actually so if you're talking about get the tea this is the tea people that tell you that they are and you know I'm kind of I'm within that scope to kind of hear what's going on here and because as therapists in the facility you do we need peer end positions a lot of times and you want people that are going to stay there a long time and sometimes the peer end position they have one position and they need it filled to meet all the needs they want weekends they want you to be there for a longer time so when the market was more saturated and everybody was looking for a job to say that you just need this peer end position until an a full-time position opens is like a huge reflection so you're taking advantage of this company just to have a temporary solution and I'm I'm not saying real life happens you know we all have our things that are going on but if you're applying somewhere you need to make sure that the intention is to stay there and if it's not I don't endorse this but I would not suggest mentioning that because as the person interviewing I'm not going to waste my time energy you could be the best person that has interviewed and I'm not going to take you on if you're only going to be there for a couple of months and I don't think there's a commitment there so when somebody asks you what do you see yourself in five years my answer be I see myself seeing where this company takes me I'm interested the reality is life happens I mean you could get the job and maybe your spouse is in the military and you randomly get like restatient across the seas you didn't expect that to happen yet it happened within the first year of working there it wasn't anticipated your intention was to stay there for five years ten years forever but life happens so why is it any different for your plans your plan maybe to be a travel therapist but what if you ended up working there and you're like wow this is so fantastic or in the meantime of working there you meet the the person of your dreams and you're about to start life with them and you end up staying here for the rest of your life and you thought you're going to go travel so it could happen the opposite way so my suggestion to anybody interviewing which I think is kind of like a trade secret really because people don't give it a lot of thought a lot of times is do not tell somebody that you don't see yourself with that company for five ten years when that's asked you literally took the thoughts out of my head because I was thinking you might have the intention to do travel therapy or do something where your plan is to only stay there for six months or one year or two years but like you said life changes life happens and I've known people who have told me who have been at companies for like 20 years and I'm thinking of one person in particular and she only intended to do this for a couple of months it was like her gateway job until she found something in the setting that she really wanted and she's been there 20 some years like she loves it thank you no but life brings you down different paths for a reason for sure okay I'm think I'm done getting close oh I just wanted to touch on the shadowing side when you mentioned sometimes your company will bring in a therapist to shadow to see if they're a good fit I wanted to just say that this is also something that you can ask to do this is something that I've done where if you have that luxury of you're already at a job or this is a per-dem job that you're looking to get and you have that luxury of an option I have done the interview been offered a job and then said hey can I shadow for a day because you get a huge flavor for what your life is going to look like when you're actually in their shadowing what the culture is like among co-workers is it really stuffy is it really fun and I think it's a good opportunity for you before you fully commit to like get to shadow and see what your life will look like 100% as the person who was asked to shadow sometimes it's like so I'm gonna spend my time and give up 4 6 8 hours of my day but like you just expressed it is so valuable both to the company and to you to see is this really where you want to work before you fully commit or if you have two different three different options you never know you know you really want to position yourself in that manner so I 100% agree with that I would say if somebody offers you to shadow for an hour that's not really good enough time frame to get to know what you're gonna be walking into so I would highly encourage a half day a full day if at all possible and like you said ask it if it's not already offered yes yes yes and like you said the more hours the better because if you're only there for one hour they might be showing you the cutest nicest patient that they have on case load but you want to see like what's it actually like absolutely okay what are your thoughts on when you're in an interview they say okay we'll let you know by the end of the week and then the week has come and nobody has contacted you do you think it's okay to reach out and ask what's up do you think that you should wait the weekend out and give it to Monday what are your thoughts on that um I think it's a respect thing I think that the company should reach out regardless I've heard some people say that they interviewed and then they never got responses and I think it's very unprofessional from the company side everywhere I've interviewed or because my role even though I was on the interview panel I'm not the one calling that's typically the manager that does that and for my experience everybody has reached out to you the same day they try to do the interviews the same day and they would maybe do like a two-part interview like you have an interview then you shadow and then another interview and the first interview maybe with just one or two people and then you do shadow and then you interview a whole panel so it's it's situated differently depending on the role the facility you're working at but I would say if they tell you by a certain date that they're gonna reach out and they didn't I think it's appropriate to reach out the next day say hey I and actually what that brings me to remind everybody is when you interview just to write a handwritten card and send it to the people who you interviewed is a huge deal. I think. I have always done that when I've interviewed places. I have actually only had maybe one or two, maybe only one time, and I've interviewed a decent amount of people. People actually write me a card and say thank you for the opportunity. I think it's such a special touch to do that because it really shows that the person cares. I really want the position. So I think writing a simple card and email is fine, my handwritten so much more personal. Write a handwritten card and what I've done even is written it out prior to interview and then providing it after the interview is over. Thank you so much for this opportunity and then leave the card there or drop it off the next day whatever you feel comfortable with. And if you don't feel comfortable with that, even a simple email is helpful. But following up is just as important because it shows that you really want this position. Just make sure you word it in a way of like thank you so much for this great opportunity. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to hear from you either way. I would love to work for this company or just make it very simple, but I think that goes a long way. So don't feel bad about reaching out, but I wouldn't reach out like they say they're going to contact you on Friday and you contact them on Thursday. Like wait it out until they actually said they were going to respond. And if they don't tell you when they're going to respond, I wouldn't actually ask. Hey, when can I know Rush whatsoever? I just would love to know when you guys are going to come to the decision or if you're interviewing all month. I just so I have an idea of what I could expect to hear either way from you guys. So not putting any pressure on them. Awesome. That's very helpful. Okay, last question. What is your favorite TV show? Oh my gosh. And I never thought of that. My favorite TV show. You know what? I think it's Shark Tank currently, not currently. I think it's Shark Tank because I just love seeing the creative things that people think of. There are people all ages and it just reminds you that literally anything is possible. Anything that you set your mind out to is possible. Whether it's the job you want, the dream job you want that you think you're not good enough for. If you want it bad enough, you will set your priorities and get it. And I think that that reflects so much in that show that I just love watching it and everybody so happy. And you know, sometimes it's nice seeing the feedback that the panel gives. And even if it's negative, seeing those people who take that negative and say, thank you for your feedback, I will. And then you just turn it to a positive. They don't just, I just love seeing the social aspect of it of how people respond, what they think up, and just how creative people are. I just love it. That's like a really good professional answer. Hey everybody. I am so genuinely excited to tell you about Medbridge. So Medbridge is a continuing insight and they have tons of continuing and courses all available online. You can stream them at your own pace. They also have home exercise plans which are incredible. You can literally build your own plan with pictures that can perfectly suit whatever client you're working for. It's honestly so awesome. And you get unlimited CEOs. And these CEO courses are just really intriguing and exciting. Like it's, I've done continuing online in the past and these ones that they select are just very much in line with what I find interesting and I feel like you might find them interesting as well. So are you struggling with finding the resources for your time for CEOs with almost 2000 accredited evidence based streaming courses, live CEO webinars, Medbridge is your all-in-one solution. And actually if you use my code it's spill.ot capital S capital T capital O T so spill the O T one word capital S capital T capital O T you can get 175 dollars off of your year long subscription which is awesome. That's like significant amount of money off. So if you are interested please go check it out again use the code spill.ot capital S capital T capital O T all one word. All right I really hope that you go check it out. Enjoy. And I just thought of that honestly I can't believe I didn't think about that after my husband had the interview question but I do it's sharp tank it's a great child. I'm so impressed I thought I was going to slip you up but uh nailed it. Okay so you have given us all so much amazing information and I know that you're a full-time occupational therapist but I was curious is there anything else like entrepreneurial or anything that you are working towards right now or that you would think people might find interesting to follow you and follow along your journey. Oh my gosh I'm almost embarrassed to say it because I'm still like in the early stages but I have been loving YouTube and I haven't really quite found that perfect let me not talk myself down. I am very excited about YouTube so the thought of just me able to like create content related to travel and saving and just fun things like that that are fun to me it's just a nice outlet outside of work because I do love therapy but um that has been really really fun to me. That's awesome and just speaking as someone who knows you personally ever since I've met you've always had like this very creative energy and you've always had a way to do things that seem impossible to me and yet you make them reality so I think that you're just a very special special person to like watch learn and grow because you're always trying something new and you're always finding a solution to a problem people didn't even know existed and I'm always just so impressed by that. Oh that means so much thank you so much. So is there anything that you would like people to follow you on social media wise? Well my YouTube is saved with me and my Instagram is Wonderless Leica and that's more like a personal travel related blog or Instagram but I definitely am hoping it turns into more of a travel you know a full-on thing so if if anybody is interested go for it it may not be a topic you enjoy but it's what I'm excited about now and I think that hopefully that turns into something bigger. So I will include all that information in the show notes of this episode. Perfect. Thank you so much for doing this. Of course this was so much fun. I love this is a topic that just gets me so excited and just so people really know that it's so easy to interview and just take away the stress from it and just make it a conversation not a stressful situation. Yeah this is actually really helpful for me. I'm a little paranoid about the social media thing right now because I'm like oh my god if they ever find my spill the OT I'm never gonna get a job but no absolutely they would. I actually think it would be because your this podcast has been so helpful to hear so many things like even being in the field for several years well almost a decade which isn't that long when you interview people who have done this for 30 years but hearing things that I've never heard about or areas of practice that I've never actually experienced myself but hearing all these things is so cool so you're just you're really delivering something that many OT's need and you always find a positive thing about it. I don't think there's anything negative so if I was an employer and I found your thing I'll be like this is awesome. I wouldn't love to have you on board. You're very sweet. Well thank you so much for doing this. No problem. Bye. Bye. All right friends thank you for listening. If you like this episode please share with a friend, follow me on Instagram, spill_b_ot and check out the website and the blog at spill.ot.com. Have a great week. Bye.