The following interview outlines what it takes to get a job as a Bilingual Clinic Assistant and what to expect throughout a health care career. This is a true career story as told to LatPro and is one of many interviews with individuals in the healthcare profession, including a Drug Abuse Counselor, Psychotherapist, and many more.
I work as a Bilingual Clinic Assistant in the public health sector of my county. I have been in this position for approximately three years. I would say my job requires three very strong qualities: patience, persistence and endurance.
As a Latina woman working as an interpreter, it becomes a struggle between doctor and patient. A patient will often treat me as if I were the doctor, while the doctor is at times doubtful of my translation. Part of it is probably being a woman in a supporting role to powerful men, while also being part of the minority groups that they need me to translate for in the first place.
I do far more than just translate, although that is where I get the most recognition. My responsibilities shift and change constantly, depending on the need for translation on a particular day. It can be quite frustrating to come to a different job almost every day. The translation is the only thing that remains constant.
My job is very satisfying on one front, but frustrating on the other. Helping a patient is always a “10” on the experience scale - it is always moving to help a sick person, especially when they have no way to speak for themselves. However, being abused by co-workers and bosses who change your duties on a whim is a “2” at best.
There is something very unique about this work situation that most people do not take into account. Many of the patients have diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV and require your assistance as much as the others. There is no room for any germ-phobia.
I started this line of work sort of by chance. I moved into a new state and was desperately searching for a job. This was the best one to offer me any kind of a position.
There is a lot of office drama involved in this environment and I learned quickly to keep my mouth shut. At first, I wanted to make friends with all of my co-workers, but the polarized groups caused friction with a few bosses. I learned my lesson quickly.
The working world is very different from school in that the smartest people are usually not the ones in charge. It is about who you know and what you have done.
The strangest thing I have ever experienced would have to be trying to translate an argument to a doctor. A wife had just contracted herpes from her husband, which revealed that he had obviously been cheating. It was quite the scene.
There are many patients who make me happy to have come in. They are hopeless and lost when they come in, but taken care of when they leave.
The only issue I take with the job is the problem of office politics. The appointment desk workers often are at odds with the health providers and create childish dramas over office supplies and medical forms.
The job can be extremely stressful due to the nature of the industry. Getting something across to the doctor incorrectly can make a huge difference to whether someone is diagnosed correctly. Giving someone the news that they have a disease is no fun either.
The salary is a bit low for the level of stress involved. I average about $20,000 a year. The region I work in is below poverty level, so it is actually a pretty good pay grade for the area. However I feel someone working with so much sensitive, private information should be paid a bit more.
I take my vacation days whenever I earn them and it never feels like enough. Some days at work are so intense that it feels like you need a week off.
I got my job with an associate’s degree and by passing a Spanish fluency test. The minimum education standard is a high school degree, but Spanish is a must.
If a friend wanted my career advice on whether or not to enter this field, I would tell them it is a great job for those that are passionate about helping others. That being said, it is a very stressful job to take on.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it.Bilingual clinic assistant image from Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
The following interview outlines what it takes to get a job as a Bilingual Clinic Assistant and what to expect throughout a health care career. This is a true career story as told to LatPro and is one of many interviews with individuals in the healthcare profession, including a Drug Abuse Counselor, Psychotherapist, and many more.
I work as a Bilingual Clinic Assistant in the public health sector of my county. I have been in this position for approximately three years. I would say my job requires three very strong qualities: patience, persistence and endurance.
As a Latina woman working as an interpreter, it becomes a struggle between doctor and patient. A patient will often treat me as if I were the doctor, while the doctor is at times doubtful of my translation. Part of it is probably being a woman in a supporting role to powerful men, while also being part of the minority groups that they need me to translate for in the first place.
I do far more than just translate, although that is where I get the most recognition. My responsibilities shift and change constantly, depending on the need for translation on a particular day. It can be quite frustrating to come to a different job almost every day. The translation is the only thing that remains constant.
My job is very satisfying on one front, but frustrating on the other. Helping a patient is always a “10” on the experience scale - it is always moving to help a sick person, especially when they have no way to speak for themselves. However, being abused by co-workers and bosses who change your duties on a whim is a “2” at best.
There is something very unique about this work situation that most people do not take into account. Many of the patients have diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV and require your assistance as much as the others. There is no room for any germ-phobia.
I started this line of work sort of by chance. I moved into a new state and was desperately searching for a job. This was the best one to offer me any kind of a position.
There is a lot of office drama involved in this environment and I learned quickly to keep my mouth shut. At first, I wanted to make friends with all of my co-workers, but the polarized groups caused friction with a few bosses. I learned my lesson quickly.
The working world is very different from school in that the smartest people are usually not the ones in charge. It is about who you know and what you have done.
The strangest thing I have ever experienced would have to be trying to translate an argument to a doctor. A wife had just contracted herpes from her husband, which revealed that he had obviously been cheating. It was quite the scene.
There are many patients who make me happy to have come in. They are hopeless and lost when they come in, but taken care of when they leave.
The only issue I take with the job is the problem of office politics. The appointment desk workers often are at odds with the health providers and create childish dramas over office supplies and medical forms.
The job can be extremely stressful due to the nature of the industry. Getting something across to the doctor incorrectly can make a huge difference to whether someone is diagnosed correctly. Giving someone the news that they have a disease is no fun either.
The salary is a bit low for the level of stress involved. I average about $20,000 a year. The region I work in is below poverty level, so it is actually a pretty good pay grade for the area. However I feel someone working with so much sensitive, private information should be paid a bit more.
I take my vacation days whenever I earn them and it never feels like enough. Some days at work are so intense that it feels like you need a week off.
I got my job with an associate’s degree and by passing a Spanish fluency test. The minimum education standard is a high school degree, but Spanish is a must.
If a friend wanted my career advice on whether or not to enter this field, I would tell them it is a great job for those that are passionate about helping others. That being said, it is a very stressful job to take on.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it. Bilingual clinic assistant image from Shutterstock
