Many careers have a certain dress code associated with them. If you don’t like fussing with your clothing before you begin your work day, a job wearing scrub uniforms may be just the thing for you.
Scrubs, those easy-wear easy-care, largely unisex togs originating in the medical profession, might be more appealing than business suits that demand the time and expense of dry cleaning, extra closet space, and pricey accessories. Scrubs virtually eliminate having to choose what to wear in the morning - or whenever you start your shift.
Some businesses in people care (such as spas and child care) require their employees to wear scrub uniforms for their professional attire. However, this varies and is purely a business decision. Most medical professions now require their practitioners and students to wear scrubs as uniforms. Some hospitals employ a system of color coded scrubs where each department is assigned a color.
Doctors
Scrubs originated in the operating room. Easy to change in and out of, doctors can switch quickly from their street clothes to surgical wear, preventing blood stains on their personal clothing. With being laundered in the hospital, scrubs reduce contamination from the outside world. Originally white, they caused eye strain by reflecting the bright surgical lights. Eventually green became the standard color to reduce that problem. But now, doctors can be seen walking in an out of OR doors wearing other colors, too.
Nurses
The nursing profession eventually adopted wearing scrub uniforms as standard procedure. Imagine the huge corporate sigh of gratitude that must have been exhaled when thousands of professional women working long hard days were told they no longer had to wear pure white, highly starched uniforms to work every day where they came in contact with all kinds of potential stains.
Now, a wide variety of colors, styles, and prints are available to nurses, limited only by the requirement of their employers. Nurses can choose prints based on their specialty, adding a touch of whimsy and personality to their work environment. Nursing and medical assistants also wear scrubs for a professional appearance.
Medical Technicians
Members of the technology branch of medicine have joined the parade of proud scrub wearers, especially in hospital settings. Technicians in ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, CT, phlebotomy and everything else enjoy the ease of the scrubs lifestyle at work. When dealing with sick folks, it’s good to know regular clothing won’t be ruined by whatever might come their way. Scrubs also visually tie these techs in with nurses and doctors and the confidence uniforms create.
Dentistry Professionals
Wearing scrub uniforms in this field makes sense, as well. Ease of wear and care and comfort all matter to professionals with busy work days and personal lives. Like doctors, dentists have worn white coats in the past. And they also have stringent professional standards to maintain in their offices. The visual tie-in with the medical profession is a boost to patient confidence, as well. Dental hygienists and assistants wearing scrubs in the office present an overall appearance of competency to anxious patients fearing the sound of the drill.
Veterinarians
People want to know their beloved pet is being cared for by the best possible vets and assistants. Dressing in scrub uniforms like other medical professionals transfers the appearance of knowledge and compassion to practitioners whose patients are pets or valued livestock. And for the vets and their staff, once again, scrubs make life easier.
If, for some reason, you don’t aspire to the life of a medical professional for either humans or animals, you can relax around the house in scrubs or wear them in public, impressing all who see you.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
