Send Resume or Walk-In

[JUMPMASTER]

I'm on the search for another MT position, preferably in a chiropractic or other medical setting. I've sent out some resumes, and gotten few responses. So, I was thinking of physically going to places I'm interested in and see if that gets a more positive result. Have any of you done comparisons on this? Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[AMG]

Send Resume or Walk-In

I would think a phone call would be better. Might not be a good idea to just walk in incase the chiro is busy and they may find it annoying

 

[lpdunit107]

Send Resume or Walk-In

At my current position as a renter at a chiro's office I walked in with my resume. We did a mini on the spot interview.

In my former career as a sales assitant to stock and bond brokers I walked in to a firm, dropped of my resume, got a call the next day and within 2 weeks was working for them. This was in the late 90's though.

Actually with most of my past jobs I walked in with resume and was dressed appropriately.

 

[ed031639]

Send Resume or Walk-In

You can make a great impression by taking initiative to call or go in to an office. Whether you call first or not though, I've seen a lot of situations where people will come in with their resume, the office manager, who is busy, says "Thanks, we'll get back to you" and the employee-hopeful says "You mean you're not going to interview me!?" Then later it's revealed that they would have interviewed them another time, but now have no desire to since the applicant demanded it. Calling first might guarantee you some time to talk and is generally considered polite, but either way it just boils down to being aware and respectful of peoples' time.

If you choose a specific job you know might likely hire you, maybe you could go in as a patient, such as getting an adjustment from one of the chiropractic offices you apply for. Not only does that give the doctor a good feel for your personality, it gives you more insight on how the office is run, how everyone interacts with each other, and what type of work environment it would be as well.

 

[Kai]

Send Resume or Walk-In

I am NOT a fan of potential applicants calling ahead. Send me your info or don't send me your info... just don't tie up the phone lines when we need them for booking clients!!

Mailing a resume on decent paper is a nice touch, but e-mail is great too. Include a cover letter with your resume to help you stand out.

Coming in person can send a strong positive signal, but don't expect to get an interview on the spot. That happens, but be ready to just drop off your resume with the receptionist, too. Employers/hiring managers will ask the receptionist about how you looked and acted, and if we see you we'll take mental notes... so don't go in your casual clothes. Be a professional and let it show in your appearance, attitude and behaviors.

If you get an interview on the spot, do your best and maybe things will work out!

 

[MZ. KRAZY]

Send Resume or Walk-In

I can't think of a good reason to just "drop by"

You won't get an interview on the spot. You won't even get your resume reviewed on the spot.

Please send a resume, but do a little reasearch. KNow who to address it to, know what kind of establishment it is/what the business model is and tailor your message accordingly.

 

[Jill T]

Send Resume or Walk-In

Mailing a resume on decent paper is a nice touch, but e-mail is great too. Include a cover letter with your resume to help you stand out.

Here's a hint for those who will be emailing their resume....please get a respectable email address that reflects the professional you are. You would not believe how many resumes we've had email from addresses such as "hotgirl69 @ gmail" Gmail and Hotmail addresses are free!! Make up a professional one for business purposes.

Angie

 

[kiwikid]

Send Resume or Walk-In

I don't curently work at a Dr's office but at the shop where I work, a resume is always requested. Interviews are scheduled and the owner rarely has a chance to interview someone when they walk in. Sometimes there isn't even an opening, although she will call the sender to let them know that and keep the resume on file in case. When I worked at a Dr's office (not doing massage), there was no way anyone would get an interview then and there, the office manager was much too busy to stop work at the drop of a hat and conduct an interview. Plus, references and work history would be checked before setting up an interview.

And I agree with moogie about using a professional-sounding email. Even your name is better than hotgurl or sk8trboi.

 

[Daddy Paul]

Send Resume or Walk-In

I can't think of a good reason to just "drop by"

You won't get an interview on the spot. You won't even get your resume reviewed on the spot.

Please send a resume, but do a little reasearch. KNow who to address it to, know what kind of establishment it is/what the business model is and tailor your message accordingly.

Very timely, R&R - The other day we received a resume with a cover letter addressed to "Dave". Kelly and I were not impressed.

 

[ManWell KMA]

Send Resume or Walk-In

We hired our first MT in May. To get the word out, I put an ad on Craigslist and several other sources. Craigslist yielded the best results, btw

Disclaimers:

• *When I use "you" throughout this post, it's not directed at anyone here; of course, I know that most MassagePlanetL members are waaaay more professional than some of the people we came in contact with! So please no one take this post personally - it's not meant to offend
  *What follows is solely our experience and opinions and doesn't necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else. lol

We learned a few things ourselves...

First, do make sure that the position you're looking for is indeed being offered. Lol I had some young guy come in wanting to do anything including front desk work, and we have absolutely no plans to hire a W-2 employee, nor do we need a front desk person. Resume --> trash.

Next, do make sure you're qualified for the position being offered. We received responses from people all over the country (and indeed the world) from people who wanted a massage therapy job in our office who weren't even licensed in our state.

Also, make sure to read the job ad, if there is one. Our job ad specifically stated we were looking for an MT with at least a few established clients, and we got emails from people who hadn't even graduated school yet.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I find dropping by or calling fairly imposing. We are indeed busy, so it's tough to meet with someone in person unless we've scheduled for it, and since many DCs don't have front desk people (at least, not full-time, and some not at all), calling isn't always such a good idea, either. I'd love to receive at least as many phone calls from prospective patients as we do from people who want something FROM us. We found we preferred emails.

Resumes are good. Don't lie, we'll catch it. For references, list people you've worked with, not family members. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Don't just list years of employment, include the month too. Avoid superlatives and vague phrases. If I'm looking for an LMT, I don't care that they can do computer work or medical insurance billing - I've already got that covered. If you think your customer service experience is relevant to the position, justify it.

Interview - this is by far the most interesting part (aside from scanning resumes). I'm going to ask those annoying cliche questions - what are your strong points, what are your weaknesses. Why? Because I'm looking to see how you answer. I want to see if you'll respond with the "I'm too hard a worker" (yes, some people actually still say that), and I also had one flabbergasting experience of hearing, "I can't think of any weaknesses - I don't really have any." OMG! Let's just say that's her weakness. LOL I'm looking for honesty. I'm also trying to make sure that we're a fit - the last thing I want is for us to find out you're just not a fit for our office...3 months down the line. If I ask you the "hard" questions and I seem very direct about it, it's because I am. I'm trying to save us both the trouble that inevitably starts to mount if this job is not compatible for you or vice versa.

Also, please please don't ramble. The same one who had no weaknesses also wouldn't shut up. She kept repeating herself. And it was a lot of fluff that tried to pump her image up, not anything meaningful. Same one also wore strong perfume to the office. BAD. You don't want to give your interviewer a huge allergy attack! Doesn't exactly land you a job.

Understand, too, that every good employer is going to Google you. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogspot, public court records, etc, are all fair game. Be professional.

What it came down to for us, was personality. Our biggest "thing" was snagging an LMT who didn't carry any drama or emotional baggage. Someone who was down-to-earth and reliable. Someone who would be there when s/he said s/he would be. Someone who could take basic direction but then had enough self-initiative to be creative and do an excellent job independently without having to be told every move to make.

In turn for this, we pay VERY fairly and recommend massage to all patients who legitimately need it. More than half (probably 60-80%) of our patients also see our therapist. We pay more than any other DC in our area and we supply everything - she comes in, does the massages, and leaves. We seek her input about patients, massage supplies, office protocols, etc. We welcome ideas and suggestions. We love feedback. She is part of the family. It's just the three of us. It's give and take; we do favors for her and she does them for us. We joke around and laugh. We're very relaxed. We just wanted someone who knew how to handle that without taking it too far. And of course, the patients RAVE about her

Viva the awesome LMTs! They add an element to our practice--and our lives--that we just couldn't duplicate. Woot!