Working as an Occupational Therapist

Working as an Occupational Therapist

People with disabilities, chronic sickness, ageing, and other long-term problems rely on occupational therapists to assist them in their daily lives. Helping folks overcome numerous obstacles so that they may live as independently as feasible is what you’ll be doing in this position. In some instances, you may be teaching someone a new method to work, or making modifications to their current setting, so that their daily routines become more manageable.

In your job as an occupational therapist, you’ll have the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life. You’d be supporting patients recuperating from major surgery or a severe injury, persons with mental disorders, people with special education needs, and those who are elderly.

When dealing with any of the following, you may need to change their work or home environment to make it more accommodating. You might, for example, arrange for stairlifts or level access showers for an older person who desires to remain independent.

Working with patients and their families to improve their quality of life is one of the most fulfilling aspects of becoming an occupational therapist. Supporting an individual’s ability to live on their own might help alleviate the stress on their loved ones. Clients and their support networks aren’t the only ones you’d be working with; you’d also be working in different groups or as part of a multidisciplinary team. Hospitals, clinics, charities, jails, and social services departments are examples of these situations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Occupational therapists assess patients on more than just their ability to move freely. To help individuals have whole and meaningful lives, they provide practical answers. Occupation therapists have a wide range of responsibilities based on the industry they operate in and the people they help. However, most of their work occurs in healthcare facilities or the community.

An occupational therapist’s duties often include the following:

  • The physical, verbal, interpersonal, and cognitive abilities of a patient are evaluated.
  • Developing and implementing a treatment plan and activities that are suitable
  • Recommending and organizing assistance for loved ones, caregivers, or clients
  • Routine clerical duties, such as preparing reports, making phone calls, and maintaining files and case notes
  • Keeping other medical professionals, such as physicians, family members, and caregivers, updated on the patient’s condition and treatment plan.
  • Participating in multi-professional case meetings to evaluate treatment outcomes
  • advising others on the best ways to accomplish their daily duties
  • It’s all about making the environment more accessible for persons with disabilities – whether it’s at home or work.

Skills

Like any other career, becoming an occupational therapist requires numerous personal qualities. This is a public-facing job; therefore, you will meet new individuals every day. So your interpersonal skills must be superb. An occupational therapist must immediately establish relationships with a variety of clients.

You must be patient, sympathetic, and eager. You can make the difference between someone walking after a significant operation and being in the hospital. Positive thinking helps someone to release and recuperate.

Occupational therapists must be quick on their feet. If a patient’s therapy isn’t working, the capacity to immediately shift course is required. It would help if you also work effectively in a team since you will be interacting with other healthcare professionals.

Occupational therapists must be adaptable while dealing with patients’ highs and lows. Flexibility is vital while working with patients since their needs may alter at any time.

Occupational therapists must be effective communicators. This involves clear written and vocal communication to correctly identify patient requirements and explain treatment procedures. They must also collaborate with other healthcare experts and record treatment plans and progress.

If you want to work in occupational therapy, you need to know how to get there. Like many other healthcare professions, occupational therapy requires substantial study and training to get certified. Most occupational therapists have a master’s degree, but others opt to obtain a doctorate to succeed in their industry.

Writing a Cover Letter that Can Get You an Interview

Writing a Cover Letter that Can Get You an Interview

A well-written cover letter is a chance for you to explain why you are the ideal candidate for the position to potential employers. A cover letter is, in essence, a well-crafted sales presentation. If your resume is well-written, you’ll have a better chance of making it to the following interviewing stage.

As a result, recruiters want to know why you are a good match for their organisation. It’s essential to convey your qualifications in a manner that intrigues the employer while also being succinct when crafting an effective cover letter.

What Exactly is a Cover Letter?

When you apply for a job, you must provide a cover letter in addition to your CV. In your cover letter, you should go into depth about your qualifications for the position you’re applying for. Unlike a resume, a cover letter builds on the facts of your prior career and conveys your personality.

Employers use cover letters to narrow the pool of candidates for open jobs and select which candidates will be contacted for an interview. Cover letters are an essential part of the application process since they are your first impression and introduction to a prospective company.

Recruiters and hiring managers can tell a pre-written letter from a mile away, so be careful to tailor your cover letter to each specific job opportunity.

Conduct a Research

Do your homework about the organisation and the position you’re looking for before putting pen to paper on your cover letter. Get a feel for the company’s vibe. A startup may be more relaxed and down-to-earth, whereas a big corporation is more formal.

Format

Provide your basic contact information, the date the letter was sent, and the name and address of the recipient in a formal business letter. For both in-person and online submissions of your letter, use this format. Use a plain typeface and all-black text to make your point. Choose a typeface that matches the style of your CV, such as Arial or another basic resume font.

If you can, keep your message to three or four paragraphs on a single page at most. Often, little is more. Close with “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” or other professional closings. To sign a paper document, either sign it and print your name or enter your name in the closure if you don’t have the technology accessible.

The format of a well-written cover letter is straightforward. Avoid generic greetings like “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern,” which give the impression that you didn’t put any effort into your communication. Instead, search to discover the individual’s identity responsible for the recruiting process.

Body of the Cover Letter

Your cover letter should include three paragraphs. These persuasive paragraphs must persuade the recruiting manager that you are qualified for the position and should be interviewed.

A cover letter is designed to be a concise introduction that highlights your most remarkable qualities, a little of your character, and answers any queries the recruiter may have raised. Cover letters should be no longer than one page and 250-400 words.

Conclusion

To begin, express gratitude to the reader for their attention and concern. Specify that you’re eager to see what comes next in the process. “I look forward to discussing how my abilities may add to the demands of your company,” for example, would be an appropriate response. Then, provide your email address and phone number so that others may get in touch with you.

Employers will be better able to judge who you are as a person—and what you may be able to achieve for their company—if you include a little bit of your personality in your cover letter.

Easy Steps in Hiring a Civil Engineer

Easy Steps in Hiring a Civil Engineer

When it comes to civil engineering recruitment, it might seem like a race against time. When it comes to sourcing and engaging top talent in this area, the adage “excellent candidates have a limited shelf life” is something many firms have come to understand and respect. If your recruiting process takes an excessive amount of time, you may discover that the most qualified civil engineering applicants have accepted offers from other organizations before you have the opportunity to make your own.

To ensure that your organization has the most excellent chance of attracting top talent, it is critical to simplify your recruitment process in order to keep civil engineering prospects interested in and focused on your job openings—the following are suggestions for improving your recruiting efforts in today’s highly competitive industry.

Establish a Deadline

When there are no objectives or deadlines to achieve, recruitment processes might become sluggish. If your recruiting process is left open-ended, you run the risk of losing enthusiasm and applicants as the process proceeds. Establish deadlines for each step, with time being the most critical factor in securing the finest civil engineering applicant. Communication with applicants about your timeframe is also crucial to keep them interested throughout the process.

Commitment to the Deadline

Everyone engaged in the decision-making process for recruiting must be wholly dedicated to your deadline. When top executives are unable to participate in an interview or study the listing of prospects, companies miss out on excellent candidates. As a result, make sure that no one is considering a vacation or business trip and that enough time has been set aside to guarantee a smooth recruiting process.

Candidates Should Be Provided with a Great Deal of Information

While applicants may conduct their research on your organization, you must also promote your employment opportunity at the same rate that candidates market their abilities and expertise. So, give them a clear job description and information about your business, such as its organizational structure and management, culture, and clientele. You may set yourself apart from the competition by offering the background information and engaging them with your firm. If applying directly you will be at the mercy of the HR manager or hiring manager, sometimes position descriptions are very out of date, so if you’re working with a recruiter, they can often provide much more up to date and intangible information not necessarily found on the PD.

Make Your Interviews Customized to Each Applicant

Interviewing a candidate is a one-size-fits-all process.

Develop some pointers and pertinent lines of enquiry before an interview by going through the candidate’s Resume with the panel members and any relevant individuals. You may obtain a better sense of a candidate’s personality and motivations by tailoring the interview process rather than relying on traditional interview questions. In addition to making a better impression, personalizing the interview will show your company’s interest in them.

There are several less formal ways to interview candidates for civil engineering jobs, including:

  1. Casual coffee or lunch meeting: This type of interview setting can create a relaxed atmosphere and give the interviewer an opportunity to get to know the candidate on a personal level.
  2. Site visit: A site visit can allow the interviewer to see the candidate in action and observe their knowledge and skills firsthand.
  3. Group interview: Inviting multiple candidates for a group interview can give a glimpse of their teamwork skills and help assess their communication and collaboration abilities.
  4. Behavioral or competency-based interview: This type of interview focuses on the candidate’s past experiences and behaviors to predict their future performance.
  5. Project-based interview: Give the candidate a small project to work on, and then discuss their thought process, decision making and problem-solving skills.

Note: While these methods can provide valuable insights into a candidate’s abilities, it’s important to remember that they should be used in combination with more formal interview methods to gain a complete understanding of the candidate’s qualifications.

Follow-up!

Make sure to keep up the pace after each interview by following up swiftly. Keep in touch with prospects and let them know when they expect to hear from you again. If you want to do second or third interviews for civil engineering applicants, do it from the beginning of the process so that there is no lag time.

When you locate a brilliant civil engineering applicant, make an offer or ask them for the next round of interviews. There is no need to wait 48 hours or look at other prospects if you’ve identified the ideal individual for the position. Streamline your recruiting process.

Finding and recruiting civil engineers is difficult. When you find prospective recruits, keep them involved with your firm until you can make an offer or not. Don’t delay, be organized, and simplify your recruiting process to get an advantage over your competition. If going with a recruiter, here’s what you should expect from using their agency services.

From the perspective of a recruiter, follow-up is an essential part of the recruitment process for several reasons:

  1. Shows professionalism: Following up with candidates demonstrates that the recruiter is organised, efficient and takes the recruitment process seriously. This can help build a positive impression of the company and strengthen its employer brand.
  2. Provides closure: Following up with candidates who have been rejected or who did not get the job helps to provide closure to the recruitment process and ensures that they are left with a positive impression of the company.
  3. Maintains candidate engagement: Following up with candidates who are still in the recruitment process keeps them engaged and informed. This can help to prevent them from losing interest or considering other job opportunities.
  4. Increases candidate satisfaction: When candidates receive regular updates and clear communication throughout the recruitment process, it can increase their satisfaction and perception of the company.
  5. Helps to identify the best fit: Regular follow-up can provide an opportunity for the recruiter to gauge the candidate’s interest and enthusiasm for the role, which can help to identify the best fit for the job.
  6. Improves time-to-hire: Following up with candidates in a timely manner can help to speed up the recruitment process and reduce the time-to-hire.

Overall, following up with candidates is an important aspect of the recruitment process for recruiters as it helps to build a positive relationship with candidates, maintain their engagement, and identify the best fit for the role.

For more helpful tips and tricks and or general advice contact the team at Gateway Synergy Recruitment, or visit Careers ⋆ Gateway Synergy Recruitment

or visit our Gateway Synergy Recruitment Blog for more helpful articles Get the Latest Recruitment News at Gateway Synergy Recruitment Blog

Remember! Your CV & LinkedIn are the first impression a recruiter or hiring manager has of you, make it count!

Common Hiring Mistakes by Small Companies

Common Hiring Mistakes by Small Companies

When it comes to recruiting new employees, it is critical for every small company to be quite choosy. When you don’t have a huge team of people working for you, it takes a lot of concentration and preparation to get someone on board. If you are the owner of a small firm, you can ill afford to make any errors in judgment. Recruiting new personnel is the most challenging issue that small companies must deal with these days. When you have a small firm, every new employee has a significant influence on the company’s day-to-day operations.

As a result of the limited size of most HR departments in smaller companies, they generally assume a wide range of tasks. It’s understandable that you’re concerned that they won’t have enough time to locate the right person to fill the open post. It’s still possible for small firms to master the recruiting process after studying the frequent hiring mistakes of human resources personnel.

Below are some of the common hiring mistakes made by small companies:

Confusing Job Description

Job descriptions that do not accurately reflect the job’s requirements will draw in candidates with insufficient credentials and abilities. To find the best candidates for a position, it is essential to crafting a compelling job description. It would help if you wrote a well-crafted job description to attract the best possible candidates. Before putting the job description out there, get it reviewed by recruiters once you’ve finished drafting it. The following advice will help you write a job description that will attract the best candidates.

  1. Are you providing accurate and up-to-date details?
  2. Is there a special terminology you’ve used to define the job?
  3. Is the job description clear on what abilities are required?

To attract the top applicants, you should keep questions like the above in mind while writing a job description.

Disorganized Recruitment Process

Any procedure that is not well-organized can cause unnecessary difficulties and delays inside a company. As a result, the second step in eliminating these roadblocks from your recruiting process is to establish criteria for your hiring process. It would help if you planned how to recruit prospects from beginning to end; otherwise, you may see yourself speeding through the process and making incorrect hiring decisions.

Proactive Hiring

It’s possible to take issues into your own hands rather than relying on suitable applicants to find you. One way to prevent hiring the incorrect person is to be proactive in recruiting efforts. Figuring out where your best candidate spends the most of their online time is a good place to start this recruiting strategy. You’ll be ready to hire them when the right opportunity presents itself if you know this information. This recruiting enables you to tap into a larger talent pool to locate the finest candidates.

When it comes to hiring, don’t you think following these hiring best practices and not making these common mistakes would help you get better results? Investing in your company’s long-term success by creating a strong talent pool is essential for increasing productivity and fostering long-term relationships with your workers. Figure out which mistake your company is still making and find a solution to make it right this time. Good luck!

Best Practices in Checking References

Best Practices in Checking References

After you’ve found a strong candidate deserving of consideration for a position, the next step you can do is to check their references. You’ve noted that the candidate’s interview went perfectly well, and their resume and cover letter are well prepared and tailored to the position. However, bear in mind that job applicants can be well-prepared, and resumes can be polished to a high degree. Checking a potential employee’s references is an excellent way to learn more about them and make the best possible hiring decision.

Checking References Best Practices

Candidates should provide at least three professional recommendations with their contact details. In an ideal situation, the references would be former coworkers or co-supervisors of the applicant. Ask for references from previous jobs if the applicant is reluctant to use one from their former position.

Set up a phone interview with each reference, letting them know that the candidate has permitted you to call them. Here are some tips to follow when calling the reference person: 

  • An email isn’t enough for an interview. More than one sentence from the reference will give you a better idea of the candidate’s character and skills.
  • Start offering a basic set of questions about the candidate to help the reference person think about it and formulate their response.
  • Give the reference a brief job description to understand the position’s requirements, your hiring criteria, and the candidate’s potential.
  • Respect the referee’s time. If you requested 15 minutes, make sure it is 15 minutes.

Create Questions

To make the best recruitment decisions, you should use your questions to gather accurate information about the applicant. Create interview questions based on the job description to elicit information about a candidate’s work ethic, expertise, background, and moral character.

Have a conversation with the reference you’re interviewing. Encourage them to think beyond the obvious. Ask the candidate how they would respond in a hypothetical situation. If you’re interviewing different candidates for the same position, a standard set of questions can be beneficial.

Sample Questions for the Reference Persons

It is important to note that the initial questions are easier and more basic than the rest. You want to incorporate the reference slowly into the discussion to add more challenging topics later.

The majority of the questions are unstructured. It’s important to ask “why” after every yes-or-no response if you’re asking a yes/no question.

The most effective technique to conclude your phone conversation is to ask the reference person if there is anything more you should know about the applicant. These catch-all inquiries might provide the reference person with a chance to explore a subject that you may not have considered before asking the question.

An example set of questions that you may ask during a reference check call are as follows:

  1. Do you know the candidate for a long time? How long?
  2. When you worked with them, how would you rate their overall job performance?
  3. What was it like to be in charge of these people?
  4. In what ways did they differ from the rest of the players on your team?
  5. Is there anything about them that sets them apart from the rest of your team members?
  6. Do you recall any areas in which you worked with the candidate to assist them to grow? Could you elaborate on it for me?
  7. Would you rehire them if given a chance?
  8. Is there anything more I should know about this person?

A candidate’s background may be gleaned by a review of their references. Verifying references is just one part of a successful recruiting strategy. As a result, you should always have a solid strategy for finding new employees.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Switching Careers

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Switching Careers

It’s becoming increasingly common for people to change jobs, even industries regularly. Traditionally, the usual setup is to work at your first job until you retire, if you were lucky. Before you hand in your two weeks’ notice and make the leap to a new career, take some time to reflect. Here are some things to keep in mind before making a career change.

Is it Financially Feasible for me to Switch Careers?

Looking at the numbers is an excellent place to evaluate the significance of changing careers. Are you worried about the impact on your finances if you make this change? Will it delay your retirement or make it more difficult for your children to attend college? Is your income going to increase or decrease? The question is whether or not your family can go without your income while you get back up and running. During this transition period, how will you handle your current financial obligations?

However, this doesn’t imply that you need a higher salary to change careers. In fact, many people are content after lowering their tax rate by a few tax brackets. Ultimately, what you need to know about your financial future is more important than anything else. If the answers to these questions are positive, it may be possible to change careers. Before making a career change, it’s best to have a detailed plan in place. Risks and rewards are always in balance.

Will it Affect my Family of I Switch Careers?

There are consequences to switching jobs when you are in a relationship and have children, and those consequences go beyond your own. As a result, you must take into account the effect your decision will have on others.

Consider how your partner and children’s lives will be affected due to this move. How often will they be able to see you? Will they maintain their current way of life, or will they be forced to make significant alterations? Is your partner going to be able to keep working? What if you’re forced to move?

This decision you make today will profoundly affect the lives of the people you care about. When considering a new career path, it’s essential to look beyond your interests and see if it’s the right one for you. A career change could improve your work life, but you must ensure that it won’t negatively impact your personal life. If you do that, you’ll simply be resolving one problem after another.

Do I Need to Start Over if I Switch Careers?

When changing careers, it’s possible that your present level of seniority will not be transferred. As a result, it’s essential to consider what it means to begin again. Always start with a realistic expectation in mind. Is it true that you’re qualified for this position? Take a look at your current skills and see if you’re up to par; if not, what additional training or certifications will you require? If that’s the case, how long will it take and how much money will you have to spend on it?

The growth potential of your new industry should also be taken into consideration. How much farther up the corporate ladder would you be able to move up if you started over? Some jobs don’t give you enough time to rise to the top of fast-growing industries, which is unfair. Make sure you’re aware of what the future holds.

The most challenging question is whether changing jobs will benefit you. Do you despise your profession or just your current position? Do you think you’d be happier if you moved or changed jobs? A fresh outlook can sometimes help. There’s nothing wrong with making switching careers; in fact, millions of people do so each year. However, before making a decision, you should weigh all of your options. Stop and think about how this decision will affect your family, finances, and mental health. When it comes to taking a risk, it’s always a good idea to think things through thoroughly before making a decision.