In this day and age, social media marketing has shifted from being platforms that help people stay connected with friends and family to spaces for professionals to network with other professionals. Therefore, anyone with an OTA degree should consider the profound effect social media can have on their career, especially when focusing on healthcare staffing agencies.
In this article:
Social Media’s Significance for OTAs
The connections you make on social media, whether on a professional platform like LinkedIn or on a standard one like Facebook, may share information about potential job opportunities that you can snag. Your friends may tag you in posts about positions where your education is relevant.
Moreover, whenever you’re looking for a job, you can post about it on social media. People in your area may recommend places you should check out, especially if they have firsthand experience with the establishment or know people there.
You can also let the agency staffing come to you by creating a career profile that showcases your relevant skills, education, experience, and other attributes that make you stand out. Then, health staffing agencies, recruitment firms, and even individuals may search for a person with your talents.
Keep Updated on the Latest Industry Information and News
You completed the necessary education program, which is at least your associate’s degree. Now, you’re ready to enter the field, or maybe you’ve already landed a job.
However, you can still use social media to your advantage so you can stay updated on the latest trends. And as new research emerges in the industry, you can keep up with it.
Sometimes, this might be directly related to staffing agencies because they’re often the ones spreading the word to engage OTAs and other professionals. You might also find valuable information about trends that’ll allow you to better tailor your resume.
Start Engaging with Health Staffing Agencies
Simply following health staffing agencies isn’t enough. They may never once glance at your page. Though they may post jobs, it’s easy to get passed up with the sea of applications the agency may receive. If you’re interested in getting the attention of any agencies, even when they’re not actively hiring, you have to engage with the agencies’ pages.
That means you need to like, comment, and share. Make sure you’re doing it in a way that’s relevant. For instance, you don’t want to merely interact and comment just to comment. Everything you do should have meaning and help you to stand out.
Mingle with Industry Leaders
Networking has shifted a great deal. At one point, it meant that you were going to events, getting your name out there, possibly passing out your business card, and telling anyone you could about what you bring to the table. You eagerly waited for people to call you over for them to introduce you as “so-and-so who works at _.”
You might’ve also taken every opportunity you could to explain to small businesses in the area what you do and how you could benefit them and their customers, all in hopes they’ll leave out your pamphlets.
Social media has made rubbing elbows with industry leaders easier than ever. Rather than waiting for an opportunity at an event to meet with other professionals, it’s possible for you to request them as a connection or friend. You can then weasel your way into letting the health staffing agency professional know your name and what you do. This might spark other people in positions of power in the industry to request you as a friend.
Get Tips from Other Professionals
You might have your sights set on the higher-ups in the staffing agency and are completely focused on getting the attention of industry leaders, as are other professionals in industries such as vocational therapy. However, individuals in management aren’t the only ones who matter when it comes to scoring a new job as an occupational therapy assistant.
Even the people who are the general staff at a health staffing agency can have an impact on you getting a job. These individuals may provide insight on how to get hired with their companies, either in blogs or on social media posts. You’ll then learn tips that’ll give you a leg up on the competition.
Or, even if they’re not giving this type of insight, they may provide general support for succeeding in the field after you earn your OTA degree. These tips aren’t always exclusive to getting a job, either. Rather than just tidbits of information about getting hired, the information might be helpful hints for whenever you’re working in the field that’ll help you stand out, or at least assist patients to the best of your ability. The insight you get might be related to how to care for certain types of patients, the most effective way to treat a specific problem, or how to get noticed by your employer.
Once you earn your OTA degree, you have enough education to work in a professional setting. You might be wondering how you’ll be able to earn a spot in the field and establish yourself. The answer may be creating a career profile, following a health staffing agency page and interacting, or befriending staff.
