Where is the best place to begin your next physician assistant job search? I have put each website to the test!
Here is a comparison of the biggest and the best job search websites and apps for physician assistants based on their ability to GET THE JOB done!
1. ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is the new kid on the block and has a lot going for it. After using it for several months during a recent job search it has become my personal favorite.
The resume and CV management sections of the website are the best of the best and the job search is quick, relevant and feature rich. Shortly after posting my resume I received custom notifications and was contacted by recruiters scouting jobs in my area. The jobs were extremely relevant and customized specifically to fit my needs.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found: 147 + jobs
- Relevant jobs: 60%
Available filters:
- Posted: anytime, 30 days, 10 days, 5 days, 1 day
- Employment types: Full time, part time, ad needed, contract and temporary
- Titles (broad from NP to certified pharmacy technician)
- Companies Kaiser, Sutter, etc. etc.
- Location – sort by distance from 5 – 100 miles
Cons:
- My suggested jobs sometimes lacked relevance, and as a physician assistant, the search often pulls any job that includes the term assistant, most commonly medical assistant
- I received countless emails from recruiters concerning jobs far out of my geographic preference, and this was difficult to turn off
Pluses:
- Wonderful resume center with the ability to connect other profiles and have recruiters contact you
- One click apply with your on-file resume and references
- I received A LOT of job offers
- Extremely user-friendly mobile app (iOS) (Android)
Website: www.ziprecruiter.com
2. Indeed.com
Indeed was one of the best first integrated job search platforms that worked. Despite the popularity of sites like Monster.com and Career Builder, they were horrible when it came to PA job search. Indeed was the place where you could go to find PA jobs and connect quickly and easily with employers. Good news, it still is. Although ZipRecruiter now takes my #1 spot, Indeed.com is a very close second. You can sign up for keyword related job alerts which are easy to turn off when the time is right.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found: 67
- Relevant jobs: 33
- Percent: 49% accuracy
Available Filters:
- Location – sort by distance and by city
- Job type: full-time, temporary, part-time, contract
- Salary estimate: 30k+, 50k+, 70k+, 80k+, 90k+
- Companies Kaiser, Sutter, etc. etc.
- Experience level: entry versus mid-level
Cons:
- Resume uploader is a bit more primitive when compared to ZipRecruiter
Pluses:
- Includes salary comparison
- Offers an excellent mobile app with relevant notifications (iOS) (Android)
Website: www.indeed.com
3. Google Job Search
Google job search. Yes, sometimes the best searches come from the best search company. Google once again has your back. With a basic GOOGLE search using the appropriate search query within Chrome Browser, you can search all physician assistant jobs by keyword, location and endless filters coming up with some of the most relevant jobs by location and keyword that I have ever seen. Google aggregates the best search results from the multitude of job sites and makes the task of sorting through hundreds of listings a breeze.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found within 50 miles: 100+
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 90%
Key Features:
- Able to customize your search type right in the search box
- Amazingly accurate to search term
- Ability to set up email alerts
- Less intrusive since you don’t have to deal with haggling recruiters
Cons:
- No application
- Email alerts are only by keyword
- Lacks resume and cover letter upload/support
Pluses:
- One search tool to combines many of the best features of all the sites on this list
- Among all the search sites this had the most comprehensive and relevant list of PA-specific jobs in my area
Website: https://www.google.com/search?q=physician+assistant+jobs
4. AAPA PA Job Source
The defining feature of the AAPA's job source is that your search is strictly within the realm of PA. Meaning you won't have all the clutter that you will find on search sites such as Indeed.com, Monster.com, and Ziprercuiter.com. The cons on this list are large, the biggest con being that you cannot search by relevant geographic location and there is A LOT missing from this job search. That being said you may find something here that you can't find on other job search websites, so it's worth setting up a free account.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found (in California): 239
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 100%
- Relevancy of jobs to my location: 6
- Percent: 2.5% accuracy
Key Features:
- Search is specific to physician assistant jobs
- Sort by Category: Cardiology, dermatology, etc. etc.
- Sort by Practice Type: Hospital, family medicine group, etc.
- Membership is free and once registered you can create job alerts and upload your resume and cover letter
Cons:
- Filters are extremely lacking making the job search a royal pain in the “you know what.”
- Location filters are only by state and not region meaning you have to sort through hundreds of jobs to find something particular to your location
- The resume portion of the website is extremely lacking
Pluses:
- Personalized career center: In addition to your career profile, your account allows you to store cover letters, job openings, communications with employers, and notes that you keep on companies and job openings
- The ability to create job alerts: This tool will search for new job opportunities that match your criteria and automatically e-mail these to you
Website: www.jobs.aapa.org
Don't Forget About Networking!
Word of Mouth
As most of you know word of mouth is probably the most effective job search tool. Studies show that 70-80% of jobs are filled via networking. Here are some avenues to network for PA jobs.
- Your PA school job board
- Facebook networks
- Friends and colleagues
- Clinical rotations and preceptors
As a student, you may be offered a job while on clinical rotations, I know many of my PA school colleagues had jobs lined up even before graduation. If you don’t, please don’t sweat it. Opportunities abound.
5. NCCPA Career Center
I bet you didn't know that the NCCPA has it's own job search site? It is powered by HeltheCareers and unfortunately is very limited. So limited, in fact, that I am only placing it on this list for good measure.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found within 100 miles of my location (Santa Cruz, CA): 9
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 100%
- Relevancy of jobs to my location: 9
Key Features:
- Search is specific to PA jobs
- Sort by specialty: Plastic surgery, urgent care, etc.
- Membership is free and once registered you can create job alerts and upload your resume and cover letter
Cons:
- Extremely limited physician assistant job search site
- There were many, many jobs missing
Pluses:
- Not many that I can think of. You may want to stop here, perform a quick search and then if you are smart, move on.
6. Monster.com
Along with Career Builder (see below) Monster.com was one of the original job search websites. Hell, they even had their own awesome Super Bowl commercial. It is still a "monster" in the industry, but when it comes to finding a physician assistant job in your location, there are much better options (specifically Indeed.com and ZipRecruiter and Google). That being said, creating a profile takes a few minutes and is worth the small amount of effort, especially if you are hoping to cast the widest net possible.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found within 50 miles: 109
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 20%
- Relevancy of jobs to my location: 6
- Percent: 10-15% accuracy
Key Features:
- Search is specific to physician assistant jobs
- Sort by Category: Cardiology, dermatology, etc. etc.
- Sort by Practice Type: Hospital, family medicine group, etc.
- Membership is free and once registered you can create job alerts and upload your resume and cover letter
Cons:
- I had to filter through TONS of irrelevant jobs, such as “Student Life Officer” and “Lyft Driver.”
Pluses:
- Large database
- Decent account tools with the ability to create a searchable profile, post your resume and cover letter
- Apple and Android Apps (iOS) (Android)
Website: www.monster.com
7. Craigslist
Back in the day, Craigslist used to be one of the best places to go to find physician assistant jobs, unfortunately, as of today, it has fallen by the job search wayside. That is not to say Craigslist has lost all its utility. It can still be a great place to find more obscure jobs you may not find elsewhere. You can also post that old office chair you have been dying to get rid of.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found within 50 miles: 47
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 7-10%
- Relevant jobs to my location: 5-7 jobs
Key Features:
- Can search by internship, non-profit and telecommute
- Can search by date posted and define your radius – big or small
Cons:
- The jobs which came up for the search term “physician assistant” were very broad and often not relevant whatsoever
Pluses:
- Can often find more obscure jobs that aren’t posted elsewhere
- Can search by internship, non-profit and telecommute – who knows what you can find
Website: www.craigslist.org
8. Career Builder
Good old' Career Builder used to be THE jobs search site back in the 90's, and maybe it still is for some careers but when it comes to finding physician assistant jobs it performed miserably. Even when I expanded my search radius it added just a few more jobs, almost none of which were relevant.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs found within 30 miles: 22
- Relevant jobs to search term: < 10 %
- Relevant jobs to my location: 3 jobs
Key Features:
- Search by date posted: 24 hours, three days, seven days, and 30 days
- Search by distance
- Search by employment type (part time, full time, seasonal)
- Search by company
Cons:
- Very inaccurate – PA jobs are mixed with various other healthcare careers
- Paucity of actual physician assistant jobs
- Very bad database of physician assistant jobs
Pluses:
- Can upload your resume and cover letter for free
- You can save favorites and set up alerts
- Apple and Android Apps (iOS) (Android)
Website: www.careerbuilder.com
9. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has been around for a very long time, but over the past couple years, since purchased by Microsoft it has been trying to become THE player in networking and job search solutions, and it is making up some lost ground. P.S If you haven't already you MUST take an hour and carefully update your LinkedIn profile. Take your time, employers use it as a screening tool, and it can be a great place to make connections as well as a good first impression.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs: 37 jobs within 25 miles
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 20%
- Relevancy of jobs to my location: 6
- Accuracy: 90% accurate
Key Features:
- Salary insights
- Search by location
- Search by company: Sutter, University hospitals, etc.
- Search by date added
- Search by job function, industry, experience and title
Cons:
- Must have a premium subscription to receive all the benefits (minimum is $24.99 per month)
- Database is not quite as big as some other job search sites but seems to have grown over the years
- A bit confusing
Pluses:
- The search yielded very high accuracy of results
- Android and Apple specific search app which integrates with your profile (iOS) (Android)
- Adds a layer of social integration using LinkedIn which allows you to highlight your skills
Website: www.linkedin.com/jobs
10. Glassdoor
Glassdoor was a bit off my radar, but they have been posting interesting articles lately, so I decided to take a closer look at their job search engine. Surprisingly, there were quite a few, disappointingly, the jobs lacked relevancy. I have a feeling this will be changing over the next 12 months.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs: 50 jobs within 25 miles
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 1%
- Relevant jobs to my location: 3
Key Features:
- Search by date posted, salary range and location by radius
Cons:
- Lots of irrelevant jobs in relation to my search term which resulted in job titles such as occupational therapist, physician, medical assistant, CNA, etc.
Pluses:
- A growing, clean and user-friendly site which will probably get better with time
- A nice salary comparison tool
- Ability to set up salary and job search alerts
- Apple and Android Apps (iOS) (Android)
Website: www.glassdoor.com
A couple of others
11. PA Exchange
PA exchange services physicians, physician assistants & nurse practitioner communities as a partner to the National Provider Matching Program.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs: 0 in my city and 21 in California
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 100%
- Relevant jobs in my location: 0
- Accuracy: N/A
Key Features:
- Search by keyword, specialty, full time, part time and locum
- Search by employer, city, and state
- Search by years of experience
Cons:
- Too many cons to count: A search in my hometown of Santa Cruz California provided 0 results!
- On registration, you can only specify by broad specialty instead of by career (such as NP, PA or MD)
Pluses:
- Can search by “new grads OK.”
Website: www.pa-exchange.com
12. PA Job Site
PA Jobsite allows you to search for PA and NP jobs. At the time of this writing, they claim to have over 8,000 PA and NP jobs listed in their database. My search of all NP and PA jobs within my fairly large region of California listed only five jobs. Not very impressive.
Key Features:
Results of physician assistant job search
- Search term: physician assistant
- Number of jobs: 5 jobs in all of California
- Relevancy of jobs by search term: 100%
- Relevancy of jobs to my location: none
Key Features:
- Search by specialty
- Membership is free and once registered you can create job alerts and upload your resume and cover letter
Cons:
- The search results were insufficient
Pluses:
- Not many that I can see, this is a limited database supported by recruiting companies. There may be some jobs on here that you couldn’t find elsewhere but it is hard to say.
Website: www.pajobsite.com
Honorable Mentions
- iHireMidLevelPractitioners: similar to many of the other PA and NP-specific sites and very limited
- DocCafe: an up and coming employment solution for PA and Physicians
- PayScale.com: A fantastic resource for PA Salary comparisons (current national average $97,000)
Do you have a job search tool or have you used a job search tool that you found helpful? If so, please let me know in the comments section, and I will be sure to place them here.
View all posts in this series
- Use this Interview Hack to Get The Physician Assistant Job of Your Dreams!
- The Physician Assistant Job or PA School Interview – Email Etiquette
- The Physician Assistant Interview: Thank You and Follow-up (With Sample)
- Your Main Goal on Your Path to PA Shouldn’t be Immediate Success or Money, But to Learn as Much as Possible
- Use VisualCV to Create a Stunning Physician Assistant Resume
- The 10 Best Websites for Physician Assistant Job Search
- The 10 Best Cities For PAs to Move to in 2018
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