No, I am not yet there. Sorreh!
But yes, i have been quite busy for the past few months as i have been applying to different agencies as a healthcare worker. I try to apply to 3 agencies a day, sometimes to as measly as one as most of them have a lot of paperworks that should be filled up upon application. Sometimes it gets frustrating as after writing 5 pages worth of application forms, di pala tanggap. Hehe. But i understand.
Anyway, there are different processes that i have encountered when it comes to applying abroad. Some agencies require personal interview first with the recruitment technician/specialist -- they are the ones who pre-qualify you for the next part which is the interview with the employer. Sometimes the interview is done in person, as when the HR from the hospital goes to the Philippines for the hiring of employees. I think this is done usually if massive recruitment is needed for the hospital. Other times a skype/phone interview is done too. I have also heard from others that exams are done first before being interviewed but since i have never experienced it some may encounter that as well.
On other agencies,they do CV sending where after being evaluated by the recruitment specialist, your files will be passed on to the hospital's HR via email. No personal interviews are done and you would have to wait for the approval of the hospital's HR if you would be accepted. For me this kind of job application is harder as you would have to rely on the strength of your credentials as seen on the papers that you passed to the agency. So it is better that before applying to agencies, your resume should be foolproof so to speak.
Personally I have been through skype interviews and CV sending. Skype interviews are not really nerve wracking if you know your area like the back of your hand. So long as you continuously brush up on your fundamentals, me thinks you are safe. The usual questions i encountered were: Introduce yourself, What is your specialty area, what are the cases that you usually handle, What are your expectations, What do you know about this hospital, Are you amenable to working on shifts/OT. etcetera. See, not really hard right? :)
After applying to different agencies and my target hospitals, the usual waiting period that i experienced ranged from about 2 weeks to 2 months. On other cases, after being prequalified by the agency, you would be immediately given with a job offer so it really depends on the need of the hospital and the availability of the position i guess.
As for me, i have accepted an offer that i waited for after 2 months of waiting. Wanna know what that is? Ill tell you maybe later. :)
Keep on reading!
