Previously, I’ve talked about why it might be advantageous to take a (or multiple) gap year(s). Today, I want to break down what the process was like for me to find a gap year position, and talk about some advice I have so that you set yourself up for success.

My Timeline

Just a general timeline of how things happened for me–I’m in the mindset that doing everything earlier is better, but of course I know plenty of people who are successful and did everything much later than me!

I started applying to positions late September/October, but did the bulk of my job search throughout late December and January. I basically spent my entire winter break searching for and sending in job applications, got interviews throughout January and February, and first offers in February.

What I can say is that places are constantly hiring, so even if you don’t get something in Jan/Feb before your graduation, fear not! You’ll find something.

Know what you want to accomplish

And that can be anything–but make sure you’re clear with yourself on what exactly you want to do in this one or two years “off.”

Do you want to get work experience? Make money? Patient interaction? Do you want to do research? Do you want the opportunity to publish and present at conferences? The clearer you are about this with yourself, the clearer you can be at your interviews.

Something you might want to consider is filling in any “gaps” in your resume. When I was applying for gap year positions, I knew the gaps in my resume was clinical experience: so, I wanted to apply for jobs that has some components of clinical interactions. At the same time, I knew I wanted to do research and have the opportunity to publish, because that’s what’s interesting to me.

Apply Broadly

I applied to a mix of jobs, but mostly clinical research positions, since that broadly fulfilled the two goals I had outlined for myself (clinical exposure + research). However, I also did not completely rule out jobs that appeared to be more research oriented (for example, public health research) rather than clinically oriented, and vice versa.

It’s interesting because even if I applied to a job I knew I didn’t fit 100% for, a lot of the times, the people I end up talking to/interviewing with actually end up passing my application along to another group that I fit better with. For example, for my current position, I initially applied for a purely clinical position–but I ended up being passed along to another group within the same department, and ended up with my research position now.

The avenues of how I found my job listings included Handshake (my school’s job listing directory), pre-med emails, and other school’s pre-health career directories. (Princeton has a pretty good public one!) I also looked at different research institutes and individual PIs and their lab pages–but that didn’t actually pan out that well.

I didn’t rule out any location, school, etc–I just applied to everything that I could see myself working in!

Do Every Interview You’re Offered

Seriously, if you’re offered an interview, DO IT! Especially if they’re offering to do it remotely (so you don’t need to pay to travel), or if they’re paying for you to go interview.

It’s such good practice, and you might be able to meet some new people along the way as well. In addition, it’s a good time for you to ask questions. Remember, they’re not just interviewing you, you’re interviewing them as well to see if they have the opportunities you seek. And this brings me to the next piece of advice…

Ask Good Questions

In any job search, you have to consider “hey, what’s in it for me.”

While that may sound a little weird and perhaps selfish, a gap year position is a little bit different from a typical first post-grad job because it needs to set you up positively to apply for med school. In a gap year position, you don’t really have the leeway to make the wrong decision.

So, if you’re offered an interview, ask about what the typical day is like, ask about who you’ll be interacting with for most of your days, and see if you can talk to someone who’s currently working there on their gap year. It’s always nice to see someone who actually likes their job! It might also be beneficial to ask about mentorship and professional development/career opportunities, as your gap year is actually the perfect time to network and meet mentors who can make a huge difference in your career.

Something that helped me solidify the decision to work at my current gap year position was that during the interview, it felt clear that the people who I’ll be working with would also be willing to be invested in me. I felt that it was rare–in a lot of jobs that I’ve interviewed for in the past, it was always about what I (the applicant) can do for them. While that was obviously a component of the interview, they also took the time to ask me about my goals and what I wanted out of the position.

BELIEVE in yourself!

Remember that you just need ONE person to say yes to you and believe in you.

I was nervous going into my gap year job search, but was pleasantly surprised to end up with a handful of interviews and offers–and of course my current job, which I absolutely love!

As long as you’ve put in the effort in undergrad and the job search, you will probably find something. You never know what may happen, so just believe in yourself.

Conclusion

Planning for the gap year (or years) before medical school can be daunting, especially at a time in your undergrad where you’re supposed to just be letting loose and celebrating your achievements.

I hope that my advice can be helpful to you guys searching for a gap year position! Let me know your thoughts below and if I missed anything.