Halfway Through Your Externship…Now What?

By Alexis Leiderman, BS

If you are like me, you might have just had that “oh shoot” moment. That moment you never thought you would actually have: you will be graduating in a mere few months. So…now what?

Time really has flown by and externship is already halfway over. You have had good days, bad days, and days that have made you fall in love with audiology all over again. But soon, you will no longer be introducing yourself as, “Alexis, the audiology extern”, but as, “Dr. Leiderman, the audiologist”. How can you ever prepare yourself for that moment?

Well, for starters, it might be the time to really spruce up your resume and restructure for job applications rather than externship applications. As a member of national SAA, you qualify for the Resume Review Service, which is a FREE tool to have your resume reviewed by practicing audiologists. Other documents that may be helpful when applying for jobs, such as cover letters, curriculum vitae (CV), and thank-you notes, can also be submitted for review through this service. After your resume is fully reviewed and ready to go, the best way to get it out there is by uploading it to HEARCareers. The SAA also offers some sample professional documents to use as a template if you are stuck on how to start your resume or CV.

Something I have found very helpful is to start a conversation with new graduates on how they found and landed their current job. Maybe they were able to be hired directly from their externship site or found an opportunity by starting a friendly conversation with a professional at previous AAA annual conferences. Whatever it may be, starting that conversation and asking about salaries, benefits, and other job-search-related experiences will only help you to land the job of your dreams. National SAA provides tons of resources for new professionals as well.

As intimidating as it may seem, it is also a good idea to start that online search for jobs a few months prior to graduation. You never know what a quick “internet rabbit hole” search will lead to! If you don’t know where to start, try HEARCareers.

Something that will come around eventually is also ensuring you have all your educational documents ready prior to graduation. Whether that be submitting your final Capstone project or working directly with your program director to get your hours signed and submitted, getting your documents organized and ready to go now will only help avoid headaches in the next few months.

It is also helpful to have all your documents organized and submitted to receive your audiology license from the state you wish to practice in! Different states have different requirements so make sure you are confident which ones you need for your state.

I hope this post helped ease your worries a bit, but remember this: things will all play out the way they are supposed to. Even if you do not land the “job of your dreams” as your first job, remember: you have your entire career to find your dream job. We are so close to the finish line, so it’s also important to celebrate all your accomplishments and enjoy the last few months of externship! We will never be, “Alexis, the audiology extern” again, so enjoy that title, and take advantage of this last opportunity for direct supervision as much as possible!

Additional Resources

• Academy New Audiologist Resources
• Getting Comfortable Introducing Yourself as “Doctor”: Transitioning From AuD Student to New Professional