Once you have completed a course in medical billing and coding or have decided you want to look for a job without attempting education, there are numerous places you can look for work. This article provides a guide to landing a billing or coding position.
Create a Solid Resume
As with any job search, your resume is the first line of fire. It needs to look and sound professional. Use a basic resume template available in most word processing programs to ensure clean lines and proper formatting. Print the resume on quality paper, but avoid decorative or colored paper. In addition to including past jobs and education, ensure you list pertinent skill sets for the occupation you are seeking. If you have medical billing or coding experience, skill sets may be inferred. Otherwise, highlight skills such as:
- Ten-key entry, including speed and accuracy
- Typing, including speed and accuracy
- Proficiency with computers
- Proficiency with numerical and accounting concepts
- Knowledge of medical terminology
- Previous experience with accounting or billing software
- Ability for analytical and detail-oriented task work
Include computer experience even if it is not with medical billing software. Demonstrating the ability to master multiple programs is important for almost any job today, and experience with accounting software often translates to some degree to learning any sort of billing software. Employers like to see details on a resume that indicate someone is analytical and good with numbers, especially for a medical billing job. Other important things to include are ability with Excel, past work in a team environment and any experience that shows the ability to work in a heavily regulated environment.
Open all the Doors
Never limit your job search to a single resource. The local classifieds may be a great resource for the unemployed, but they are not the only resource. Scour the classifieds on a daily basis, search online at Monster.com and Career Builder and put the word out that you are looking for a job. Post a status on your Facebook page regarding the search for medical billing and coding opportunities and make sure anyone you know who works in healthcare is aware of your search. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful advertising tool available to businesses, and you can put it to work in your search for employment.
Keep the Doors Open
Once you have opened a door, keep people from shutting it in your face by being professional. If you announce your employment intentions via social media, be aware that recruiters may check you out. If your profile information contains inappropriate information or photographs, it could hurt your chances at a job. The same holds true for circulating your information via friends and family already working in healthcare. Even in a large city, healthcare communities are networked. Insulting a single physician or nurse, even unintentionally, could result in dozens of lost opportunities. During your search for a job, treat everyone with respect, conduct yourself professionally and put your best foot forward, whether online, on the phone or in person.
Ace the Interview
- Business experts have written dozens of books on the best way to ace an interview. Here are a few solid tips to help improve your performance in a medical billing and coding interview.
- Come prepared. This sounds obvious, but the number of people who show up to interviews without a copy of their resume or list of references is staggering. If you are touting your detail-oriented nature on your resume, show it off in the interview.
- Be prepared to talk about your strengths, your weaknesses, why you want the job, how you work with others and how you manage your time.
Be professional, but be yourself. Do not conform to a cookie-cutter personality you think the employer will like. Stand out in the crowd and make an impression.
Follow up. Send a card thanking the employer for his or her time with you.
Building a solid resume, conducting a thorough job search and maintaining a professional presence are all keys to landing a medical billing and coding job.