A Rewarding Career in Physical Therapy

by Alex A. Kecskes

A career in physical therapy has many rewards. You will be helping individuals who suffer from medical problems or other health-related conditions or injuries overcome their inability to move and perform everyday activities. As a licensed healthcare professional, you'll use various treatment techniques to reduce pain, restore mobility, and prevent disability. You'll also work proactively with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing special fitness and wellness programs.



Physical therapists address a wide variety of work and sports related injuries. Among these are problems like sprains/strains and fractures, back and neck injuries, arthritis, burns, amputations and stroke. After patients are evaluated and diagnosed with movement dysfunction(s), physical therapists will conduct or supervise such interventions as functional training, therapeutic exercise, and a variety of manual therapy techniques.



Physical therapists can often be found in hospitals and outpatient clinics. While their jobs are often physically demanding as they lift and assist immobile or partially immobile patients, the rewards can be quite gratifying as patients experience the joys of increased mobility and independence.



The American Physical Therapy Association’s accrediting body--the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)--accredits entry-level academic programs in physical therapy. To enter the field, you'll need a post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited physical therapy program. In addition, many programs require volunteer experience in the physical therapy department of a hospital or clinic.



As a licensed Physical Therapist, you'll earn a respectable income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists earned a mean annual wage of $76,220 in 2009. Earnings can top six figures as you gain experience or specialize.



Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

Lower Expectations?

I was just watching the news where the anchor was discussing job openings at a national food manufacturing plant. My first thought was YES, finally things are looking up. Manufacturers are starting to hire. Then the cameras panned along the front of the building showing thousands of people standing in line to apply for those few openings and my heart just sunk. Maybe the economy hasn’t turned as much as I had hoped.
So I went on a search to find out the truth – or as close to the truth as I could get since we all know how newscasters are!



According to CNN, the following is our current status:

Although the graph paints a pretty picture, the truth of the matter is that the numbers are inflated due to hiring of temporary US Census workers. Census workers accounted for a whopping 411,000 of the 431,000 noted above. It seems that the private sector is still quite afraid to open its coffers and hire new workers. Some of those in the private sector are still laying workers off.


The numbers show that manufacturers did add more jobs in May but more were lost in construction. Retailers and financial firms also cut their numbers. Leisure and hospitality did add jobs but no surprise there – after all, it is summertime. According to the surveys, the public sector employers are waiting – waiting to see what happens when the new numbers come out for June or for July of for August…. (sigh). Don’t you wonder how long they are going to wait?




By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer

Top 5 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions

Preparing for an interview can be especially nerve-wracking, I always wonder what they are going to ask me and dread the moment when they ask if there are any questions I have. The best way to prepare for just this senario is to practice, practice and practice. If you can prepare your answers to the most common questions that interviewers ask, you can write down your answers and role play them with a friend or even just in the mirror. Being prepared can help keep you from those interview jitters.

I found a list of frequent interview questions from Forbes magazine, circa 1983. Surprisingly, not much has changed since then, and I still think that it is one of the best lists ever. Here are the top 5 questions and how best to answer them.

1. Tell me about yourself.

This is the best time for you to to review your career goals and experience. Be careful here, because you don't want to take up too much time. This is just a warm up question, so be brief. Cover the early years, education and job experience.

2. What do you know about our organization?

While researching the job opening, you should know something about the company and be able to talk about something that is relevant to the company and the service or products it supplies. When in doubt, Google is your friend.
You should keep your answers positive, and while not overwhelming the interviewer, let the know that you have done your research. If you are in a bind and blank out during this, you can always say that you have researched many companies in the course of your job search and you need to do more research on this one.


3. Why should we hire you?

This is the question that strikes fear into most of our hearts. It can be hard to promote yourself this way, but you should be able to give a one minute or so recap of what makes you perfect for this position. Rather than saying “you should hire me because...”, try starting with something different. For example, you can say “I would be be a perfect fit for your company and this position because...”.

4. Why do you want to work for us?

This is the question where you can show off your research skills. At this point, you should be able to talk about what the company needs and what skills and talents you have that can benefit the company and help you grow. This is a question you can almost be certain will be asked, and you need to have a good answer to it. If you don't have an answer for it, you shouldn't be interviewing for the position. You don't want to end up with a job that you don't like or want.


Avoid saying things like “Because I like working with people.” or “Because I enjoy accounting.”. Those things should be a given. Don't try to come up with an answer on the fly, because interviewers are pretty good at spotting a liar, and you don't want to give the interviewer the impression that you really don't want to work for them.


5. What are your long-range goals?
When you are asked this, make sure that you have something better than “my goal is to get this job.” You want to talk about your long term plans and how this job relates to it. This question can be a little sticky if you are interviewing for a job that you aren't planning to stay at, but perhaps it is a good question for you to ask yourself before you apply for a position. If a job isn't a step toward meeting your personal goals, then your may not want to apply for it.

In this difficult job market, it becomes even more important to give yourself every advantage at your interview. Take the time to prepare your answers to these questions, making sure that you cover all the main points you want to be sure to get across, take a deep breath and don't panic!


By: Melissa Kennedy

Melissa Kennedy is a freelance writer, volunteer, parent and jobseeker

Should I apply for that Job?

Did you ever watch some of the shows on HGTV such as First Time Homebuyers or Property Virgins? I am an HGTV fanatic and I love those shows because they make me laugh. The host/hostess starts off by asking the buyer about their “wish list”. You see them go through their wants such as 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large yard, a garage, a pool and so on – as if the sky is the limit. Then they say and “our budget is.” some ridiculously low amount. I can’t help but laugh when they do that. As the show goes on, the host/hostess takes the buyer to at least three different properties and you get to listen to their comments as they walk through. By the time the buyer makes a decision, they realize that maybe their wish list wasn’t very practical and they end up buying a place that has most of the features from their wish list.

That seems to the same concept that employers use when looking for job candidates. The employer publishes a job posting with a huge “wish list”. Especially in the technical world – an employer indicates that they want say a business analyst to have 5+ years experience in Oracle, UNIX, SQL, Access, Database design, Visio, requirement management tool experience, use cases, technical writing and the list goes on. Come on – seriously – who has ALL of the requirements the employer is seeking? Maybe a handful of folks but then they are probably not job hunting! The employer knows that they are not going to find a candidate with all of the qualifications they are seeking. However, the employer is seeking as many of the qualifications as possible the same as the house buyer is trying to find as many of their wish list features as possible.

So, if you are a job seeker, do not be afraid to apply for a position where the qualifications are greater than your skill set. An employer will usually compile a list of qualifications and experience for a position that is over and above what they really need. Why do they do this? Well, the same as with the home buyer – they simply want to weed out the undesirables from the desirables. The requirements are simply a wish list for the employer and a general guide for the job seeker. A good rule of thumb is if you meet a larger percentage of the requirements, apply for the job.


The bottom line is that employers hire people they like the same as home buyers buy houses they like even if all of the qualifications/features from their wish list have not been met.



By: Nancy Anderson, Staff Writer

The Laid-Off Life: Submission Impossible

“Desired Position: Reclining. Ha! Company’s President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever’s available. If I were in a position to be picky, I wouldn’t be applying here in the first place.” – anonymous job applicant

I hate online job applications. Well, hate is a very strong word. What I mean to say is I really, really, really hate online job applications.

Granted, in the olden days, back when ‘poking’ someone had entirely different meanings, ‘texting’ wasn’t recognized by my SpellChecker,and ‘Facebook’ was as foreign a word as ‘Bookface’, finding a job was a horridly difficult process. It involved scanning classifieds in the newspaper (remember those?) and actually getting in your car and going to a place of business to fill out an application. By hand! In pen! Who has time for all that nonsense?

Now, it’s a breeze. A simple process that you can do from home. Click ‘Submit!’ and you’re done. Submit! We have received your application and you are in our system. Do not reply to this message, this email address is not monitored! And aggregation sites like CareerBuilder and Monster and HotJobs made it even simpler. All you had to do was sign in, pick a job that sounded fascinating and Submit! They did the work so you didn’t have to, like so many Scrubbing Bubbles.

But simple isn’t always good. When you had to actually make an effort to apply to a job, that company knew that you were a serious candidate, or at the very least that you were seriously interested in the job. It’s human nature; the more difficult the task, the greater the reward must be for us to bother with it. If, say, some huge Delaware Valley company like McNeil or Merck or duPont or Vanguard posts a job on the MegaSites for a great position, can you imagine how many applications they receive when all it requires from you is Submit!? You, my friend, The Most Qualified Person Ever, are one of thousands of applications in a database. Good luck with that.

But I mean I’m not stupid. Or at least not that stupid. I’m a fan of progress. I have a Wii to go along with my ColecoVision. Obviously there are benefits to such ease. I mean, Submit! is a great alternative to driving from West Chester to Center City to Bensalem to Woodbury and back to tender applications by hand. Not that Bensalem isn’t beautiful this time of year. But even in the Internet age, the MegaSites keep you from having to fill out dozens of online applications from scratch by regurgitating your stored information for you. I mean without that, you can develop carpel tunnel from filling out your work history and skills a milliongazillion times.

‘Submit’ has alternate meanings too, like ‘to yield oneself to the authority of another’, as in submit to my will or I shall smite thee! Companies have gotten wise, or at least selfish. Sure, they list themselves on sites like the MegaSites and PhillyJobs.com, but a growing percentage of them require you to come to their websites and fill out their own personal application pages. They’re special. And now we’re back to copy-and-paste carpel tunnel.

I am sure you’ve seen these sites that make you fill out the same information that you’ve filled out a milliongazillion times before, nearly verbatim but with their own special changes here and there. Geez, they are annoying. Fill out all your personal information again. Fill out your education information again. Fill out your work history again. That’s the most infuriating part, the prior employment information. Different and difficult ways to enter, sort, format, and list your work history. Drop-down menus galore. Choose the month-and-day-and-year you started and finished. Choose from a list of ‘job categories’ your position best fits. Mine never fit a category. List your supervisor’s name, email address, phone number, dog’s name, zodiac sign. Don’t have or feel comfortable giving out that information? Sorry, it’s a required field. And my personal favorite: list your most-recent salary. None of their business (which it’s not)? Too bad, that’s required too. Oh, and don’t get fooled by ‘upload your résumé and we’ll auto-fill your information’. That never works right.

After filling out all that info, most of which is just repeated from your résumé (which they don’t read, see here), some sites, especially the big boys, have other ‘special’ pages on their application. Please list five words that describe yourself or describe your work history or please list all the categories of jobs you’d be interested in, how far you’re willing to relocate (geez, I’m applying for a specific job; I know where it is), and are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party.

And, just when you think you’re done three hours later, there are often pages (and pages and pages) of self-evaluation. Seriously. I mean, go fill out an application for Comcast sometime. Literally 28 screens of ‘qualification’ questions, a dozen questions per page: rate yourself on interpersonal skills, what’s your proficiency at team-building, what are your strengths in ‘thought development’, what is your ‘drive execution’ in ‘results leadership’. Those are just four of nearly 300 questions, no joke, no exaggeration. Those are the actual questions. Are they hiring bomb squad techs and CIA agents?

As I’ve talked about before, out of all that information, they’re searching out maybe a dozen matching keywords. My theory is that they don’t care about any of this extraneous information. After so many Submit! résumés, and the thousands of applicants thereof, they got tired of applications so simple that everyone applies. My guess is they believe that if you’re willing to spend half your day filling out their application, you must be pretty serious about wanting the job, wanting to work for them. It’s the Internet age equivalent to running around filling out by-hand applications. If it’s not worth it to you to jump through flaming hoops, you’re not a serious candidate. And I suppose I don’t blame them. But maybe I’m wrong, and these endless applications are some high-level Rorschach test, their Willy Wonka punishment for bad children sorting out who’ll be heir to the chocolate factory.

Normally, I have a piece of sage advice at this point in the column to solve the week’s dilemma, but not today. All I can say is if you want the job as race dog, you must jump through all the hoops they put in front of you. And so, good luck to those of you holding Golden Tickets. When filling out these endless applications, try not to get sucked up the pipe to the Fudge Room before getting to Submit! It won’t stop my hatred of online job applications, but that’s progress for you in the Laid-Off Life.

Just don’t blame me if I sell Slugworth the Everlasting Gobstopper for revenge.


Michael Hochman
LaidOffLife@yahoo.com ◙ Laid-Off Life on Twitter ◙ Laid-Off Life on Facebook

Michael is a Copywriter, Creative Marketer, and Broadcasting Professional still in search of full-time employment after 11 months of full-time job hunting, thanks to an “involuntary career sabbatical”. A Philly native and Syracuse graduate, Michael will gladly accept any job offer you may have for him. Any. Really. Please give me a job??

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"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar." - Drew Carey

Wilimington Trust – Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Ever wonder how your local economy can change on a dime? Well, here you go. Wilmington Trust handed the CEO position to a no-name in the banking industry. When CEO Cecala announced he would retire, the bank, instead of doing an external search for a successor, handed the reigns over to Donald Foley, former treasurer of ITT Corp. No other candidates were considered according to Mr. Foley.


So I wanted to find out more about Donald Foley. I found out that, although he has been on the board at Wilmington Trust for four years, his past has included executive positions in accounting, financial analysis, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. I think the part that scares me the most for the future of Wilmington Trust is the mergers and acquisitions background.
The bank has been damaged by loan losses and weak earnings and lost yet more when the announcement came about the CEO’s unexpected retirement. Could there be credit issues that they are not making public? Is Mr. Foley planning to start selling off parts of the bank? Knowing that they are the dominant bank in the area and a major lender to small businesses as well as local developers – well that certainly leads me to wonder if the Philadelphia region won’t be a party to a domino-effect especially for the smaller business owners.


Some things to watch for if you are one of those small business owners would be if the bank tried to call any of your loans early due to monetary concerns; if they refused additional credit lines to small business owners; if they sold the loans to other local banks such as PNC or US Bancorp along with the possibility of higher interest rates; or even if they made it harder for new small businesses to get first time loans. This truly has a domino-effect on the entire local economy.


So stay tuned Philly to see what happens. Will Wilmington Trust be able to remain independent as professed by its newest CEO or will be up for the highest bidder?



By: Nancy Anderson


Nancy Anderson, SEO Analyst for the Traffic Department at Beyond.com. Nancy has been working with Beyond since 2002. Prior to Beyond, Nancy worked as a business systems analyst at HNC Software, Inc and completed a twenty year career in the US Navy – retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. She enjoys spending time with her beautiful daughter and three incredible granddaughters.

Should you move to find a job?

Are you one of the many job seekers who have been looking and looking for a job in your area but just not finding anything? Is your unemployment about to run out? Are you living in a high cost area and unable to make ends meet?


If you answered yes to those questions you might be a good candidate to consider moving for a good or even better job. However, before you start packing, do your research.


• What is the job situation in the area you are considering? Is it a lot better or just a little bit better? If only a little better, then it’s probably not worth the move.
• What about your family? Do they maybe help out with childcare? Have they been assisting you financially? How will it affect your relationship if you move away? Have you considered the possible extra cost for childcare? Does your spouse agree with the move?
• What about your housing arrangements? Would you have to sell your home? What does the real estate market look like? Are homes selling or sitting? In most areas it’s a buyer’s market, not a seller’s. Are you renting and have a lease? Would you have to pay a penalty to get out of the lease?
• What will it cost you to actually move including packing materials, boxes, renting a truck or hiring a company to move your items?
• What about climate issues? Are you moving to an area that might cause health issues for you or a member of your family? If you plan to move from the north to the south, are you and your family prepared for humidity and less than four seasons? If you are moving from the south to the north, are you prepared for bitter cold and snow and all four seasons? What about altitude changes. This may sound silly but it can truly make a difference to be happy with your new location or being totally miserable.
• What about cultural differences between your current location and the new one? If you love going to the theater and multi-cultural events, will you be happy where the most important event of the year is the County Fair?
• What about transportation issues? Are you moving from a total public transportation environment to one where you cannot survive without a car? An automobile would be yet another expense.
• What about politics? Are they important to you? If you are a republican, are you willing to move to a predominately democratic state?
• What about sporting events? Are you a big fan of a local team? Will you be able to handle not watching all of their games? Be willing to root for the enemy of the local sport’s team.
• Do a cost of living comparison between your current location and the new location. Can you really afford the move?


So make sure you do your research and consider all of the questions above. These are only a few questions to ponder. In addition, never believe that if you move, the job will come. That’s like the old saying build it and they will come and that only happens in the movies. Find a job before you move even if it is only a temporary gig. Also, consider what you type of job you might be willing to take. Are you willing to take ANY position just to change your location? What are your career objectives? Will you be able to meet them or are your trading one bad place for another?


Only you can answer these questions but consider them thoroughly before making your first move.

By Nancy Anderson

Nancy Anderson, SEO Analyst for the Traffic Department at Beyond.com. Nancy has been working with Beyond since 2002. Prior to Beyond, Nancy worked as a business systems analyst at HNC Software, Inc and completed a twenty year career in the US Navy – retiring as a Chief Petty Officer. She enjoys spending time with her beautiful daughter and three incredible granddaughters.