Working in public health is extremely rewarding and exciting. Finding the right place to work and the right opportunities that overlap with your interest and skills, can be challenging. This course is designed to make that easier for you. This course is for anyone working in healthcare (regardless of your clinical background) who is wanting to impact the world at a population (rather than individual) level.

The course addresses two issues that you need to understanding if you're going to do a meaningful search for a job in this area: firstly you need to understand the public health landscape (who is hiring and what are they looking for) and secondly, what do you want to do (public health is very broad and you need to be quite clear about your value proposition).

You might be interested in working in a particular disease area (like cardiovascular disease for example) or on a particular hazard or exposure (like smoking or alcohol use); or you might be interested in focussing on a particular population group (like people living in poverty for example). Some public health practitioners are focused on a particular issue like climate change and health and others are focussed on a combination or a disease area, an exposure of interest and a special issue (like access to ARVs for children with HIV). Next you need to think about the kind of work that you're interested in. Some people like to work as independent consultants and others prefer a stable job and formal employment. You might want to travel and see the world or work closer to home and stay in one place. These are all decisions that you need to make before you start your search for a job.

Finally there is the process of actually applying for a job. How do you search for a job on the internet? What needs to be on your CV? What should be included in the cover letter? How do you prepare for an interview? These are all issues that are dealt with in this course.

I'm exited about being part of your learning experience. This is a course for anyone that is interested i working in public health. You may be working in public health already and you are now looking for a career move or change; or you might be working in someone completely unrelated and want to explore public health as an option for your future career. Either way, I'm sure you'll find this course useful.