Archive for March, 2007

Professional Development Resource Guide

Saturday, March 31st, 2007

The American Physics Society has a great resource to assist scientists and students in navigating their professional development. Their 10 steps include:

1. Follow Current Events
2. Learn Basic Skills
3. Give Presentations
4. Prepare a well thought out CV
5. Don’t Procrastinate
6. Set Goals
7. Identify Potential Employers and Relevant Jobs
8. Do your own thinking
9. Learn Soft Skills
10. Join Professional Organizations
11. PS

You can download your own copy from http://aps.org/careers/.

Posted in Job Searching, Resources | No Comments »

Did you know?

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007

My 15 year old son pointed me to a video called Did you know?. While visually simple, the content is simply amazing. I thought I knew a lot about the current job market, but the numbers in this presentation blew me away. The author of the presentation is a blogger, Karl Fisch, and can be found at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/.

Take a look, and I promise it will get you thinking…..

Posted in Education, Job Searching, Resources | 1 Comment »

Job Listings – Indeed.com

Friday, March 16th, 2007

A collegue pointed me to indeed.com, a new job posting board. Enter your field and geographic location, and up pops a list of current openings. I tried it, and found a large number of listings in my area. Might be a good place to gather leads…..

Posted in Job Searching, Resources | 1 Comment »

Pharmaceutical Sales

Friday, March 16th, 2007

No, I’m not suggesting you sell illegal drugs on the street. Pharmaceutical sales representatives work for a drug company, and visit doctor’s offices on a regular basis. The reps explain the benefits and uses of their particular drugs to the doctor, and hope to get the doctor to prescribe that drug for their patients for whom it is indicated. This requires knowledge of science (to understand why their company’s drug is better than the competition), as well as the ability to read people and form relationships with not only doctors, but the entire office staff.

Sound intriguing? There’s an article entitled “Prescription for Success in Sales”, published in Chemical and Engineering News, February 19, 2007, pages 43-46. Check it ou!

Posted in Nontraditional Career Options | 1 Comment »

Another Way to Sell Your Scientific Expertise

Monday, March 12th, 2007

Throughout your career, it’s important to know what you know. That is, understand what intellectual assets you have to offer, and make sure they don’t get out of date (especially if you’re thinking about transitioning into consulting). But how do you know if what you have to offer is of any value in the free market? One way to test the market appeared in my inbox this morning.

The American Chemical Society is announcing a new service, called “ChemInsight“. This new scientific experts matching service will offer a database of scientific experts to the legal profession, forensic accountants, consulting firms, and others who need to understand complex scientific topics. Basically, you list your profile, then sit back and wait to see if anyone needs it.

Testing the waters with a service like this might give you an idea of what market their is for your expertise, and give you an idea of what it’s like to work with non-scientists.

Posted in Nontraditional Career Options, Resources | 1 Comment »

How to Make Good Career Decisions

Sunday, March 4th, 2007

Prepare – Use information. Do your homework and learn as much as possible about all options.
Look – Re realistic. Look for the negatives, and make sure it’s right for YOU.
Appraise – Be both practical and creative. Explore as widely as possible, while trying ideas on to see if they fit.
Non-binding – Be flexible. Leave room for other options, and try new things out temporarily or on the side before
making irrevoccable decisions.

In a word, PLAN!

Adapted from “A Fork in the Road: A Career Planning Guide for Young Adults”, by Susan Maltz and Barbara Grahn, Impact Publications, 2003.

Posted in Career Fulfillment, Job Searching, Resources | No Comments »