Interview. Credit: Idaho Career Information System (Photo: Idaho Career Information System) During an informational interview, the focus isn't on employment but on information gathering. Your real goal is to illuminate the path ahead of you, not to focus on job openings. A week ago, I visited my son at his California college. There, students use skateboards to zip from class to class. Let me tell...
Two students at Virginia Tech career fair (Carter Reed Photography) (Carter Reed Photography) “My wearing of the [appropriate] clothes was a sign of respect and a way to signal that I was a serious candidate and that I took the interview process seriously.” --Hilary Kemp One prospective postdoc nearly blew his chance to work in Nancy Thompsons cancer research laboratory at Brown University. The r...
Dreading that first job interview? Concerned that your last job interview was not so stellar? Then join your fellow MIT graduate students and postdocs for an exciting workshop on Interviewing Skills for Scientists and Technical Professionals.
Tooling Up, Dave Jensen DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OFSEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS It's the single most common interview question there is--and yet it really isn't a question. It's also a phrase that can come at you unexpectedly, most often when you are thinking about something else. Perhaps you've just shared a cab ride with another conference attendee who h...
DAVE IS THE FOUNDER OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL, SEDONA, ARIZONA, A KELLY SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES COMPANY PREVIOUS COLUMNS Yes, those books you've read are correct. Interview preparation is important-- very important. However, there is one thing that many books don't tell you: Although most homework in this department is very beneficial, there is a certain type of interview preparation that is a...
DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS A red flag went up for Sherri as she scanned the e-mail from a human resources manager who had invited her in for an interview. Although the agenda wasn't all that unusual, it included a "Group Interview" segment right after her seminar presentation. She called to ask the HR manager for more details,...
PETER IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, "TO BOLDLY GO: A PRACTICAL CAREER GUIDE FOR SCIENTISTS" PREVIOUS COLUMNS Most people, young scientists included, believe that job interviews are a one-way process. You, the interviewee, present yourself as well as possible, while the interviewer carefully evaluates you in relation to all the other finalists. That is only half the story. Although job interviews are...
Tooling Up graphic (Kelly Krause, AAAS) What's Your Mission?. by Dave Jensen, 15 January 2010. Your unique life philosophy is the cornerstone of your success and job satisfaction. Presenting Your Technology. by Dave Jensen, 18 December 2009. Budding scientist-entrepreneurs must be able to present their company skillfully to potential investors and partners. The Project Management Career Track. by...
One of the biggest joys and challenges of my first 3 years in academia has been the chance to hang out my own research shingle and build my research program from scratch. While I have continued to publish a steady stream of papers from my doctoral career, I spent the past few years deliberately avoiding new collaborative research with my former advisor and colleagues. This has permitted me to str...
Tooling Up, Dave Jensen DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS The interviewing process can sometimes be analyzed as if it were a living, breathing thing. One aspect of its "live" nature is that it is in constant flux. Companies want to keep interviews fresh and worthwhile, but most of all, they want to eliminate the cost of bad hires. (I...
INDEX OF ARTICLES Dear CareerDoctor,I've just started applying for jobs again and have found lots of advice on interview technique, but I want to prepare for rejection and get a better understanding of why I'm not successful straight away if this happens to be the case. I'm worried about losing motivation if I don't get the DREAM job that I hope I'll find out there. What should I expect in terms ...
DAVID IS A HUMAN RESOURCE EXECUTIVE IN THE AREAS OF TALENT RETENTION, ACQUISITION & DEVELOPMENT PREVIOUS COLUMNS Scientists have a head start on many other job searchers because they have been trained in scientific research methods, and looking for a job is much like seeking the solution to a scientific or technical question. It takes planning, background research, experimentation, and data analy...
INDEX OF ARTICLES For many of us the first time we face the scrutiny of a 'serious' interview panel is when we try to convince a department to take us on as a PhD student. You may have run the interview gauntlet before then, for summer jobs for example, but the stakes--a career in science, or not--have probably never been so high. And as you progress--applying for postdocs, fellowships, and (whis...
DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS Human Resources Manager: "Tell me, Susan, your strengths are all laid out very nicely on the résumé, but I wonder what you would consider to be your greatest weakness?" The Applicant: "Well, let me think a moment. ... I guess one of my weaknesses is that I work too hard. I spend too much time in the ...
DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS The interviewing process can sometimes be analyzed as if it were a living, breathing thing. One aspect of its "live" nature is that it is in constant flux. Companies want to keep interviews fresh and worthwhile, but most of all, they want to eliminate the cost of bad hires. (It costs a small fortune ...
DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS It's the single most common interview question there is--and yet it really isn't a question. It's also a phrase that can come at you unexpectedly, most often when you are thinking about something else. Perhaps you've just shared a cab ride with another conference attendee who happens to be a company ...
Next Wave's Program Director, Lenka Fedorkova, organized and moderated a panel discussion, "Interviewing Skills for Scientists," at the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. The panel, representing a wide variety of career and educational backgrounds, provided the audience with diverse perspectives on interviewing for jobs in science and technology. The discussion touched on many job-hunting topic...
DAVID G. JENSEN, A WRITER AND SPEAKER ON CAREER ISSUES WORLDWIDE, IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CAREERTRAX INC., A BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICAL CONSULTING FIRM LOCATED IN SEDONA, ARIZONA. PREVIOUS COLUMNS In the last couple of months, Tooling Up has presented a wide variety of marketing tips optimized for the scientific job seeker. My previous two articles (see related links) discus...
DAVE IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SEARCH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL IN SEDONA, ARIZONA PREVIOUS COLUMNS Recently I met with a group of young scientists who asked me what the hiring process was like in industry. We spent quite a bit of time discussing topics like seminar preparation, the interview day lineup, and interpersonal dynamics. I seemed to be getting through on some points but having a difficul...
