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There are differences of opinions regarding whether or not to include certain things on a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). Some career specialists contend that it is okay to include things like an objective statement, “references upon request”, telephone numbers and hobbies on a CV whereas others do not. That said, most career experts agree that the following SHOULD NOT appear on a resume or CV 

1. Martial status, religious preference or social security numbers (it is illegal in the US to require this information)
2. Graduation dates from high school, college or graduate/professional school (this allows employers to estimate your age)
3. Current business contact information (do you want a hiring manager to contact you at work about a new position or monitor your e-mail and phone calls?)
4. An unprofessional e-mail address (hottie@gmail.com does not send the right message to prospective employers)
5. Writing in the third person (it is your career and life so write in the first person)

While these recommendations may be obvious to many, they are not so obvious to others, especially people who come from other countries where inclusion of personal information like martial status, nationality, religious preference etc are allowable and in some cases expected.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Last week, financial analysts and social media enthusiast were all a twitter (sorry I couldn’t resist) about LinkedIn’s multibillion dollar IPO. There is little doubt that LinkedIn has emerged as the preeminent job search social media platform. However, there are a few “tricks” that jobseekers ought to consider to improve their job prospects and subsequent employment.

To that end, Paul Boutin wrote a great piece in the Gadgetwise section of the NY Time yesterday entitled “Three Things All LinkedIn Users Should Do.” It was so well written that I reproduced much of the post below.

“Post a photo – A few years ago, people who posted photos of themselves to the Internet seemed self centered. In the Facebook, era, though, an account page without a picture seems like the work of someone who didn’t put much effort into it. It doesn’t need to be a professional headshot. Just stand against a white wall in business attire (or, if you’re a software engineer, a Rush t-shirt) and have someone take a cellphone photo of your face and shoulders. To upload your photo, choose the option Profile -> Edit Profile at the top of your LinkedIn page, and look for the Add Photo link.

Think keywords – On the same Edit Profile page, take a good look at your resume. If your past employers gave you odd titles like “gatorbox wrangler” or vague ones like “senior administrator,” replace them with industry standard terms like “sales engineer” and “accounts payable specialist.” Otherwise, you’ll never be found, because no one will type those terms into LinkedIn’s search box.

Search experts call this problem “discovery.” Other people won’t find you if they aren’t searching for words that match your entry. Pack your LinkedIn profile with as many popular job terms as you can think of related to what you do. If you can honestly change a past job title from something like “Web producer,” to something more senior like “product manager,” it’s better to put it  in your profile, so you can at least get found and get an interview.

Ask a question – A LinkedIn spokeswoman told me that sending a question to your LinkedIn network is one of the best ways to remind people that you still exist, and are still looking for work. Click the menu option More -> Answers at the upper right of the LinkedIn home page, and look for the box that says “Ask a Question.” Get to the point: “Does anyone know of an office administrator position with a full-time salary and benefits?” These days that might get you a part-time contract, but it’s probably better than blindly sending out resumes and watching your inbox in vain.”

If LinkedIn is too overwhelming or more time consuming than you are willing to invest, check out BioCrowd, an online networking site designed EXCLUSIVELY for life scientists and other bioprofessionals.

Hat tip to Paul Boutin and the NY Times!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting  (check out the BioJobCenter)

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Yahoo jobs pointed me in the direction of an article entitled “22 Secrets HR Won’t Tell You About Getting a Job.” Usually these are so-called fluff pieces but after reading this one, I decided that it was one of the more informative articles on job searching that has appeared on the Internet. Rather then filling up the page with descriptive prose and insightful comments from HR professionals and prospective employers, the authors of the piece use quotes from various individuals involved in the hiring process to reinforce or dispel ideas and myths about job hunting. 

The article is divided into three sections: 1) What You Should Know About Resumes; 2) Secrets About The Interview; and 3) Things to Know About Salary Negotiation. Rather then publish them all at once; I will post them in three separate installments so that people at various stages of the job hunting process can read the sections most relevant to them.  

What Jobseekers Should Know About Resumes

1. “Once you’re unemployed more than six months, you’re considered pretty much unemployable. We assume that other people have already passed you over, so we don’t want anything to do with you.” –Cynthia Shapiro, former human resources executive and author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know

2. “When it comes to getting a job, who you know really does matter. No matter how nice your résumé is or how great your experience may be, it’s all about connections.” –HR director at a health-care facility

3. “If you’re trying to get a job at a specific company, often the best thing to do is to avoid HR entirely. Find someone at the company you know, or go straight to the hiring manager.” –Shauna Moerke, an HR administrator in Alabama who blogs at hrminion.com

4. “People assume someone’s reading their cover letter. I haven’t read one in 11 years.” –HR director at a financial services firm

5. “We will judge you based on your e-mail address. Especially if it’s something inappropriate like kinkyboots101@hotmail.com or johnnylikestodrink@gmail.com.” –Rich DeMatteo, a recruiting consultant in Philadelphia

6. “If you’re in your 50s or 60s, don’t put the year you graduated on your résumé.” –HR professional at a midsize firm in North Carolina

7. “There’s a myth out there that a résumé has to be one page. So people send their résumé in a two-point font. Nobody is going to read that.” –HR director at a financial services firm

8. “I always read résumés from the bottom up. And I have no problem with a two-page résumé, but three pages is pushing it.” –Sharlyn Lauby, HR consultant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida* (see footnote)

9. “Most of us use applicant-tracking systems that scan résumés for key words. The secret to getting your résumé through the system is to pull key words directly from the job description and put them on. The more matches you have, the more likely your résumé will get picked and actually seen by a real person.” –Chris Ferdinandi, HR professional in the Boston area

10. “Résumés don’t need color to stand out. When I see a little color, I smirk. And when I see a ton of color, I cringe. And walking in and dropping off your resume is no longer seen as a good thing. It’s actually a little creepy.” –Rich DeMatteo

*While this may be true for non-scientists, there is no page limit on CVs. That said, the more concise that you are the better off you will be!

Stay tuned for the next installment; Secrets About the Interview

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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I have been professionally critiquing curricula vita (CV) for scientists for the past 10 years or so. While some are better than others, they all tend to suffer from the same problems and mistakes. This is mainly because scientists, unlike many other jobseekers, are rarely taught the “ins” and “outs” of resume writing. 

 Like anything else, resume writing is more of an art than a science and it takes many years and lots of trial and error to discover a format that works. That said, I found an article written by Charles Purdy, the Editor of Monster Hot Jobs, that offer would-be resumes (CV) writers some useful tips.

In the original article, Purdy offered eight tips for resume writers. However, some of the original eight were not germane to science CV writing. To that end, I pared the list down to five and added my own titles and commentary.

1.  Customize the wording of your CV

An easy way to make sure your resume gets you in the door for an interview is to echo or parrot the language in a job post in your CV. This is because a resume reader—whether human or software-based —will be screening them for so-called “key words.” Failure to include key words in a CV will likely mean that it will be placed in the not interested pile.

Look for ways to creatively use keywords throughout your CV. And yes, for those of you who may be thinking ahead, this means that a new CV will have to be created for every job applied for! You cannot be lazy if you are seriously looking for a job.

2.  Insure the accuracy of CV content

There is a saying among professional recruiters that goes something like “they all lie.” This means that there is a general consensus among recruiters and HR professionals that most jobseekers include “little white lies” in their CVs to bolster their changes of landing a job.

While this practice may have been tolerated in the past, the advent of social media, online background checks and increasing competition for jobs suggests that person who knowingly include false or misleading information in their CVs will suffer the consequences for lying. Nobody is going to hire an individual who has the propensity for not being forthcoming or telling the truth. So, keep it real and honest; or you may find yourself unemployed for a very long time.

3. Objective statements are passé

Honestly, I never truly understood objective statements; especially if they said something like, “to obtain a position as a laboratory scientist.” Well...duh....we know that you want to be a laboratory scientist because you applied for a laboratory scientist position at our company! 

Instead of an objective statement, I highly recommend CV contain a section (at the beginning) called “Summary of Qualifications” or “Personal Profile” This provides jobseekers with an opportunity to tell perspective employers who they are, what they bring to the table and why  they, rather than their competitors ought to be considered for the job. It also allows jobseekers to generously incorporate as many keywords gleaned from the job post into their CVs.

4.  Keep the verbosity down and use exciting and laudatory language

Scientists tend to wax romantically about their work and in many cases are overly verbose when it comes to describing what they have done and where they have been. On the other hand, hiring managers, HR professionals and recruiters don’t have the time or patience to read dense, wordy and often times redundant CVs.

The key to success is to clearly, cogently and boldly express your skill sets, talent and other assets that you will bring to the table if hired at a company. This requires a substantial amount of thinking, time and word-smithing to get it right. In other words, you will have to spend more than 30 min throwing together your CV.

Also, it is vital to construct a CV using action verbs and flowery, laudatory adjectives to sell yourself to prospective employers. Writing in the passive voice is tedious and quite frankly boring. Prospective employers want to hire people, who are confident about their abilities, demonstrate the ability to take control and face challenges without flinching.

Further, I know that we scientists are told not to promote or say exemplary things about ourselves but it is time to get over it; the rest of the job-seeking world does it and we are no different than other persons!

5. Appearance does matter!

Let’s face it: nobody wants to read a densely-packed CV written in 10 pt font. While it is true that content is the most important thing contained in a CV, the way information is presented can influence whether or not a CV is read by a prospective hiring manager or employer.

I generally recommend an open, inviting design that allows a reader to easily find all of the pertinent information about prospective employees.  Truth be told that when I was working as a professional recruiter, I tended to not even look at dense, visually unappealing CVs unless I was desperate for a job candidate.

While I am sure that I missed a few things, these tips will help to improve your CV and possibly lead to gainful employment. Let me know your thoughts!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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I frequently tell persons who attend my career development seminars that looking for a job ought to be a fulltime job in itself. Unfortunately, while this may be accurate, it generally is not feasible for many scientists who are working toward an advanced degree working towards an advanced degree (they are suppose to spend all waking hours in the lab). Increasingly, the life sciences job market is becoming extremely competitive and fierce and gainful employment is much harder to come by than any time in the past. And, regrettably, most life scientists—unlike a majority of their non-scientist counterparts—have little or no training to prepare them to conduct even a basic job search. 

The lack of emphasis on job searching skills (resume writing, interviewing techniques, etc) for scientists is mainly rooted in an urban legend that asserts that a scientists’ worth (and ultimate employability) is contingent upon the quality of “the science that he or she conducts” or put another way “the quality of one’s science will speak for itself.” This attitude suggests that the ability of a scientist to land a job is based almost exclusively on the quality and number of his/her publications. And, perhaps even more egregiously, scientists are taught to believe that self promotion or attempts to market or brand oneself are abhorrent and strictly forbidden. 

Sadly, finding a job in the “real world” requires most jobseekers to develop a strategic plan, network and actively promote themselves to prospective employers. To that end, I found a brilliant and well crafted article by Marat Gaziev entitled “I Asserted Myself, and Got the Job.”

In the article, Gaziev, who is 24 years old and a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist, describes his self-discovered and ultimately pragmatic approach that he used to find a job. He nicely expressed the essence of his discovery in the following passage:

“When I was hunting last summer for a job in search engine optimization, I started by applying for positions advertised on major online job boards. I looked for openings in San Diego, where I was living, and used one résumé. I didn’t research the companies or consider gearing the résumé’s focus toward a particular job.

“I got calls from about five niche e-commerce companies, and all wanted phone interviews. The interviewers would tell me to describe what I did at my existing job, which was also in search engine optimization — how to drive more traffic toward a Web site — and I would tell them. Then they’d pose a hypothetical situation and ask me to respond. I’d answer and wait for the next question. I thought that the more questions I answered well, the better my chances of getting a job. But I never got a callback from any of them.

Looking back, I see what I did wrong. I had an outdated way of thinking about the interview process. I didn’t provide any detail, I didn’t talk about how I saw the industry, and I didn’t offer any tips on how they could improve their online presence. I was doing the bare minimum instead of trying to sell myself.

I guess I thought that I had the qualifications and that the interviewers would see them for what they were. But being passive doesn’t cut it. My capabilities just weren’t coming across. “

Later, he describes how he used his changed attitude and new job seeking approach to ultimately land a job at TMP WorldWide, which ironically is the company that owns Monster.com, the job board where he began his original job search!

Gaziev’s article is a MUST READ for all life scientists who are considering careers outside of academia. I suggest that if you follow Gaziev’s advice, your job search may likely be shorter, less stressful and much more successful!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Times are still tough and unemployment remains high. This means that finding a job is a lot harder and will take a lot longer than in previous times. Because of layoffs and reorganizations many jobseekers may have gaps in their resumes or difficult to explain periods of unemployment. Further, it you have a physical disability, health issues, a criminal record or you are older, finding a job becomes even more challenging.                    

With this in mind, an article entitled “Get Hired Despite Red Flags in Your Story” by Susan Adams at Forbes.com provides jobseekers with obvious disabilities, troubled pasts or less than stellar resumes advice on how to present themselves to hiring managers. Much of the advice is obvious but there are other gems in the article that may be useful to some in particularly difficult hiring situations.

Getting Hired Despite Red Flags in Your Story

By Susan Adams

Debra Ann MacDougall advises job seekers with troubled pasts or obvious disabilities on how to present themselves to hiring managers.

When a job-seeker's challenges are highly visible, like some physical disabilities or a serious weight problem, MacDougall recommends a direct approach. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits job discrimination based on disability, it's nevertheless wise to be upfront about a potential employer's possible concerns.

A client of hers who had lost an arm in a motorcycle accident would routinely answer the ubiquitous first job interview question — tell me about yourself — by saying, "You may have noticed that I have only one arm." Then he'd proceed to explain how he coped, using a specialized computer keyboard on which he could type 85 words a minute. "He had a positive, can-do attitude that inspired other workers," MacDougall says. He landed a job as an administrative assistant at a large company in Los Angeles.

Older job-seekers should also consider potential employers' concerns, MacDougall says. Hiring managers might worry about an older person's health, his capacity to learn new systems quickly, his ability to adapt to technology and his energy level. MacDougall had a 59-year-old client who mentioned in interviews that she enjoyed running several times a week and participated in discussion groups on LinkedIn. MacDougall also advised her to get an updated haircut, if she didn't want to dye her hair, and a fashionable suit. She was hired as a sales manager in Denver.

For job-seekers with less obvious physical challenges, MacDougall recommends what she calls the "make them love you first" approach. For instance, if you have a vision problem that would require you to use a special computer screen or a bad back that makes it impossible to sit through long meetings without getting up, she recommends keeping quiet until you get a job offer. Before accepting, let the employer know about your challenge. "Tell the employer about it, but tell them after they already love you," MacDougall says. She explains that hiring managers are always weighing the benefits and risks of new employees. You want to convince your potential employer that you have a surplus of benefits before revealing your risks.

For more serious challenges like criminal convictions, MacDougall says you should be prepared to talk about what you did and how you've changed. She tells the story of a client she calls Chuck who had been jailed on drug charges. Chuck had a moment of clarity and life change when he had to tell his 10-year-old daughter that he would miss her soccer final because he was going to jail. MacDougall recommended that Chuck share that revelation with potential employers and talk openly about how he had remade his life. She also told him to volunteer to take regular drug tests. He is now clean and working, she says.

Job-seekers with criminal records, who are HIV-positive or have alcohol or drug issues do have legal protections, and there are nonprofit organizations that advocate for people who encounter discrimination. The Legal Action Center's website is a good resource, and the federal government has a site loaded with information about the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Sometimes your serious struggles may be far enough in the past that you don't need to address them at all with a potential employer. For instance, if you were hospitalized for a mental illness years ago but you're now healthy and your work performance won't be affected, you don't need to discuss it. "The deciding factor is whether the employer will find out about it," MacDougall says. "If it's not going to affect your ability to do the job, because you've stabilized, don't bring it up." The same applies to drug and alcohol problems, she says.

If you've had a long period of unemployment, MacDougall recommends listing yourself as a consultant on your resume. Include both paid and unpaid experience. Nowadays, she says, employers are increasingly receptive to resumes that include long stints of consulting or freelance work. "They know what the situation is out there," she says.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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I found an article on the Investopedia.com website that provides some useful tips and ideas on how to improve your resume quality and increase the likelihood of a face-to-face job interview.  Some may be obvious while others are not. 

Nevertheless, they are worth reviewing and using if they may sense to you

1. References Upon Request

There is no need to waste valuable resume space on this outdated section. Employers assume that you will provide references if asked. Instead, keep a separate page with the names and contact information of your references ready to supply to the employer once you have advanced in the interview process.

2. One Resume Fits All

While it is smart to keep a master resume on file, you need to customize it to fit each job for which you apply. Job-seekers who take the time to tailor their resume to the employer's needs will stand out from the pack. Eliminate the details that don't apply to the position and emphasize the ones that make you look the most qualified. It might take a little extra time to apply using this technique, but it will be worth it when your interview offers increase.

3. Objective Statement

The professional summary or profile has replaced the objective statement. Employers are focused on what candidates can do for them, not what the business can do for the candidate. You will sell yourself better with a concise bulleted list of the qualifications and accomplishments that make you a match for the position.

4. Single-Page Resume

One of the most touted resume rules is that the document must be one page. Many people will go to extremes to follow this command, resulting in tiny, unreadable font sizes just to avoid having a resume that extends onto the second page.

Unless you are a newcomer to the job market, it is entirely possible that you'll need more than a page to adequately showcase your skills and qualifications. If you have enough job experience that fits the position, it is acceptable to extend your resume length to two pages. Keep your resume succinct and relevant, but don't go under a 10-pt. font size.

5. Lack of Social Networking

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter might be considered distractions in the workplace, but they can be an asset on a resume. Employers want to know that applicants are up-to-date with current technology and communication trends. Links to a professional online portfolio, blog or LinkedIn page should be included in your resume header. There is a good chance that employers will do an internet search to find out more about potential employees, so make sure that all of your social networking profiles project a professional image.

6. Too Much Information

It is not necessary to give your life story on a resume. In fact, providing an employer with too much information can be detrimental to your chances of employment. Delete information about where and when you graduated high school. Ditch irrelevant jobs from 15 years ago. Although it was standard practice in some industries years ago, it is now inappropriate to include personal details in a resume such as information about your hobbies, religion, age and family status. Not only does it look unprofessional, but that information could be used to discriminate against you.

An employer will ask if they want to know why you left previous positions, so don't mention it on your resume. The rule of thumb is to pare down your resume to only include things that show why you are the perfect fit for the specific position for which you are applying.

7. Outdated Terminology and Skills

Skills in obsolete computer software and systems should be removed from your resume. Technical experience is critical in nearly every industry and employers often use technology keywords to find resumes in electronic databases. Listing basic computer skills such as word processing and using an internet browser is not recommended because employers will assume that you have those proficiencies. The job description is the best guide to determine the terminology and technology skills that should show up on your resume.

While I am not totally “down” with the inclusion of social media links on a resume, it’s totally up to you! That said, if you choose to take her advice, I highly recommend that you review all of your online profiles and sanitize them.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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When it comes to job searching, the curriculum vitae (CV) or resume is the most important document that a jobseeker must create. Despite the importance of this document, many jobseekers, especially graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, fail to give them much thought or put much time into creating them. In today’s economy, typos, poor grammar and too much information are certain to cause most hiring managers to take a pass on you as a job candidate. However, as Caroline Potter of Yahoo HotJobs describes in her article entitled “The Biggest Resume Mistakes You Can Make” there are more critical issues that must be considered and addressed when crafting a successful CV or resume. 

In the article Ms Potter asserts that “The biggest flaw for a resume (CV) is when it fails to showcase a person’s accomplishments, contributions, and results and instead spouts a job description of each position he’s held.”

To learn more about the things that you ought to avoid when crafting your resume, click here.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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One of the many things that I was not taught in graduate school (or as a postdoctoral fellow for that matter), was how to prepare a resume. Despite opinions to the contrary, a resume is a very important document that must be well organized and carefully crafted. This is because the first thing that every hiring manager sees when looking for new employees is a job applicant's resume. As the old adage goes, first impressions are the most important and the ones that last the longest. That said, it is typically in a job candidate's best interest to have the first impression be a good one. To that end, resume should not be prepared hastily nor should theybe crafted without a substantial amount of thought and consideration. I do not want to get into the nuts and bolts of resume writing in this post. However, every resume should contain the following information:

• Contact information including name, phone number and e-mail address (mailing addresses are optional)
• A summary of qualifications that concisely represents your skill sets and talent that you want a prospective employer to know about
• Chronological listing of your professional experiences to date and an accompanying description of your accomplishments at each position
• Education including undergraduate, graduate or certificate credentials (dates obtained are optional)
• Awards and honors
• Membership in any societies or relevant organizations
• Any special skills or talents you may possess, e.g. website design, underwater basket weaving, etc.
• Publications (abstracts and presentations are optional)
• In general, references should not be included on a resume (if an employer asks for them, send them under separate cover or simply place them on the resume sent to that employer)

As scientists, we are trained to believe that personal achievements will be recognized and that promoting or marketing oneself is a "no-no". However, in the real world, self promotion and aggressive, shameless self marketing is what enables most individuals to get jobs and embark on successful careers. With this in mind, a well organized and carefully crafted resume is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal! As we say in the recruiting biz, a resume will get you in the door......after that, it is up to you to "sell" yourself. 

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

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Summer has finally arrived and everyone I know is kicking back, looking forward to their previously planned vacations and enjoying their four day (summer hours) work week. While many folks still have jobs, the unemployment rates are not dropping as quickly as anticipated and large numbers of layed-off and right-sized former life sciences employees are still without jobs. 

I recently checked the BioJobBlog archives and quickly realized that I have written close to 100 posts on how to craft an industrial strength resume, conduct a job search, prepare for a phone or face-to-face job interview, network and negotiate a job offer. To that end, I thought it might be informative and constructive to resurrect some of these older posts and re-assemble them into a thread that describes each step of the job hunting process. Also, as many of you may know, I was recently sued by an odious individual for invasion of privacy and defamation because I exposed her alleged illegal dog breeding and puppy mill ring. 

Consequently, much of my free time over the next two weeks will be spent on the case. That said, I will begin posting daily job hunting tips and advice on July 5, 2010.

I hope that my readers find this series useful. Also, I would like to hear from those of you who despise and abhor persons who mistreat and abuse animals and are willing to help me put my accuser out of business for good!!!!!!!!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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After almost a week advising students about the difference between resumes and curriculum vita (for scientists there is no difference), academic vs. an industrial curricula vitae and cover letters at Experimental Biology this year, I came to two conclusions. First, all scientists should take a resume writing course. Second, there is no single resource to help students and postdocs figure out a way to navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of resume writing and cover letters.

Much to my surprise and delight, Monica Kerr, who is Director of Science Alliances at the New York Academy of Sciences, offered a link to a great resource developed by Harvard’s Office of Career Development. The document entitled “CVs and Cover Letters” offers ideas and samples of academic CVs and cover letters. Further, it provides insights into formatting and verb usage when constructing CVs and resumes. While the document does not address how to construct an industrial CV, it is one of the best resources that I know of for resume writing for life scientists.

Those of you looking who may be looking for advice and guidance about constructing industrial strength CVs can check out a post that I crafted for BioJobBlog a couple of years ago. Like the Harvard document it focuses on CV formats, verb usage and other job search related items.

Hat tip to Monica (and Harvard Office of Career Development)!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

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Often times, people ask me why I decided to get a PhD degree. They mostly ask because they find it difficult to fathom why a person would choose to go to school for such a long time to obtain a degree that doesn't guarantee a job upon completion.  I have long contended that passion, not employment, is the main driver in the decision to get a PhD--but I digress.

Back in ancient times when I started graduate school, the average time it took to attain a PhD degree in my department (Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison) was about 5.5 years (this included a mandatory Masters degree). At the time, many faculty members thought that the average time to a PhD degree was too long. Consequently, they instituted an ambitious plan and mandate to reduce the time to a PhD from 5.5 to 4.0 years.  Interestingly, only one person in our class of 25 was able the complete a PhD degree in 4.0 years (he got very lucky). The time it took for the rest of us (who remained in the PhD degree program) ranged from 5.0 to 10 years. 

With this in mind, the New York Times published an article in its Education Life supplement last weekend that compared the average length of time it takes to attain a PhD in various disciplines; ranging from the life sciences to the humanities.

While it should come as no surprise that it takes longer to obtain a PhD degree in humanities as compared with other disciplines, the average length of time that it takes to get a PhD in the life sciences has ballooned to almost 7 years! 

I am certain that this increase reflects the lack of urgency to finish a PhD in the life sciences because of the growing shortages of jobs in the sector. However, I believe that keeping students in graduate school for inordinately long periods of time doesn’t do them much good with regard to long term career outcomes. This is because —as most card- carrying PhDs will tell you—the real education doesn’t truly begin until your first postdoctoral fellowship or full time job.

While graduate school may seem extremely difficult and overwhelming at times, it truly doesn’t compare with the pressures, demands and anxieties pervasive in the working world. To that end, shortening the time PhD students spend in graduate school may afford them the opportunity to begin to experience the “real world” prior to the age of 35 to 40; the current age range of most life sciences PhDs looking for the “their first real jobs.”

Alternatively, if the time it takes to obtain a life sciences PhD degree can not be shortened, then it would behoove graduate programs to begin to integrate specialized instructional programs, e.g. alternate careers, career counseling, resume writing and interviewing workshops, etc, into their  curricula to more adequately prepare students for the working world.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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I previously posted several articles on interviewing tips. This presupposes that many of my readers have made the first cut and have been invited to participate in a phone or face-to-face onsite job interview. Unfortunately, this isn’t any easy thing to do in today’s current employment market. Nevertheless, there are a variety of things that job seekers can do to help their application standout from the hundreds (thousands) of other applications submitted by others competing for the same position. To that end, I found an article that first appeared on the JobsJournal.com website that offers basic tips on how to design a resume (and accompanying cover letter) to distinguish individual jobseekers from their competition.

While the information contained in the article isn’t “game changing” it does offer fresh insights into how job candidates must position themselves to be noticed in today’s fierce and highly competitive job market.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Like it or not, writing a carefully-constructed resume or curriculum vitae (as resumes are known in scientific circles) is a vital part of any successful job search. Inexperienced job seekers tend to hastily craft resumes without paying much attention to format, style or content and then wonder why they can’t land job interviews. The best way to approach resume writing is to think of a resume as a work of art–something that requires a lot of thought, creativity and attention to detail. As one well-known professional recruiter and job search expert put it”Trying to find a job without a smart, well-crafted resume is like showing up for dinner at a fancy restaurant in a T-shirt and cutoffs. They won’t let you in.” 

I think that it is important for job seekers to think of a resume as a personal marketing brochure that will either land a job candidate interviews or turn a job search into a long, arduous and frustrating process.

The primary goal of a resume is to show prospective employers how you are different than other applicants and why you and not they ought to get the job! So, what are the salient features of a winning resume?

Writing tips

Hiring managers, professional recruiters and human resource professionals tend to quickly scan resumes that they receive and make snap judgments. Therefore, your qualifications and personal attributes must “jump off the paper.” This can easily be accomplished by using bold type, headings, underlining, bulleting and varying font sizes–all of which are simple ways to visually call attention to your strengths. Avoid using paragraphs because they are dense and difficult for hiring managers to navigate.

Powerful, action-oriented, emotional words produce a strong, positive impression. Unfortunately, we scientists have been trained to write in the “passive voice.” That said; try to resist using the passive voice as much as possible when crafting your resume–think outside the box!

Job Objective or Summary Statement

I am sure that somebody has told you at one time or another to include an “objective” on your resume. Objectives tend to be boring, vague and passively delivered. Instead, I highly recommend that you craft a vibrant, action-oriented, can-do “Summary of Qualifications” that accurately reflects and highlights why you are a “right fit” candidate for the job. To that end, it may be necessary to craft more than one summary of qualifications if you are applying for several different types of jobs. For example, your summary statement for an R&D job should be markedly different than the one that you would use to land a business development job.

Which of the following examples do you think better positions the job candidate?

Objective: To obtain a research scientist position at a pharmaceutical company

Or

Summary of Qualifications: Experienced scientist with expertise in protein purification and microarray technology. Exceptional leadership abilities and outstanding oral and written communication skills. Able to work independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Professional Experience

Resumes can be constructed either chronologically or functionally. Chronological resumes, which are most common, list content in temporal order and should be used for either lateral job moves or when seeking a promotion or looking for a new job to advance your career. When crafting a chronological resume, jobs or work experience must be listed from most recent to past. In contrast, functional resumes offer content based on skills and are most effective for individuals who are seeking career changes. Functional resumes should present your skills in the order of importance for the new career that you are pursuing. 

It is important to stress that only information relevant to the position should be included in a resume. Unrelated job titles or skills can sometimes confuse hiring managers and may cause them to pass on a qualified candidate. As mentioned above, most hiring managers and employers are simply too busy to read all of the resumes that they receive. Resumes that are chosen for further considerations are typically the ones that contain pertinent, job-specific information that is presented in a straightforward and unambiguous manner.

If you switch jobs frequently or have gaps in your experience put the dates of employment in the far right hand column of the resume (we read from left to right so sometimes dates of employment are overlooked) or hide the job-changing by combining or grouping several jobs together to appear as one. Also, employment dates ought to be listed as years; not the exact start and stop dates of employment, e.g., dates should appear as 2001-2002 not July 10, 2001-January 15, 2002.

Tailoring Your Resume

A resume is not just a list of what you have done and where you have been. It is your opportunity to present and highlight the skills that you possess and how those skills translate into making you the right-fit candidate for a particular job. Quantifying or embellishing achievements and using strong, definitive statements elevate and add authenticity to you as a job candidate.

Which of these examples sounds better?

Designed and directed experiments to study Alzheimer’s disease

                                                            Or

Designed and carried out experiments that identified a key protein in amyloid plaque formation

For each position that you apply, it is critically important to list all relevant experience in the order of perceived importance to the hiring manager or employer. Carefully reviewing job descriptions will allow you to quickly and easily identify those things that are most important to the employer. What is seen first means the most! 

When necessary resumes should be tailored so that as many of your skill sets and accomplishments match what was stated in the job description. This means, that it is highly unlikely that you will be able to use the same resume/CV for all of the jobs that you are interested in. To insure success, I highly recommend that you take the time to customize or tailor each resume/CV that you submit to prospective employers.  When I was looking for a new job several years ago, I crafted no fewer than 20 different resumes!

Odds n Ends

Many of you may have heard that resumes should be no longer than one or two pages in length. While this may be the convention for other fields, it is certainly not applicable to CVs or scientific resumes. That said, it is a good idea to limit the length of your CV/resume because, outside of academic circles, nobody has the time nor the inclination to read a CV that is half an inch thick! When I was working as a professional recruiter, it typically took me a minute or less after scanning a resume/CV to determine whether I had identified a “right-fit” candidate. Candidates whose CVs are too long, overly verbose or difficult to decipher rarely make it to the interview stage. I subscribe to the notion that less is more and simple is elegant!

When listing your educational background, I recommend that present your lowest degree first (associate or bachelor) and end with your most advanced degree or educational experience, e.g. postdoctoral fellowships or professional school. The name and location of the institution that awarded the degree and your major or area of expertise should be listed with each. It is perfectly reasonable to list the names of your graduate or postdoctoral advisor in this section (if you think that a mention will help your candidacy). You may also want to include your thesis title if you wrote a masters or PhD thesis. It is not necessary to list the dates that the degree was awarded. By listing the dates that you received your undergraduate and graduate degrees, an employer may be able to deduce your age. While this may not be a bad thing for entry level employees, it may hinder more experienced job seekers from securing new positions.

Membership in professional societies, organizations or clubs should be listed in a section that is separate from your educational background. Any invited lectures or presentations may also be listed under a separate heading. Also, it is important to list any extracurricular activities or specialized skill sets that you think may be relevant to the positions that for which you are applying. For example, letting prospective employers know that you were an Olympic swimmer or president of the debate team may be what differentiates you from other equally-qualified job candidates.

All of your publications should be listed on the last page of your CV in a section entitled Publications.  If you are just starting your career, it is permissible to list along with your peer reviewed publications all of your abstracts, poster presentations, etc. However, if you are mid-career professional, I strongly recommend that you list only peer-reviewed publications, review articles, books and book chapters and eschew the abstracts. Any manuscripts that are “in press” should be listed. That said,  I don’t think that it is appropriate to include “submitted” manuscripts –this signals to prospective employers that you may not think that your publication list is long enough to warrant consideration.

Never send your references to prospective employers unless they specifically ask for them. Simply indicate somewhere on your resume/CV that references are available upon request. For most academic jobs, it is customary to ask for references at the beginning of the application process. For industrial jobs, references are not requested unless an employer is interested in moving forward with specific job candidates.

Finally, it is vital that you understand that your resume is a required first step in the job search process. A carefully crafted resume/CV that indicates to prospective employers that you are the right woman/man for the job will likely get you to the interview stage. After that…it is all up to you.   Look for the next installment of the series on interviewing skills and tips.

Click here to see the wrong way to write a resume and here for an example of one that resulted in a job offer.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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While the economy is showing signs of a possible recovery, the unemployment numbers continue to rise. For this reason, it is a good idea to keep your resume as up-to-date as possible. Yes, I know it is a hassle to update and stay on top of you resume especially if you already have a job. However, in these uncertain financial times, you never know when you might be back on the job market. To that end, I highly recommend a piece on refreshing a resume written by Kim Issacs of Monster.com

In her post, Kim provide some insights and advice on how to keep your resume up-to-date--or fresh as we say in the recruiting business--with minimum pain or effort.

Check it out!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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Back in the late 1990s, applying for jobs online was all the rage! The technology was new and fresh and applying for jobs online was fast and easy. Companies raced to build corporate websites for prospective job applicants, major job boards like Monster and Careerbuilder were launched and human resources professionals though they were ushering in a “new era of employee recruitment and retention.” While applying for jobs online once seemed like a panacea for both job seekers and corporate employers, it never has lived up to all the fanfare and hype!

There is no question that applying for jobs online is quick, easy and most importantly emotionally gratifying. Paradoxically, these are the very qualities that have almost rendered the practice useless when it comes to finding a new job. Before applying for jobs online became de rigueur, large numbers of qualified, prospective employees were hired into new jobs. Unfortunately, these days’ most corporate websites and job boards are swamped by unqualified applicants who submit their resumes when ever and where ever they can! This has prompted many companies and job board site to automate their applicant screening processes—which, in many cases, fail to discriminate between qualified and unqualified job applicants. Frequently, because of the sheer volume of applicants, many companies no longer acknowledge receipt of job applications. While this practice is unprofessional in my opinion, it sends a subliminal—if not obvious message—to applicants that the likelihood of winning the job is remote. It is not uncommon for job applicants to never hear from a company after they have hit the send button to submit a job application.

So, if applying for jobs online isn’t the answer, what should jobseekers do to find gainful employment? Like it or not, the best way to find a new job is through networking. The advent of social networking sites like Facebook, Linked In and BioCrowd makes networking less daunting than it used to be. However, it is important to note, that online networking alone won’t be sufficient! Unfortunately, (for some of you anyway), interacting with people in real life will be required! The best way to begin networking is to use Google (or your favorite search engine) to identify companies or institutions that are looking for applicants with your skills and qualifications. Next, work hard to find a contact at a company who is willing to support your application or at least, forward it to an appropriate hiring manager. If you don’t know anybody at the company ask friends or relatives if they do. If this doesn’t work, post a notice on Facebook or Linked In asking if anybody in your network can provide a contact name or phone number of a hiring manager at the company you are interested in. If this also proves to be unsuccessful, you can run at Internet search on a particular advertised position or go to a company website to find the name of a hiring manager. However, to avert an avalanche of inquiries about online job postings, many companies no longer list the names of hiring managers on their websites. If all else fails, you can always put in a call into human resources and ask for more information about a job with the hope of getting the hiring manager’s name.

Once you obtain the name of a hiring manager, send an e-mail message indicating your interesting the position along with an attached resume/curriculum vitae. One note of caution; managers are usually inundated with e-mail messages (many which remain unanswered) and often have their spam filters set on high. Consequently, it may be prudent to also send a hiring manager an old fashioned cover letter and curriculum vitae authority using traditional or overnight mail delivery.

While networking to get an employee referral for a job remains the best way to get your “foot-in-the-door” at most companies, the referral channels, like almost all others, are also extremely clogged. This may require a direct phone call to a hiring manager to inquire about whether or not to apply for a job or to check on the progress of an application. That said, use this approach wisely—some managers may think that this shows initiative (and will pull your resume from the resume heap) while others may be offended or annoyed by your boldness. Nevertheless, once you make the call, DO NOT call back unless you are advised to do so. If the company is interested in you as a job candidate, they will contact you after they have had sufficient time to review your application.

While companies continue to advertise positions, the best way to land a new job is through word of mouth. This is because many companies don’t advertise all open positions and some companies run ads even though they are not hiring. Nevertheless, building a solid network of contacts and friends (both online and in real life) is critical for successful job searches.

In today’s difficult economy it may be prudent to employ a multifaceted job search strategy that includes a mix of networking, job boards and online applications. Also, it is important to cast as wide a job net as possible and not limit your search to a specific job type—especially if you have skills  and qualifications that cut across disciplines. Finally, I always tell prospective job candidates that looking for a new job must be a “full time endeavor.” Devoting less than a full time effort to your job search will likely yield disappointing results!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Back in the day—when the economy was sound and jobs were plentiful—an adequately written resume with a sprinkling of keywords and strategically-placed human resources clichés were sufficient to get your foot in the door at most companies. However, in today’s troubled economy where unemployment is rampant, there are certain buzz words and phrases that no longer resonate with hiring managers. According to Liz Ryan, an experienced  corporate career advisor who writes for Yahoo Hot Jobs, the following phrases must never appear in a resume if you are a job seeker in today’s market. 

• Results-oriented professional
• Cross-functional teams
• More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
• Superior (or excellent) communication skills
• Strong work ethic
• Met or exceeded expectations
• Proven track record of success
• Works well with all levels of staff
• Team player
• Bottom-line orientation

She contends (and rightfully so) if old and tired phrases (like the ones mentioned above) appear in you resume you run the risk of being marked as “uncreative and vocabulary challenged.” Further Ms. Ryan suggests that you “can make your resume more compelling and human-sounding by rooting out and replacing the boring corporate-speak phrases that litter it, and replacing them with human language— things that people like you or I would actually say.” 

This language change is being driven by the informal nature of social media and a growing emphasis on truthfulness and transparency in the business. Nevertheless, well written resumes—with or without buzz words or key phrases—have always been and remain the first step in the sometimes long and tedius process of landing a new job!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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Last month, 240,000 American workers lost their jobs. Many of these jobs were lost as a result of corporate lay offs and restructuring—things that are likely to continue as we attempt to navigate a course through these financially troubling times. Unlike being fired, lay offs and job losses that result from restructuring have little to do with individual job performances and everything to do with budget constraints and reductions. That said how should a person who is laid off from a job deal with it on a resume when looking for a new job? I found a well crafted article that provides some ideas and solutions to deal with this often vexing problem.

Read and learn!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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I just returned from the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) that was held in Orlando from November 5-8, 2008. The annual meeting, which is configured like most life sciences conferences with plenary oral sessions and poster presentations, is primarily intended to expose minority students to possible career opportunities in the life and biomedical sciences. I was at the meeting working for FASEB Careers as a career development and resume critiquing consultant.  

I have to say that this year's  ABRCMS was one of the most exciting and motivational meetings that I have attended in my career as a scientist and educator. Part of  the excitement and upbeat feeling at the meeting may have been a direct  result of last Tuesday's historic election of Barack Obama (who wasn't excited?).  Nevertheless, I met countless numbers of bright,  highly motivated and talented minority students who want to pursue careers in science, medicine and sometimes both! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of the undergraduate students who attend this meeting are actively engaged in basic research in laboratories at their institutions. Further, unlike many of their non-minority counterparts, most of the students who I chatted with were well informed about their intended careers and had divined well thought out strategies to help them realize their career goals and aspirations.

Kudos to the conference organizers and their sponsors! I look forward to attending next year’s conference in Phoenix, AZ.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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As much as I hate to admit it, I have been fired at least three times (usually for insubordination or rabble rousing) from jobs in my long and illustrious career. My guess is that anybody who has worked in the private sector has been fired at least once! Of course, nobody ever admits (unless asked) that they have been fired from a job. The point is that many people get fired and if you’re one of the unlucky people who get does fired; you will need to know how to deal with a “termination” on your resume. After all, once you are fired, you will likely need to look for a new job!

I came across a well- crafted post that provides ideas and insights about dealing with being fired and employment gaps when constructing a resume. Check it out—someday you may need to use some of the proffered tips.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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I am sitting in Newark Airport waiting for my flight to San Diego which, not surprisingly, has been delayed for about 2 hours.  As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am on my way to the 2008 FASEB Career Development Symposium which is run every year at the annual FASEB meeting. 

As we have done in the past, my colleagues Eric Celidonio and Joe Tringali, and I  will be presenting seminars and resume writing workshops for graduate students and postdocs.  Our goal, as always is to offer these folks some advice and tips on how to find a job after they complete their training.  Unfortunately, the job market for PhDs has been depressed for the past 8 years or so.  There once was a time, circa 1994-2000, when finding a job for alife sciences or chemistry PhDs was a snap.  In those days, many jobs were left unfilled. Ironically, it  has been scientific advances and technological innovations that have made it more difficult for PhDs to find jobs over the past decade or so.

Anyway, if you are attending FASEB this year, please stop by.  Also, tell all your friends!  We like when it is busy.

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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As some of you may know, I worked as a professional recruiter for about 3 years in the late 1990s. What surprised me the most during my recruiting sojourn was the undeserved disdain that people have for recruiters (or “headhunters” as they are known in the vernacular) and how little they understood about the inner workings of the recruiting industry. Like it or not, professional recruiting is an accepted part of corporate life!

Contrary to popular belief, recruiters don’t work for the people who are looking for jobs–they work for and are paid by the companies that engage them! Generally speaking, there are three types of recruiters. Retained recruiters are usually hired by corporate clients to fill senior level corporate positions and are paid a predetermined and agreed upon placement fee whether or not they fill a position. In other words, these recruiters are “on retainer” and work for companies on an “as needed basis.” Contingency recruiters, as the name implies, only get paid when a client company hires a job candidate that was brought to them by a recruiter. As you might imagine, contingency recruiting is a very fast paced, highly competitive and often stressful job–I was a contingency recruiter. Finally, the third type of recruiter, an exclusive contingency recruiter, is an amalgamation of executive and contingency recruiting. In this case, a recruiter receives a portion of his/her placement fee in advance and only receives the remainder when the position is filled with a candidate recommended by the recruiter.

Recruiters are expensive and they cost the companies that use them substantial sums of money. Placement fees usually range from 20% to as high as 45% of a new hires’s first year total compensation package. With this in mind, hiring managers use recruiters only when they need to find candidates for critical or difficult-to-fill positions. In general, companies rarely use recruiters to find entry level employees. However, most bioscience companies use recruiters and they typically have a stable of contingency recruiters that work with on a regular basis.

How Recruiters Work

Recruiters use a variety of tactics ranging from referrals to cold calling to get job orders from their corporate clients. Once a recruiter receives a job order, he/she develops a profile for right-fit candidates largely based on the job description, the salary range for the job, the company’s benefits, bonus and relocation packages and its corporate culture. Recruiters find prospective candidates by searching job candidate databases (compiled by the recruiter or the company the recruiter is working for), getting referrals from colleagues, industry professionals and other recruiters and by placing ads in specialty and trade magazines, or listing ads on web-based job boards (e.g. like Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Linked-In,  etc).  

Once a qualified candidate(s) has been identified, a recruiter will contact the candidate(s) to review and discuss the job opportunity with them. During the conversation, the recruiter will likely ask you about your background, years of experience, skill sets that you have mastered salary requirements and whether or not you are willing to relocate for the opportunity. When a recruiter determines that you may be a “right-fit candidate”i.e., you meet many, if not all, of the job specifications outlined in the job description, he/she will ask for a copy of your most recent resume/CV. Sometimes, after reviewing a resume/CV, a recruiter might ask a candidate to modify or rearrange it before he/she submits it to a client for consideration. Some recruiters will even do it for you–I can’t count the number of resumes that I modified or rewrote before I submitted them to my clients for review. For those of you who are interested in learning how to write a proper resume click here.

Typically, you will hear back from a recruiter within two or three days if a company is interested in moving forward with your candidacy. However, if you don’t hear back from a recruiter within a week, it is unlikely that you are being considered for the position. That said, it is not unreasonable to call or e-mail the recruiter if you don’t hear from him/her after several days.

Working with Recruiters

Because recruiters are expensive, most companies don’t use them to hire entry-level employees. Consequently, if you are a first-time or entry level job seeker, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time fielding calls from recruiters–it is unlikely that they will be able to help you in your job search. People who benefit the most from working with recruiters are individuals who have several years of work experience and are seeking new career opportunities.  

Based on my experiences as both a recruiter and jobseeker, I offer a few suggestions on how to work with professional recruiters.  First, you MUST tell the recruiter that he/she is NOT ALLOWED to send your resume/CV to a client without first discussing the opportunity with you and getting your permission to submit it. If left to their own devices, many contingency recruiters will submit your resume/CV to any jobs that vaguely resemble your background and skill sets. Because the life sciences industry is rather small, recruiters who blast your resume to multiple employers can jeopardize a candidate job at his/her current place of employment. Nobody wants their boss to know that they are looking for a new job! 

Second, it is a good idea to limit the number of recruiters who you worth with. There are a limited number of job orders in the bioscience recruiting universe and it is not uncommon for different recruiters to submit the same resume to multiple clients. While this does not hurt the recruiter’s reputation or business, it may signal to a prospective employer that a candidate is desperate to find a new job–something that may hinder your negotiating power if a job offer is proffered.

Third, work only with recruiters who you think are competent and have a proven track record of placing candidates into jobs. There are a lot of bonehead recruiters out there. Fourth, it is important to remember that you are probably not the only candidate whose resume he/she has submitted to a client company. Most recruiters try to submit at least three candidates per job order–it increases the likelihood and probability that he/she will make a placement (and actually get paid for their hard work). Finally, it is a good idea to stay in touch with recruiters who contact you to discuss possible job opportunities. I almost always return phones from recruiters who call me whether or not I am looking for a job. It never hurts to hear about the types of jobs that are out there especially with the current economy. Also, you may need a recruiter some day to find a new job!

Conclusions

Recruiters are a fact of life in the corporate world. That said, the next time you receive a call from a headhunter, I highly recommend that you be polite, carefully listen to the job opportunities that they are pitching, get their contact information into your e-mail/cell phone address book and don’t hesitate to contact them if you find yourself out of work!

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Like it or not, writing a carefully-constructed resume or curriculum vitae (as resumes are known in scientific circles) is a vital part of any successful job search. Inexperienced job seekers tend to hastily craft resumes without paying much attention to format, style or content and then wonder why they can’t land job interviews. The best way to approach resume writing is to think of a resume as a work of art–something that requires a lot of thought, creativity and attention to detail. As one well-known professional recruiter and job search expert put it”Trying to find a job without a smart, well-crafted resume is like showing up for dinner at a fancy restaurant in a T-shirt and cutoffs. They won’t let you in.” 

I think that it is important for job seekers to think of a resume as a personal marketing brochure that will either land a job candidate interviews or turn a job search into a long, arduous and frustrating process.

The primary goal of a resume is to show prospective employers how you are different than other applicants and why you and not they ought to get the job! So, what are the salient features of a winning resume?

Writing tips

Hiring managers, professional recruiters and human resource professionals tend to quickly scan resumes that they receive and make snap judgments. Therefore, your qualifications and personal attributes must “jump off the paper.” This can easily be accomplished by using bold type, headings, underlining, bulleting and varying font sizes–all of which are simple ways to visually call attention to your strengths. Avoid using paragraphs because they are dense and difficult for hiring managers to navigate.

Powerful, action-oriented, emotional words produce a strong, positive impression. Unfortunately, we scientists have been trained to write in the “passive voice.” That said; try to resist using the passive voice as much as possible when crafting your resume–think outside the box!

Job Objective or Summary Statement

I am sure that somebody has told you at one time or another to include an “objective” on your resume. Objectives tend to be boring, vague and passively delivered. Instead, I highly recommend that you craft a vibrant, action-oriented, can-do “Summary of Qualifications” that accurately reflects and highlights why you are a “right fit” candidate for the job. To that end, it may be necessary to craft more than one summary of qualifications if you are applying for several different types of jobs. For example, your summary statement for an R&D job should be markedly different than the one that you would use to land a business development job.

Which of the following examples do you think better positions the job candidate?

Objective: To obtain a research scientist position at a pharmaceutical company

Or

Summary of Qualifications: Experienced scientist with expertise in protein purification and microarray technology. Exceptional leadership abilities and outstanding oral and written communication skills. Able to work independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Professional Experience

Resumes can be constructed either chronologically or functionally. Chronological resumes, which are most common, list content in temporal order and should be used for either lateral job moves or when seeking a promotion or looking for a new job to advance your career. When crafting a chronological resume, jobs or work experience must be listed from most recent to past. In contrast, functional resumes offer content based on skills and are most effective for individuals who are seeking career changes. Functional resumes should present your skills in the order of importance for the new career that you are pursuing. 

It is important to stress that only information relevant to the position should be included in a resume. Unrelated job titles or skills can sometimes confuse hiring managers and may cause them to pass on a qualified candidate. As mentioned above, most hiring managers and employers are simply too busy to read all of the resumes that they receive. Resumes that are chosen for further considerations are typically the ones that contain pertinent, job-specific information that is presented in a straightforward and unambiguous manner.

If you switch jobs frequently or have gaps in your experience put the dates of employment in the far right hand column of the resume (we read from left to right so sometimes dates of employment are overlooked) or hide the job-changing by combining or grouping several jobs together to appear as one. Also, employment dates ought to be listed as years; not the exact start and stop dates of employment, e.g., dates should appear as 2001-2002 not July 10, 2001-January 15, 2002.

Tailoring Your Resume

A resume is not just a list of what you have done and where you have been. It is your opportunity to present and highlight the skills that you possess and how those skills translate into making you the right-fit candidate for a particular job. Quantifying or embellishing achievements and using strong, definitive statements elevate and add authenticity to you as a job candidate.

Which of these examples sounds better?

Designed and directed experiments to study Alzheimer’s disease

                                                            Or

Designed and carried out experiments that identified a key protein in amyloid plaque formation

For each position that you apply, it is critically important to list all relevant experience in the order of perceived importance to the hiring manager or employer. Carefully reviewing job descriptions will allow you to quickly and easily identify those things that are most important to the employer. What is seen first means the most! 

When necessary resumes should be tailored so that as many of your skill sets and accomplishments match what was stated in the job description. This means, that it is highly unlikely that you will be able to use the same resume/CV for all of the jobs that you are interested in. To insure success, I highly recommend that you take the time to customize or tailor each resume/CV that you submit to prospective employers.  When I was looking for a new job several years ago, I crafted no fewer than 20 different resumes!

Odds n Ends

Many of you may have heard that resumes should be no longer than one or two pages in length. While this may be the convention for other fields, it is certainly not applicable to CVs or scientific resumes. That said, it is a good idea to limit the length of your CV/resume because, outside of academic circles, nobody has the time nor the inclination to read a CV that is half an inch thick! When I was working as a professional recruiter, it typically took me a minute or less after scanning a resume/CV to determine whether I had identified a “right-fit” candidate. Candidates whose CVs are too long, overly verbose or difficult to decipher rarely make it to the interview stage. I subscribe to the notion that less is more and simple is elegant!

When listing your educational background, I recommend that present your lowest degree first (associate or bachelor) and end with your most advanced degree or educational experience, e.g. postdoctoral fellowships or professional school. The name and location of the institution that awarded the degree and your major or area of expertise should be listed with each. It is perfectly reasonable to list the names of your graduate or postdoctoral advisor in this section (if you think that a mention will help your candidacy). You may also want to include your thesis title if you wrote a masters or PhD thesis. It is not necessary to list the dates that the degree was awarded. By listing the dates that you received your undergraduate and graduate degrees, an employer may be able to deduce your age. While this may not be a bad thing for entry level employees, it may hinder more experienced job seekers from securing new positions.

Membership in professional societies, organizations or clubs should be listed in a section that is separate from your educational background. Any invited lectures or presentations may also be listed under a separate heading. Also, it is important to list any extracurricular activities or specialized skill sets that you think may be relevant to the positions that for which you are applying. For example, letting prospective employers know that you were an Olympic swimmer or president of the debate team may be what differentiates you from other equally-qualified job candidates.

All of your publications should be listed on the last page of your CV in a section entitled Publications.  If you are just starting your career, it is permissible to list along with your peer reviewed publications all of your abstracts, poster presentations, etc. However, if you are mid-career professional, I strongly recommend that you list only peer-reviewed publications, review articles, books and book chapters and eschew the abstracts. Any manuscripts that are “in press” should be listed. That said,  I don’t think that it is appropriate to include “submitted” manuscripts –this signals to prospective employers that you may not think that your publication list is long enough to warrant consideration.

Never send your references to prospective employers unless they specifically ask for them. Simply indicate somewhere on your resume/CV that references are available upon request. For most academic jobs, it is customary to ask for references at the beginning of the application process. For industrial jobs, references are not requested unless an employer is interested in moving forward with specific job candidates.

Finally, it is vital that you understand that your resume is a required first step in the job search process. A carefully crafted resume/CV that indicates to prospective employers that you are the right woman/man for the job will likely get you to the interview stage. After that…it is all up to you.   Look for the next installment of the series on interviewing skills and tips.

Click here to see the wrong way to write a resume and here for an example of one that resulted in a job offer.

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Overview

Once a job search has been organized and you have identified: 1) what you are qualified to do; 2) where you want to live and 3) how much money you want to make, it is time to begin looking for that dream job. However, as many of you know, looking for a job is very time consuming; requires a great deal of attention and can be extremely stressful and frustrating at times. Don’t expect it to be easy and certainly do not wait until the less minute to start your search. Finding a new job in today’s economy can take as long as 6 months to a year or more.

Unfortunately, many inexperienced jobseekers tend to conduct job searches employing a method that I call the “shotgun” approach. Much like a shotgun blast, which is imprecise but hits many targets, these jobseekers mindlessly apply to any and all jobs that they find appealing–usually oblivious to job qualifications or requirements. More often than not, shotgun jobseekers are disappointed and, often, downcast because they rarely find jobs. Based on a lack of employer responsiveness, shotgun jobseekers usually conclude that they are “simply unemployable”. While this may be a possibility, it is more likely that they lacked the qualifications to win the jobs that they applied for. To avoid the pitfalls, anxiety and emotional anguish of the shotgun approach, I heartily recommend that jobseekers utilize a job search strategy that I call the “cruise missile” approach. Like cruise missiles, these job searches are well crafted, very targeted and executed with pinpoint accuracy. This approach requires the jobseeker to be highly organized, extremely disciplined and to insure that he/she is qualified for a job before submitting a job application. While this approach will result in fewer actual job applications as compared with the shotgun method, the success rate will be much higher.

The Job Search Process

The first step in a job search is to find out who is hiring. These days, the best places to look for job ads are:

• Company websites (Amgen, Genentech, Genzyme, Merck, BMS)
• Specialty life sciences websites and job board (Onescience.com, Biospace.com)
• Professional societies and science organization websites (Science Careers, American Society of Microbiology, FASEB Careers, MDBio)
• Commercial job boards (Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Craig’s List)
• Print ads in science journals (Science, Nature)

After identifying possible jobs that interest you, the next step is to determine whether you are QUALIFIED for them. This means that you must carefully read the job description and determine whether:

• You meet the job requirements (area of expertise, years of experience, etc)
• Are willing to live in the community where the job is located
• The salary range is commensurate with your lifestyle and personal needs
• The job is consistent with your career goals and objectives

You may have to compromise on some of these items but if you meet most of the job specifications and requirements, the next step is to apply for the job(s). However, before you do this, it is imperative that have previously prepared 2 important documents:

• A properly constructed and up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV)/resume (look for Part 3 of Ask the Recruiter series) and
• A list of references (who have previously agreed to provide letters on your behalf).

One note of caution–it is not prudent to add the name of a reference to your list until you have talked with them to insure that they will write a “good letter” on your behalf. A bad letter of reference is the “kiss of death” for any job that you may apply for!  Finally, never send the names of your references to prospective employers unless they have specifically asked for them–it is a small world and you never know who is saying what about whom! 

Applying for a Job

either a print or online job ad. The cover letter should clearly express your interest in the position, provide a brief description of your academic credentials and scientific background and MUST emphasize that you possess the qualifications that the employer spelled out in the ad.  For example, if the job requires a PhD and one or more years of industrial experience you MUST point that out to the employer in your cover letter. A reason why this is important is because cover letters and resumes are initially reviewed by individuals who don’t necessarily have scientific backgrounds–they have been trained or instructed to look for keywords and phrases in job applications/CVs to identify qualified job candidates.

After constructing a cover letter, and carefully reviewing your CV for the 100^th time (to insure that it is the most up-to-date version and devoid of any typos or spelling errors), your application is ready to be submitted.  If you are responding to a print ad, and must mail your application, I strongly recommend that you print the cover letter and CV on good quality, white bond paper and to not fold them so that they can fit in a standard-sized (4 x 9 in) white envelopes. This is one of those times when it is worth spending extra money on 9 x 12 envelopes (and paying the extra postage) to insure that your job application materials are in pristine condition when they are evaluated.

 In the old days, job applicants typically received a postcard from prospective employers after they had received a candidate’s job application. Unfortunately, times have changed and this is no longer standard practice. In fact, most companies and organizations no longer interact with or contact job applicants unless they are interested in them as prospective employees. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep a log or list of the names and dates of the placed where you submitted job applications. If you don’t hear from prospective employers within 2 weeks, it is perfectly reasonable to contact the employer by phone or e-mail to inquire about the progress of your job application. Also, it may provide some insight into the employer’s level of interest in you as a job candidate and to determine exactly where the employer may be in the job search process.

If you are applying for a job online, you do several things before you hit the “SEND” button. These include: 1) insuring that all of the required fields on the application form are filled out correctly, 2) making sure that your resume and cover letter have been attached to the document (or pasted in the appropriate boxes) and 3) carefully reviewing the application for accuracy, spelling errors and typos. Remember once you hit the send button the document is in the ether and irretrievable.  Once you have submitted the online application, you will likely receive a message thanking you for applying for the job. You may also receive an identification number or tracking number to check on the progress of you application. I highly recommend that you print all of these “thank you messages” and keep them in a file in a safe and secure place. This should help to keep your online job search organized and allow you to easily keep track the various jobs that you applied for.

Conclusions

I cannot guarantee that if you follow my recommendations that you will be able to land yourself that dream job. On the other hand, I think that my advice may help to reduce your stress and possibly make yourself more successful!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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