No matter the capacity in which one might wish to work within the field of scientific publishing – i.e. editorial, marketing, or sales roles – there are ways to get involved early and demonstrate key skills.
This Nature toolkit explains how to get involved, whether in the lab or through extracurricular activities. Read more here.
In this article, Dr. Milka Kostic notes the scientific community’s initial lukewarm response to online networking platform, LinkedIn. However, as the scientific career landscape changes, LinkedIn grows increasingly relevant. Dr. Kostic details some of the site’s useful search functions and other features. Her article focuses on how to use LinkedIn to accomplish the following goals:
Read the full article here. BGS students may also wish to join the BGS Alumni & Current Students LinkedIn group.
Vitamin PhD is a podcast produced at Boston University for anyone who is pursuing a doctorate, has a doctorate, or supporting others on their doctoral journey. The podcast delivers career narratives and skills know-how in two formats. In Career Pathways episodes, we help you explore career options by interviewing people who have earned their doctorate and now work in a variety of sectors. In our Navigating Challenges episodes, we discuss issues that can present difficulties in graduate school, and we provide tips to help you succeed. Whether you tune in during your daily commute or while working on your research, we hope that Vitamin PhD can help you learn, laugh, and connect to our listening community.
(Via BU Graduate Affairs)
Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
There are several important differences between academic and industry CVs. These Nature toolkits lay out the broad rules to follow when writing each type of document, providing guidance on content and design. The toolkits also provide links to useful resources, such as the Imperial Guide to CVs.
Toolkit: How to write a great academic CV
Toolkit: How to write a great non-academic CV
Students interested in feedback on their own resume or CV should schedule a consultation with Penn Career Services. Speak to a graduate student/postdoc career advisor at any time during your Ph.D. or postdoc by scheduling your appointment on Handshake or calling 215-898-7530.
Science Careers recently published their 2019 handbook, teaming up with leading industry employers to produce a guide to career opportunities in various fields, alongside general tips and advice on job searching. The handbook is available as PDF here.
“This webinar will explain the process of putting together an application for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31 -Diversity).
The first half of the webinar will go through each part of the application, including eligibility, the research training plan and research strategy, sponsor and co-sponsor information, letters of reference and support, and the certification letter. The second half of the webinar will be allotted for a question and answer session with attendees.” (Via NIH/ Unified Communications & Collaboration)
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Time: 2:00 pm
Register here.
“Let’s Experiment” is now available self-paced, anytime!
“Let’s Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench” is a free online course from iBiology that is now available self-paced, anytime. In the course,
More info at: http://bit.ly/2PYqmBW
Read what students are saying about “Let’s Experiment:”
“I feel more secure in my ability to assess how much effort and time experiments need…I really appreciate a systematic way of preparing and thinking about experiments and their results.”
“I found the videos, where different extraordinary scientists tell their own story, truly inspiring and very encouraging.”
“I really like that this course took the lessons that people learn through experience and directly taught the concepts in a way that is easy to apply to everyday life in the lab.”
To find this and other iBiology courses, visit us at https://courses.ibiology.org
A recent post from the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) careers blog features a useful tool for career exploration: InterSECT Job Simulations.
As OITE explains, “It can be difficult to find internships or detail opportunities that allow you to see if a field is a good fit for you in real life. And while informational interviews are fantastic, they don’t allow you to try things out for yourself. This is where an online job simulation can be of help.”
Each task has been reviewed by professionals in that field for authenticity. Read more here.
Handshake is Penn Career Services’ primary tool for communicating with students. All students have been pre-assigned a Handshake account, but you will need to activate it by logging in with your PennKey and password.
When you first log in, you will be prompted to fill out your career interests. This is a critical part of the process, because these selections will dictate what you hear from Career Services in terms of specific emails about jobs, workshops, employer events, and so on. For people who already have activated their accounts, they can (and should) keep their career interests updated. This is how:
Click on your picture in the top right hand corner and select “career interests”:
Students should fill out as much as possible on the next page. You can always come back and change, add, or delete selections. The monthly newsletter sent to the “Current PhDs in STEM fields” contains a wide range of information for this population, including job postings:
The next two sections are the most important ones for the job postings Career Services sends. You should select “Biotech & Life Sciences” and “pharmaceuticals” if you are interested in industry opportunities. You can select “higher education” if you want to follow the faculty path, and you should select any other field of interest.
Once you complete these selections and begin exploring events, jobs, and employers, you will see recommended jobs on the main student log-in page based on your activity. If you “favorite”an employer, you will receive an email when they post a job or register for an upcoming career fair.
Finally, students who are actively seeking opportunities should upload a resume to Handshake and make it public. (Be sure to have a Career Services adviser review it first, at Walk-In Wednesdays!) Employers can search public resumes and reach out to students directly. Here’s how students can do this: https://vimeo.com/294839748
iBiology is offering a free, 6-week online course that teaches how to think through the design and execution of experiments.
Scientists from a variety of backgrounds give concrete steps and advice to help you build a framework for how to design experiments in biological research. Case studies make the abstract more tangible. In science, there is often no simple right answer. However, with this course, you can develop a general approach to experimental design and understand what you are getting into before you begin.
By the end of this course, you will have:
The course is built with a busy schedule in mind and is designed to take 1.5 to 3 hours per week. It begins Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Content will be released week-by-week each Tuesday.
For more details and to register, click here.
