BGS Career Development

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Science: “Explore the skills that can open career doors after your doctoral training”

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This Science article discusses a survey of 3,803 science and engineering Ph.D.s working in various industries. Survey respondents revealed that while many believe they began developing important professional skills while in grad school, there are a number of skills that they have found very important at work that were not a central focus of their Ph.D. training (for example, personnel management.)

The article’s authors developed an interactive graphic based on the survey’s data. It compares the extent a skill is developed in grad school with its importance in 12 career sectors, including research, consulting, teaching, and more. It is intended to give doctoral students an overview of the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of jobs in a variety of sectors and to shed light on which skills should be prioritized, either within their Ph.D. training or through extracurricular activities.

LOCATION UPDATE: Walk-in Wednesdays with Career Services

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Beginning on Wednesday, September 5, Penn Career Services will be holding Walk-In Wednesdays in a new location – 501 Stellar-Chance. Stop by to have your resume/CV reviewed, prep for interviews, and get networking and career advice!

Other resources that may be useful include this article from the Biophysical Society on the differences between a resume and CV. The author details how to tailor the former to each individual position to which you wish to apply – a critical skill for finding an industry job.

The NIH’s Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) also provides the following guide to writing resumes and CVs. While there are no concrete rules, the guide provides a number of samples as well as memory joggers to help you recall your accomplishments and a sample action verb list to maximize the impression you make.

Business Concepts for Biomedical Scientists: Strategic Toolkits

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iBiology has posted the second installment in their video series on business concepts for biomedical scientists. The video provides an overview of tools used to develop and assess strategy. The series as a whole equips participants to perform analyses to evaluate an operating environment (including competitors, stakeholders, and other factors) and discusses how to set, generate, and prioritize a scientific enterprise’s goals.

Video Series: Career Exploration Videos

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In this iBiology career exploration series, scientists share their backgrounds and experiences in a variety of fields, including education, industry, and government. If you are thinking of a career in science education, you may enjoy this video featuring Drs. Alvarez, Eckdahl and Fowlks. They have each found opportunities to pass on their passion for biology by teaching at the undergraduate level. In this video, they share stories about the events that sparked their interest in biology and speak about their respective career paths.

Alternatively, those that enjoy engaging with different audiences and find themselves talking non-stop about their scientific passions may relate to Dr. Debra Cooper’s story of her transition to a career in science policy. A policy consultant in the California State Senate Office of Research, Cooper advocates for the application of scientific research in society. In her feature, she shares her own career path and provides an overview of other potential roles in the field. iBiology also features Jon Lorsch, Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in this video about careers in scientific public service. Lorsch provides an overview of the type of investigator-initiated research funded by NIGM and describes the fulfillment he has found working in administration and leadership. The BGS Career Development blog will be updated regularly as new videos are added to the series.

Video Series: Professional Development

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iBiology offers a wide variety of professional development videos, a valuable resource to guide students’ career exploration and advancement. In this brief feature, Dr. Mónica Feliú-Mójer provides a crash course on key networking techniques. Feliú-Mójer defines networking broadly, as an opportunity to build connections and relationships, while also providing practical strategies such as preparing an elevator pitch and leveraging online platforms. She emphasizes that networking is for everyone, extrovert or not, and a crucial way to advance your career.

In another video, Jessica Tashker, Associate Director in the Market Analysis and Strategy group at Genentech, and Girish Aakalu, Vice President and Head of Global Scientific Affairs & Scientific Intelligence at Ipsen, give an overview of strategic collaborations. Students are encouraged to explore the existing videos in the series, and the BGS Career Development blog will be updated regularly as new videos are published.

Video Series: “Background to Breakthrough”

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iBiology’s Science Communication Lab (SLC) has produced a three-part video series titled, “Background to Breakthrough,” featuring Dr. Esteban Burchard of the University of California, San Francisco. The series details Dr. Burchard’s own research and the influential role his own ethnic and cultural background has held in his career path. The series explores the consequences of underrepresentation in research and medicine and ultimately questions, “How can we ensure that the future of biomedical and clinical research is inclusive?”