BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Competency: Management

NIH: “Marketing Your Research Experience for Project Management Positions”

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Interested in a career in management consulting, or other fields where project management skills are highly valued? This feature from NIH’s Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) Careers blog describes how to market lab-based skills that also apply to project management: https://oitecareersblog.od.nih.gov/2019/12/09/marketing-your-research-experience-for-project-management-positions/

If you are interested in learning more about project management, consider exploring the topic on LinkedIn Learning, an online training library free for Penn students.

Nature: “From academia to industry: seven tips for scientists making the leap”

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In this Nature article, Dr. Crystal Upperman discusses her own career path and provides tips for diversifying one’s CV as a doctoral candidate. Briefly outlined, the seven steps for making the leap to industry include:

  1. Learn and inventory your soft skills
  2. Learn project management
  3. Less time thinking, more time doing
  4. Network within and outside your discipline
  5. Learn technologies that have cross-applicability
  6. Simplify your science
  7. Advertise and market yourself

Read the specifics on each step here.

BGS Professional Skills Series: “Inclusion & Diversity”

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BGS students are invited to attend, “Inclusion and Diversity: Perspectives from Business,” the next installment in the BGS Professional Skills Series. The workshop will take place February 27, 2019 from 4 – 5:30 PM in Smilow 12-146AB. It is co-hosted by SACNAS and EE Just.

Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Laura Roberts, Teaching Professor of Management (McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University) will present an interactive lecture that includes illustrative cases and large group discussion. Dr. Roberts will tackle the question, “How can leaders facilitate generative dialogue that harnesses the power of inquiry, encourages learning from diverse experiences and fuels positive organizing?” Specific strategies for building an asset-based (potential-focused) perspective and an action plan for inclusive leadership will be addressed.

Key topics of discussion will include:

  • How diversity and inclusion factor into strategic decisions
  • Best practices and common pitfalls at leading inclusive businesses
  • Identity-based resourcing perspectives

Please register by February 22, 2019. To register, click here or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://goo.gl/forms/pwDUqSqM2ChOsfaj1

If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Lopez. .

OITE: “Core Competencies & Blog Resources”

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The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) Careers blog emphasizes four core competencies for trainees:

  1. Communication
  2. Career Readiness & Exploration
  3. Leadership & Management
  4. Teaching & Mentoring

They include useful descriptions of these skills sets, as well as a listing of blog posts relevant to each. These include topics such as difficult work conversations (communication), overcoming a fear of informational interviews (career readiness), good mentoring guidelines (leadership), and more.

See the full list of resources here.

Wharton Business Foundations Skills Courses on Coursera

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Many BGS students have expressed interest in learning about aspects of business as part of their preparation for various careers.  Wharton conducts a series of Coursera courses in business foundations. 
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/wharton-business-foundations

The courses are free for people who don’t want or need any course credit and simply want exposure to business principles and practices.  However, some people may wish to receive credit for individual courses or for a certificate (6 courses including a capstone project). Coursera estimates it takes 4-5 weeks to complete each course.  

The cost per month of Coursera is $79.  BGS can reimburse students for up to 7 months of Coursera who show proof of completion (*details below).

If you take any of the courses (whether for credit or not), we’d be interested to hear what you think of them.

*Tiffany Brooks (brookst@upenn.edu) can help with reimbursement. Reimbursement will be processed via Concur and require the following documentation:

  1. Proof of course completion plus credit received
  2. Proof of payment, which needs to be credit card receipt showing payment for this course
  3. Completed statement of Business Connection

Request for reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of course completion/credit received.  Approval of submissions past the deadline is at the discretion of the program.