Recently a resume came to me with a half dozen
“I worked on…” statements. In addition to giving
the impression of “a history project giving what
you did and where you went to school, just attach
to an email or upload to a site and press the button,”
it sends a message that the person is unprepared
to work on a team and pursue the hiring manager’s
goals.
The same resume had more bullets in the
EXPERIENCE section twenty years ago, than
in the positions, less than a year ago. P.
Korki authored a noteworthy article on
resumes that captures these and other common
resume weaknesses for mid-career folks.
Another recent observation that might not
serve the candidate well is indicating ‘twenty-five
years of experience in…” because the job
description states seeks a skilled “chemist with
more than fifteen years”. While true and honest,
does this fit in the “red-zone” of a resume
(middle third of front page) ? Some may differ
with my proposal to indicate the experience
level in the cover letter (second or third paragraph)
and stick to the skills and ability facts in the
resume.
On to cover letters, which should be part
of every submission. Many arguments are
given about the advantage of writing a
customized and thoughtful document promoting
your interest in an opening. S Needleman lists
several in her WSJ piece. Since many hiring
managers are doctorates, it is almost ‘a given’
that the salutation should be addressed to
Dear Dr. [Smith],
in many positions. While many in these positions
don’t require the salutation, there are more than
a handful that look at the “Dr. omission” like it
is a spelling mistake. (Lack of attention to detail.)
Needleman further lists ways to attentively sell
your product in the cover letter in her March 9
piece (linked above).
Recruiters continue to meet a significant
role in many screening processes for
companies and job search sources for
seekers. They are adopting new tools.
An article reporting how the uncertainty
of one’s position might influence your
investment strategy is linked. More
nuances of conversions to Roth IRAs
is picked up on our “radar screen.”
HEDGING INVESTMENTS WITH CAREER
OUTLOOK
Source: P. Sullivan, NYTimes 3-5-10
Link the health of your company and industry
with the risk level of your investment
portfolio, P. Sullivan advises. Just another
factor in those difficult to precisely define
your appropriate risk tolerance for your
investments. [Anyone who has filled out
those risk level questionnaires knows the
abstractness of the exercise.]
ROTH, ROTH ROTH
Sources: K. Greene, WSJ Ask Encore
Taxes on Roth conversion and
R. Jacobs, Pitfalls of Roth conversion,
3-5-10
The questions about converting traditional
and rollover IRAs to Roth IRA is complex
and deserves more consideration after
studying two more articles. Greene’s
always helpful WSJ column hits on ways
of meeting the taxes due.
Jacobs writes about distributions, withholding
taxes, beneficiaries and fixing problems
after the conversion. This is a useful
discussion this year.
RECRUITERS “TAKE” ON RECESSION
The Economist, 2-27-10, p. 69, “Joining
the Queue.”
New candidate screening tools are being
used by the leading recruiting agencies.
The hiring process, the article says, will not
be speeded up with the tools. Emphasis is
having more fully vetted candidates
interview for openings.
The sense candidates might obtain from
the article is to communicate well with the
recruiters you choose to understand what
skills, abilities and behaviors are sought
from the hiring company. After understanding
the need, have your resume, interview and
references show how you can meet the
requirements.
MID-CAREER
Various media are reporting slow raises in pay
year compared to last year. Several firms plan to
maintain salary freezes.
Competition for wage increases is considerably
tougher, meaning higher raises for top performers
and no raises for average and lower performers.
WSJ report
Certain firms limit the times when pay increases
are offered better employees. In addition to knowing
when that might be, gather salary information among
comparable fields and employers, so that you have a
clearer idea and document clearly your justification.
Flexibility may be encouraged, as other things may
be negotiable, if budgets are tight.
It is always wise to remember that you have to work
there with your boss and co-workers after your request,
whether or not it is granted.
RECENT GRADUATES
It should not surprise me, but it still does every time
I speak with newly minted graduates, about to enter
the workforce, when they ask how much will they
make and how to get the highest salary.
While there a rare exceptions in certain fields, it
can be said that salary surveys do an adequate
job of telling people how much they should be
paid in most positions, in their region of the
country, in their industry with their years of
experience (and remember one year of post-doc
is consider 0.5 years industrial experience.)
A nice guideline for salary negotiation is provided
by Lee Miller , from which I would highlight
preparation, practice the performance, honesty
and integrity (get things in writing). Salary is only
one component of an overall compensation
package. So, know the value and costs of
things that you and your family require and
have a checklist . And of course, salary is not
brought up by the interviewer until after the job is offered
and the job offer is in hand and details spelled out.
Chemistry is a field that depends on a robust
economy. Our roles and careers are connected
in so many ways with what is happening globally.
Raw materials, food science, manufacturing
transformed materials, and many of the
substances of what engineers, medical doctors
and patent agents do.
What’s the point? In the past I cannot recall
having so many people contact me for help
concentrated in so many chemistry related fields.
The issue is that the economy is not likely to return in
ways that resemble the 1990s or earlier times.
Henry Blodgett’s “here is why” column tells a
convincing story that with so many people unemployed
for too long, many of their jobs having been off-shored
or will be off-shored because it is more cost effective
for corporations.
We all need to look for different kinds of jobs and
careers, in different ways, in different locations. We
have to anticipate where things are going and get in early.
So many people I see are waiting until they are “let go”
and then “the long hard slog” of finding openings where
there are few begins. So many are fooled into thinking
that they can help government define new roles, that they
in fact qualify for and they find the jobs move to other
qualified people. Government groups are taking advantage
of people fully realizing their motivation and not rewarding
a job well done.
This is a situation labor dealt with by forming unions
eighty years ago. It is not likely to be effective now for
chemists, but we could try.
We could try going it alone, but that only works for a few,
and each of us wishes that were us.
What we need to do is network and help each other.
We need to do it at all levels. So, if you are in a chemistry
related field and looking for work or looking to improve your
position, let me know. Let’s be proactive in communicating
among each other and helping one another. The more time
we waste the worse it will become.
are considered at the last moment. However,
good job references can be the deciding factor
whether you will even be interviewed, in some
cases, and get the job offer after the interview
process, in others.
Developing your personal references
is a lifelong activity beginning when you are
in school. As undergraduates, everyone must
be thinking about potential recommendations
(planning for graduate education or
professional training) or references (for
entering the job market).
requesting references is on each applicant.
You can ask teachers, undergraduate research
directors and guidance counselors who have
observed your work and have seen you work
on teams to complete projects and assignments.
newspaper, and administrators who have
encountered you demonstrating workplace
and leadership skills provide another facet
of you as a candidate.
Why the difference? You only want people
who will honestly speak highly of you to
represent you. In addition, it can be a strong
help to choose a reference the hiring manager
(decision maker for your application) knows.
So, this suggests that a more involved
interaction with your references can pay
dividends.
Choosing people highly respected in the
chemical field is a benefit.
Did you ever hear of Employer referral programs?
In many companies, an employee can
receive a bonus if she refers and submits a
person;s resume and application to the
appropriate manager. Thus, this “inside”
reference is one of the best references you
can have.
your strengths and be prepared to point out
to a prospective employer how you meet
the requirements for the position.
Clearly, the reference will have a current
copy of the resume you sent to the company,
an idea of the position for which you apply
and what interests you about the position.
DIGITAL RESUME FILE
Every effort should be made to confirm
that each person you choose as a reference
indicates that they can be a good reference
for you and be readily available.
Each name (commonly four names, minimum,
three names), and I
suggest a master list of
six from which to choose, is placed with
appropriate
contact information:
- full name
- current title
- professional affiliation
- professional address
- profession email
- telephone number
relationship to you
on the List of References page. This page
is not formally part of a ‘resume,’ but part of
your ‘resume file.’
managers and contacts. When company
officials receive reference lists with your
resume, some choose to contact people
with whom they know even before the
interview. A number of people use the
the references list at the same time they
do due diligence on candidates with
verifying services and the Internet.
What can a career consultant provide for you? A near-
thesis-defense grad student contacted me about resume
fine-tuning. As luck would have it, she has been invited
to an on-site interview for a position for which she is
quite interested.
She contacted me about concerns she had for the
on-site interview. For sure, she can consult a
recent contribution about interview prep 1 .
After describing the position, we developed
several strategies that we wish to share:
1. consider bringing some samples and
examples of your experimental coatings,
devices, or test devices to pass around to
your seminar audience.
2. find out who you will interview and who
will attend your seminar. Research them with
LinkedIn and look for common ground for
small talk.
3. Practice responses to typical questions
paying attention to body language. Consider
practicing using Interviewstream..
4. Develop a list of questions you want
to ask. Write them down on a pad that
you will bring to the interview. Ask permission
to take notes during your interview and have
your questions on that pad.
5. Remember the “don’t ask” questions:
salary, training, publication, benefits and
meetings.
Do your homework on salary expectations
using the ACS salary comparator. Be
prepared if the question is asked of you.
Salary is only one component of a
compensation package.
6. Stories: remember the acronym SARI-
situation, action, results, implications
7. Negotiations begin after the position
has been offered. Ask a consultant for
input. If you are concerned about starting
date, living arrangements, certain benefits
hold your concerns until you have been
offered the position.
8. If you have dietary restrictions, it is
appropriate to bring them up in conversation
with your host before you arrive (vegetarian,
for example).
Little things lead into big things.
We started off the conversation which she
sought to help develop her career in the
entrepreneurial biotech field.
She has a med chem masters degree from
a mid-level research university and is in
her second position. Why is it that my
accomplishments are not recognized?
She spoke a bit haltingly without the
flow and skilled softening and voice tone
accents to make it sound interesting.
Then, the ‘earth parted and the sun rose!’
She spoke about her passion for defeating
cancer with new therapies, due to losing
two grandparents recently by that disease.
That passion needs to be developed, she
was advised, because passion can “trump”
pedigree and perceived accomplishment
(which are really made by teams, rather
than individuals).
The passion needs to be engaged by
compelling stories and integrated into
entrepreneurial positions of next generation
cancer therapies.
Then, we need to support the aspirations
and direction with confidence and an
understanding of how people make
decisions and manage risk. For
confidence, we used R. Kanter’s insight
about the three legs of confidence stool,
being accountability, collaboration and
taking initiative to take action.
For managing risks in decision making,
we talked about Jonah Lehrer’s clearly
stated discussion of the mental processes
we go through when we make decisions.
We then spoke about a plan of action
and next steps. Toastmasters International,
networking to demonstrate creativity and
practice leadership, and enhancing her digital
presence.
What an engaging conversation!..
The professional and chemistry workforce
is changing. Financial decisions need
to make sense now and in the future. But
the laws and choices are constantly
changing. We need to either pay attention
or pay someone to pay attention.
LOOKING FORWARD TO USING OUR IRAs
Source: R. Powell, Roth-it-right, 2-12-10, p. B2
Current laws provide ways to preserve
your hard-earned savings for future years.
Five “big-picture” tips the author gives may
be useful this year as Roth accounts are
available to more people. (I even suggested
my daughter and son consider conversions
from traditional.) Do “what if” calculations
and don’t withhold taxes on the conversion
make a lot of sense.
UPCOMING POPULATION WAVE
Source: Schumpeter, Silver Tsunami,
The Economist, 2-6-10, p. 74
Most companies and governments are
ill-prepared for the loss of scientific
and engineering skills due to aging
populations. A third of US workers will
be over 50 in 2012. A consideration for
our employment might be to see if there
is any preparation for this for all people
seeking positions.
Don’t wait till it is too late.
phased retirement, pools of semi-retired
professionals, and dealing with outdated
age-discrimination laws.
MATURE CHEMISTS INVESTING
Source: K. Blumenthal, “Getting going:
Investors should act their age,” WSJ 2-13-10
p. B8
Mature chemists might follow a similar
trend of losing their investor’s edge when
approaching their 70s. Studies reported
here suggest they make financial mistakes
as people in their 20s with less experience.
Before their mid-70s, consider four steps
to simplify and reduce the potential for
errors that can be avoided covered
nicely in the article by K. Blumenthal.
Want to enhance your ability to share and remember?
Tell stories.
Dan Pink shares telling stories in new ways that are fun
and very insightful. 1 2
“We are our stories…. stories can provide context
enriched by emotion, a deeper understanding of how we
fit in and why that matters.”
Many of our complex, data-filled information does not
make an impact given in that form. Stories provide the
ability to give context and emotional impact of the
facts, Pink argues.
In his book Pink quotes Don Norman:
’stories are important cognitive events, for they encapsulate
into one compact package, information, knowledge,
context and emotion.’
Story telling is a recommended way to respond
to interviewers’ questions in revealing
ways. They are a form that our minds recall.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard of troubles
a new Ph. D. employee have had in not “getting along”
with their supervisor. So, many times a supervisor will
either suggest something be done or ask can you do
[.whatever.]..when you get the chance. She might also
request a poorly defined assignment and give a
deadline, like, due by the end of the week.
The new employee did not think much of doing it and
did not do what was “asked.”
Sometimes the assignment is “given” to a team.
What should you do?
Employers seek employees who are proactive, get
things done and understand that they may not fully
understand the importance and implications of an
assignment, which may seem optional.
This is a common problem in teams and with what you
“need” to do,
“want” to do, or
might do because it is a challenge that you will learn
from by doing.
It is a situation where you and your team need to figure
out whether
it is in your team’s best interest to
complete it.
Another thing that your note prompts me to add is that
THE BOSS, whoever that is, will likely not want to see
any question about you not knowing what to do. Some
supervisors will expect you to do it. Some bosses will
forget that they asked you to do an assignment.
Some bosses will expect you to improve on the
assignment so that it produces something valuable
for the team (could also be group, division, etc.) and
the company.
You will be recognized by doing well on the things
you must do but those who exceed expectations and
help make the boss look good are the people who are
considered for promotion..
We began our class by soliciting what each student
wished to know and gain from the course. One
person with a concerned look on her face asked:
Should I change my first name to a name that
English speakers can say more easily, for my
resume, for speaking with people for jobs and
interviews and working? Some of the names
were:
Jagadeswara
Mai (Egyptian, spoken as “May” as in month of)
Ghanashyam
Jujie
Daqian
One suggested changing her name on her official
documents. One thought of change his name on
transcripts and university registration documents.
So, my “cabinet” of expert consultants were
consulted for their recommendations. At the end,
I will summarize:
First of all, changing your name will not increase
your chances of landing a job, all agreed.
From Joel Shulman:
This is obviously a very personal question.
(1) If the student is comfortable being called
something other than his/her given name, I
would suggest picking up a nickname that
is very close to his/her real name. For example,
Jagadeswara could be called Jag
Daqian could use Dak
Jujie is easly pronounces (I think) and
could remain unchanged, or it could be Gene
(male) and Jean (female).
(2) A shortened form of a person’s last name
could be used, as well.
I would not change the name on any official
documents__ only for use when introducing
themselves to others and in parentheses on
one’s resume. For example,
Jagadeswara (Jag) Rajam
For official occasions and on publications
the first name would remain one’s given name.
But for social and job search situations, an
Anglicized name would make things
easier.– Joel
From Rich Bretz:
Sometimes students will try to
(3) translate their name into English.
For example, we had a fellow from
Africa whose name translated as
“Mr. Chicken”- he soon figured out a
nickname.
From Louie Kirschenbaum:
Most of our Chinese students have already
picked an Englishname by the time they get
to graduate school. We seem to get a lot of
Amy’s and Wendy’s and they do list themselves
as in Joel’s example…
Indians [and other south Asians seem to] have
so many polysyllabic names that they need
to specify which one (or part of one) they
prefer in normal conversation.
(4) It is also common that they reverse their
names since the last name is given first in
some traditions. This is from a colleague’s
Email tag:
Murali Krishna Cherukuri
(Murali C. Krishna, in publications
In any case, I’d agree that changing a
name to get an interview won’t help get the
job. — Louie
Summary:
- Be comfortable and consistent with your
nickname
- shortened version of first or last name
- last name
List the name on documents, as indicated in
(2) and (4), above.
Other colleagues contributed to this, thank
you.
When a blogger encounters excellent contributions
we can’t help but want to share it. Chemjobber
did this in an interview of an assistant professor
at a principally undergraduate institution. A
couple of take-aways for me:
There are some sites we can go to that provide
job listings. There are some sites we can go to
that provide
- comments on where, how to and
- suggestions for finding positions, public relations
documents, interviewing and transitions.
Chemjobber seems to analyze and review the
continually changing employment situation.
See if it is a resource you need.
A common model for figuring out what it is
you want to do has been mentioned in a
blog where you identify what are the leading
characteristics that you seek in your next
position and in your career. It can be
phrased as your needs, your desires and
your personal wishes (preferences).
Daniel Pink in his book “Drive: The surprising
truth about what motivates us” ciphers it into
Motivational operating systems: Motivation
1.0 (survival needs); Motivation 2.0 (carrots
and sticks; rewards and punishments) and
Motivation 3.0 (mastery, purpose and
autonomy).
For short-term-achievement meeting Operating
Systems 1.0 and 2.0 are sufficient for a majority.
However, for longer term growth and satisfaction
Pink argues that purpose-driven employment
that progresses over time or Operating System
3.0, in addition to the the first two motivates
most people.
He, further, goes on to talk about the evolving
stages of human life, from educational phase,
to employment phase, to encore phase, and
to passive retirement observes different motivational
operating systems. It can be challenging when
a person wishes to move from one operating
system to another since he describes there
needs to be a “scaffolding” and “values
resetting” to get there.
Has your your perspective changed on what
you seek and what makes you work hard?
Many career mentors suggest that job seekers perform
Company research to determine the business stability,
the company direction and whether it competes
successfully in its industry.
Clearly, examine the company web-site to get
pertinent information about a company’s
leadership and public relations (what it wants you to
know about itself).
Positive side business news is commonly revealed in
C&EN.
Look also at how its stock price has fared paying
attention to trends and what may have triggered
them (in the company news).
Look at long term issues and how the company
has dealt with them in their local area and globally.
Let’s use Dow Chemical as an example since Dr.
Liveris has been cited in various newspaper and
magazine articles (interview):
- web-site ; notice sustainability goals, corporate
citizenship, and its values (integrity, respect)
- C&EN story about after both a tough year
and Rohm & Haas purchase coming out ahead
- WAPEDIA : outlines a corporate history
- yahoo : stock price charts and other
financial delineators
- information news sources can be consulted
but the information might be partial or premature
1 2 3 4 5
- LinkedIn.com - who you know and data,
like:
| HQ Region | Saginaw, Michigan Area |
|---|---|
| Industry | Chemicals |
| Type | Public Company |
| Status | Operating |
| Company Size | 46,000 employees |
| 2006 Revenue |
$49,124 mil (6%) |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Website | http://www.dow.com |
| Common Job Titles |
|
|---|
| Median Age | 37 years |
|---|
| Gender |
|
|---|
As we know several ACS publications on teaching
chemistry offer a page or two about writing teaching
philosophies. While I have written evolving teaching
philosophies, I continue to learn more on this deep
and intriguing subject.
Recently Robert Leamnson’s book Thinking about
teaching and learning was given to me. It is a clearly
stated scientist’s view on the challenging task of
changing students’ brain patterns. It requires less
the teacher’s total mastery of subject matter
and more
-understanding the students,
-using relate-able language (to the subject matter),
-repeating and reforming concepts, techniques
and key subject matter in the students’ minds and
in chemical sciences, experimental laboratories,
[called coached recitation, developing checklists
containing safe and hygienic practices, and paraphrasing]
-maintaining the individual student’s attention and
focus.
With this as a backdrop, he points out teaching
philosophies based solely on experience are
reactive, expressing our responses to our teachers.
There is much to be learned from experience and
deep thought of the ‘big picture,’ of the goals of
the participants, and methods that have proven to
be successful for masters in the field. If you aspire
to a teaching career, consider perusing Robert
Leamnson’s book.
When was the last time you attended an ACS Local
section meeting? My last one provided a rich
storehouse of information, some introductions to
new contacts and a great chance to reconnect, in
person.
The meeting was held at Emmanuel College
in Boston’s Fens district and had Dr. Christine
Bellon as the featured speaker offering her take
on what it is like move from chemical research
to her enjoyable career, now as vice president for
intellectual property and legal affairs for Hydra
Biosciences.
There are some wonderful ACS workshops
on Careers in this field AFTB (away from the
bench), but they do not provide the insights
Christine shared. Some highlights of Dr. Bellon’s
remarks about her career were:
- at a law firm, you work at the behest of the
partners for clients and their products and interests.
This means if you are there at 3 pm on Friday and
a call or emergency comes in you are likely to
be working late and through the weekend.
Time is not your own, and time is measured
in “billable hours”, in 6 minute increments, for
on average about 2000 hours per year. “There
is an app for this!”
- no matter where you are, there is a lot of reading
and writing in the legal arena. One has to learn to
choose what to read and not read thoroughly, what
and how to express things in precise formulaic
logic. In fact, one of the smart things to do for
chemical professionals is work with your legal
experts. Have them read and assess patent
information in existing patents.
A hidden nugget that the legal arena is imbedded
in PCs and PC software that may not be the most
recent.
- the 3 year patent law school process is intensive
for becoming an attorney (it is slightly longer, 4
years, for part-time students). One of the biggest
hurdles is working with the patent office.
Others who attended this wonderful talk
probably learned many other notions.
This weekend I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with
UH and he remarked that one of the new things he learned
is about the different people he should have in his
network.
He was familiar with people in his “direct” network. He
indicated that he had not identified people who (1) his
direct network knows nor (2) consequential strangers
(recent post).
In reply to my question: who represents his network?
He indicated that his advisor is more than willing to
offer and write a strong recommendation. I then
asked have you (UH) asked him (UH’s adviser) if he
knows people who you can call? No. This is how
we entered into the discussion about the three layers
of people’s networks.
A second new item related to a telephone interview
he was invited to participate. The conversation
elicited that it was being conducted with a former
graduate of his department. How fortunate!
Develop small talk topics by finding out when and
with whom he graduated and some of the common
people they both know. Find him in LinkedIn.com
and learn of his accomplishments.
[We also covered: Learn about details, recent
news and recent business results of the company.
Have good questions to ask as part of the
telephone interview. Job description? Be
prepared for the telephone interview 1 2 3 ]
The third new item involved UH needing to
formulate STARI stories for responses to
question noting key elements that pertained
to the key performance attributes he can bring
to the company.
STARI = situation, task, actions, results and
implications.
Last night I had a pleasant conversation with mid-
career and senior level scientists. They shared
their perspectives of the chemical industry they
have their careers in, saying there is diminished hope
for many. Some people, still employed, are
looking for new employers. Downsized have
been exasperated in not getting job leads. Sure
the economy is not robust. However, it is the
off-shoring of chemical industries to Asia, in their
view, that concerns them.
Wish I had many answers to questions I am hearing from
three groups of people who face different facets of
what is happening– already out of work, those
(currently employed) who feel their days might be
numbered, and those preparing for careers in fields
that are moving off-shore.
[Parenthetically, downsizings affect not only
employed workers, but also possible future workers
who are in university programs guiding them into
areas that are “roads under construction.” There
seems to be a disconnect between chemistry
departments and industrial reality.]
The main focus of this post is points out an
excellent summary about severance agreements
by A. Sklover. He points out how careful
reading of the agreement is essential and things
to be mindful of.
A strong, thoughtful discussion appears in Derek Lowe’s
blog In the pipeline about communication behavior
of chemists. 1
Two remarkable comments came from
- Rich Apadoca: a new problem solving tool
- Tierneylab: an outsider’s view of chemists
My take is that there is much more to gain from
the long-tail influence of the Internet and
thoughtful communication that is honest and
of high integrity.