‘“Path to Career” Resources’
Journal Editors Get Twitter-Savy
Jun. 21, 2014—Journal editors… on Twitter? Check out this interesting article onScienceCareers that discusses the challenges and changing roles of science journal editors aligning with social media, specifically an unlikely source: Twitter.
“Essential Steps to Conducting an Informational Interview”
Jun. 20, 2014—Our career development colleagues at the Georgia Tech Center for Career Discovery and Development have a great online resource on the “essential steps to conducting an informational interview.” Their list is very informative, including how to locate contacts, the steps to make an appointment, examples of what to say during an initial contact, the actual...
Illegal Interview Questions – What They Are and How to Handle Them
Jun. 12, 2014—“Illegal Interview Questions – What They Are and How to Handle Them,” NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education, OITE Careers Blog “In the United States, federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking certain questions that are not related to the job for which they are hiring; however, most interviewers are not deliberately trying...
Master list of federally funded R&D centers
Jun. 4, 2014—One of the speaker’s at the 2014 Annual Career Symposium, Dr. Morell-Falvey, is a scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In her Symposium presentation and the break-out sessions, Dr. Morell-Falvey highlighted the many ways that her career is similar to scientific careers in academia. She manages research projects and research facilities. Through an affiliation with...
Insider Higher Ed: Spousal Hire Realities
Jun. 4, 2014—Spousal Hire Realities, by Scott Jaschik, for Inside Higher Ed “As a grad student, I never gave a moment of thought to being a spousal hire. Like so many grad students in top-20 departments, especially pre-recession, I thought that I had somehow earned an offer of a tenure-track position somewhere with a 2-2 courseload because...
LinkedIn introduction requests: what NOT to do
May. 6, 2014—LinkedIn is a very powerful tool in your professional toolbox. One of LinkedIn’s most valuable features is that it helps you visualize who you know that knows someone you want to know. (Got that?) Let’s say you applied for a job with XYZ company, and LinkedIn shows you that one of your 1st degree connections...
Email templates for your job search and networking
May. 5, 2014—Job hunting and networking can feel like a full-time job. Make your search and networking easier with these email templates from The Muse. Muse founder Alex Cavoulacos has penned these email templates for you to adapt to ask for a recommendation, follow up on a job application, thank someone for a job interview, or ask a...
How do I tell my PI?
Apr. 21, 2014—Grad students and postdocs are often apprehensive about talking to their faculty adviser about their career interests, especially if their interests lie outside the “traditional” career path of becoming a tenure-track professor at a university. But did you know that only ~15% of biomedical sciences PhDs go on to become tenure-track professors? That’s right… 85%...
Beyond the Lab: Tom Utley
Feb. 14, 2014—Check out the next installment of Beyond the Lab, featuring Tom Utley, Licensing Analyst with the Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization. To skip to specific topics within the video, visit the YouTube page summary to see questions covered.
Is your job search out of control?
Feb. 11, 2014—“Career Mojo: Is your job search out of control?” by Dana Manciagli, The Business Journals What is your job search like? I’ll bet, like so many others, you’re applying to lots and lots of positions, you’re following up on just a few (and only once for those,) and you’re not doing “precision networking.” Read more…
Required documents for an academic job search
Jan. 31, 2014—If you’re planning to go on the academic job market in fall 2014, now is a good time to begin assembling the job search documents you will need to apply for faculty jobs. Of course, you’ll need a CV that is tailored to the type of institution and position you’re applying for. You’ll need a...
“Planning a Career in Today’s Landscape” article by Kenneth Gibbs
Jan. 30, 2014—November 2013 PhD Career Connections speaker Kenneth Gibbs shares his experience when he made the nerve-wracking decision to step away from lab science, highlighting his non-traditional journey since. When, after completing my Ph.D. in immunology, I told colleagues and mentors that I had accepted a position as a Science & Technology (S&T) Policy Fellow at the American...
Life as a core facility director
Dec. 9, 2013—What is it like to direct a research core facility in academia? Watch the new Beyond the Lab interview with Dr. Rob Carnahan, Director of the Antibody and Protein Resource Core at Vanderbilt University.
Postdoctoral opportunities at the NIH
Dec. 4, 2013—The NIH Office of Intramurual Training & Education maintains a list of available NIH postdoctoral positions on their website. As in academia, however, not all NIH postdoctoral opportunities are advertised! If you are interested in a particular lab at the NIH, you should reach out directly to the potential postdoctoral mentor even if there is...
The next installment of “Beyond the Lab” is now available, featuring Dr. Amy Moore, Director of Research Programs at Georgia Research Alliance
Nov. 22, 2013—The next installment of our new Beyond the Lab video series is now available online. In this interview, postdoctoral alumnus Dr. Amy Moore describes her career trajectory in research administration. Watch as Amy describes how she identified career options and conducted her job search, and what she does in her job as Director of Research Programs...
New Beyond the Lab video series interviews VU PhD alumni about their career path
Nov. 11, 2013—Check out our new Beyond the Lab video series showcasing the careers of our PhD and postdoctoral alumni! In Beyond the Lab, the BRET Office of Career Development interviews Vanderbilt PhD and postdoctoral alumni about their career path since leaving VU. Each 10-20 minute video features a different alumnus describing his or her job and providing advice...
2013 Career Symposium presentations are now posted online
Oct. 23, 2013—If you missed the 2013 BRET Career Symposium, Influencing Human Health with Your PhD Degree, the presentations are now available to view online at https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-symposium2013/agenda. You can view the presentations by clicking on the speaker name. The Symposium speakers addressed careers ranging from global health to drug development, and they included: Linda Distlerath, Senior Counselor, Worldwide...
To Connect or Not To Connect
Sep. 16, 2013—This recent blog post from Allison Vaillancourt for the Chronicle of Higher Education outlines some of the pros and cons of being an “open networker” on LinkedIn. For the most part, I agree with Allison’s approach. Like Allison, I value “quality” over “quantity.” I rarely connect with people I don’t know, and this includes current...
Parental leave resources for grad students and postdocs
Aug. 28, 2013—“Parental Leave resources for grad students and postdocs” on AAAS Driving Force Blog Becoming a new parent is overwhelming in the best of circumstances. It can be especially stressful when you are unsure of whether you will be able to take time off from work when your child is born. This is the case for...
Dealing with the dreaded, “Do you have any questions for me?” in an interview
Aug. 24, 2013—How should you respond? What could you possibly ask that you haven’t already learned from your extensive pre-interview research and that doesn’t venture into “no-no” category (think: salary, time-off)? This recent article by James Caan for LinkedIn describes three great questions to ask as the interview is winding down.