Career Questions for Scientists Who Already Have Too Much To Do
For Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

From a presentation by a Career Services staff member to a meeting of the Philadelphia AWIS chapter.

One of the few things that can be said with certainty about today's job market is that it rewards flexibility. Being flexible means being aware of multiple options, seeking out opportunities, recognizing them, and being prepared to take advantage of them wherever they arise. This can be terribly time -consuming. With a vast number of things that one might do, a sense of personal priorities is critical. We usually distinguish between "personal" and "professional life," even as we work our way through lunch, snatch a few minutes to make a medical appointment, choose one job over another because one will make it possible to pay the monthly bills, and attend a meeting alternating attention between the topic at hand and worry about a friend or family member. What's personal? What's professional? The reality is that each one of us is a single person, with 24 hours in each day.

The following list of questions is designed to help you identify the areas in which you feel well-prepared, as well as the places where you know that more thought or preparation would serve you well. They are not a test, there are no right answers, and, for any one person, they are not equally important. As you scan this list, look for a few questions that resonate with your own "I really ought to get around to this list." Work on those and forget the rest.

• Do you have current version(s) of your resume/c.v. prepared?
  

• How many new people have you met in the past month/3 months/6 months?
  

• How many people are familiar enough with your qualifications and goals that they could recommend positions to you, or you to positions, with some credibility?
  

• Do you know what your (almost) non-negotiable priorities are?
  

• Who is your support network(s) - for all areas of life, not just the professional arena?
  

• What have you done lately to support someone in any of your support networks?

• What have you done lately that YOU are proud of? (Be generous with yourself in this assessment)

• Do you understand the factors which will lead to the growth or decline of your industry? (any industry, including higher education). Of your employer? (or potential employers?)
  

• If you're looking for industrial employment, do you know how to find and interpret the business data which can help you assess a company's position and competitiveness?

• How many employers can you name within an acceptable geographic area who might have a job for you? (e.g., who employ people to do the kind of work you can do)
  

• Do you believe it's a good thing to know when to cut your losses? If you think it's a good thing, are you good at it?

 

• Do you consider yourself knowledgeable about personal financial management?

• Do you save/invest?

• How many names of references could you comfortably give now? Are those people up-to-date on your current research and plans? Do you have a fairly clear idea of what they will say about you?
  

• How much money do you HAVE to make? If you try to lower your salary requirements, does that produce a sense of freedom or constraint?

• If you were convinced it would open new career opportunities, would you get another degree?

• What is the broadest geographic area in which you will locate?

• What are you good at?

• If you need to apply for funding, how many probable sources have you identified?

• What's the biggest risk you've taken lately?

• What new skills/areas of expertise do you want to develop?

• Do you know your way around the Internet?

• What do you want to accomplish in the next (2/5/10/your choice) years?

• How do you define success? Do you define it in such a way that you have a chance of achieving it? If not, are you willing to consider some redefinition?

• Do you have ideas for a marketable product or service?

• To how many different audiences can you describe your research in ways which sound important and interesting?

• If you have 2 minutes to tell someone who is not a scientist what you're working on, can you do it and leave the impression that you're doing something important and interesting?

• What's your idea of fun or a good time? Whatever it is, do you often have it?

• When there's too much to do, and something has to give, what gives?

• What gets your best energy?

• For your own field/level of experience/industry/type of employer (if you currently have one), are you well paid, adequately paid, or underpaid?

• When was the last time you negotiated for salary, facilities, or anything else important to your professional development?

• Can you describe potential applications of your research?