Changing Careers

Nathan
Fisher

How in the world did I end up here?

"How in the world did I end up here?"  Those were the words I muttered to myself as I lay prone under the bed in my containerized housing unit (CHU).  I was desperately trying to recall exactly how to fasten the body armor that seemed like overkill just a few short days ago, but now seemed...


Maida
Taylor

Keeping Ken and Barbie Out of Jail

I have worked in medical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry for over 10 years now and I often get asked at a dinner or cocktail party, “Just what is it you do?”  That question was a lot easier to answer when I was a practicing obstetrician.  Everyone understands delivering babies a...


Kate
Sleeth

Transitioning into Industry: The Wonder of Randy!

A few months ago I participated in the Webinar given by Randall Ribaudo here at Bio Careers.  It was jam packed with information and ideas which I found very interesting.  One of my fellow participants was one of the career development coordinators also from my research institute and was s...


Mandy
Kendrick

Resume or CV?

Postdoc positions within the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, like many other jobs, have taken a hit with the latest budget news.  The option to extend USDA postdocs past their two-year appointments is no longer available—at least for now.  So, as I draw near the end of my second year, I have ...


Clement
Weinberger

You’re in (a) good company

So how do you know that? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to answer that question. I mean – if you just think about the people you are talking or sitting with at the moment, or those you are working with right now, it's not so hard to decide if you are in “good company.” After all, you ...


Xiaoli
Du

Available resources for government jobs

The NIH Career symposium was held this month on the Bethesda NIH campus. The 4th annual career symposium has covered all the possible career areas for fellows including Faculty careers, careers in science education, careers in science policy, research in industry, career options for clinicians, cons...


Andrea
H.

My Time Away From the Bench

“Are you sure you’re ok with going from helping injured soldiers walk again to helping people look better?”  I’m willing to bet that very few people have heard this as an interview question.  But it was a valid (albeit surprising) question in my case.  The vice president inter...


Clement
Weinberger

It seemed like a good idea at the time

One of my grad school profs was fond of saying “it seemed like a good idea at the time” when asked why he’d done something. It’s all about finding an idea that really is a good idea. That should mean something to anyone whose grant was just funded, and it means even more when the grant is re...


Andrea
H.

Overspecialization of PhDs?

This article prompted my post: https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110420/full/472261a.html There has been an ongoing (and very heated) debate in many of our trade journals about whether PhDs are overspecialized.  Yes, I think overspecialization in our particular fields of study may be an issue, in...


Andrea
H.

Working with Recruiters

When I was looking for a job last year, I applied endlessly (online) to positions that seemed to fit perfectly with my skill set.  Even with inside referrals, I found it very difficult to get a response from hiring managers, especially with large companies. They were most likely overwhelmed wit...