Conference Stresses Alternative Careers, Interview Skills for Postdocs

More than 425 young scientists curious about life beyond the laboratory met with local recruiters and learned about alternative careers and effective interviewing strategies at the 2007 Postdoc Conference and Career Fair.

Co-sponsored by AAAS and Science, the 27 June conference provided the postdoctoral students a chance to network with local employers, meet with résumé specialists and immigration attorneys, and learn about opportunities outside of academia in non-profits, governments, science writing and other fields in a session led by Science Careers Garth Fowler.

Organized by Rockville Economic Development Inc. (REDI), and hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., the goal of the conference was to help postdocs find permanent positions within the region in corporations, as entrepreneurs starting their own companies or in 'non-traditional' jobs in government, non-profits, and writing.

"It is very important to attract and retain companies and promising young scientists to ensure regional growth," said Sally Sternbach, executive director of REDI. "We believe it makes good economic sense to help find jobs for our local postdocs to ensure that they find permanent positions in our area."

Fowler's panel on alternative careers brought together four Ph.D. scientists who chose to pursue careers outside of academia: Carolyn Gramling, staff writer at Geotimes; Doug Schultz, patent examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office; Katherine Covert, program director at the National Science Foundation; and Glynis Lough, an AAAS Science and Technology Fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Fowler, outreach program manager for Science Careers, said that postdocs are frequently interested in non-academic careers because they find that their interests often span beyond basic or institutional research.

"While most postdocs enter graduate school with the idea that they will gain tenure at a college, university or research institute, they often discover they have skills, interest, and abilities to pursue other, alternative careers," said Fowler. "Combine this with the fact that the number of new tenure track research positions has not kept pace with the number of postdocs produced each year, we find that postdocs are increasingly interested in what else is out there."

While each of the panelists had a different reason for leaving academia, many spoke of communicating science to a broader audience.

"I wanted to translate my passion for geology to my family and to the public," said Gramling, a 2003 AAAS Mass Media Fellow and former staff writer for the news section of Science, which is published by AAAS. "As a science writer, we are constantly talking with scientists and stripping down the jargon so the public can understand why each discovery is important."

While Gramling was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow—a 10-week summer internship that places graduate and post-graduate scientists in newsrooms nationwide—she worked at an NPR affiliate radio station in Columbus, Ohio, where she was the only science writer on the staff.

"It was definitely a challenge to pitch and explain why each science story was important," recalled Gramling. "The fact that I had to explain to my co-workers why each story was significant helped me develop a convincing article."

But telling your graduate school advisor, family, or colleagues that you are leaving the traditional academic path can be difficult.

"There is a definite resistance to leaving academia for other careers," said Lough, a former graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. "But one needs to realize while someone may be leaving academia, they are not leaving science."

Later in the day, Fowler led two sessions on interviewing and networking skills for Ph.D. scientists.

Citing statistics from a USA Today poll of CEOs, the most common mistake that job applicants make is being unprepared for their interview.

The poll showed that around 50% of job applicants have little or no knowledge about the company with which they were seeking employment, and around 20% were unable to talk about their skills that make them qualified for the position.

"Many job applicants feel awkward talking about the company to their interviewer, or they feel like they are bragging when they talk about their skills," said Fowler. "That's understandable, but you have to do it anyways."

Interviews are not only a one-way street. In addition to allowing an employer to see if the applicant is a good fit for the company, they also allow the job seeker to get a feel for the working environment, Fowler said.

"Interviews allow you to showcase your skills and find out if you like the environment," Fowler said. "By preparing for an interview, you not only show your attitude as a potential employee, but also you get a feel for the working environment."

Benjamin Somers

19 July 2007