The Hub

The Community of Minds

  • The Hub
  • About TheCOM™
    • Testimonials
    • About The Founder: Bethany Huot
  • TheCOM Center for Educative Research™
    • Educative Research™
    • The BIOME Project
  • FAQ
  • The Whiteboard
  • Strategic Career Management (SCM)
    • SCM: Identify
    • SCM: Defining The Void
    • SCM: Commit
    • SCM: Community Perspectives
  • The Resources
    • Digital Identity Management
    • Networking & Science Communication (#SciComm)
    • Writing & Peer Review
    • Bioinformatics & Statistics
    • Methods & Technologies
    • Teaching & Learning (T&L)
      • T & L Communities
      • T & L Training Programs/Fellowships
      • T & L Career Path Prep
      • T & L Tools & Resources
    • Career Prep
    • Job Hunting
  • The Vault (Archive)
    • The File Cabinet
      • The Pub Club Files:
        • The News
        • The Pub Club
          • The Mission
          • The People
          • The Mug Club
            • The Coaster Club
          • The Python Group
          • The Publications
            • Favorite Pubs
            • Papers of Interest…
            • Scoop.it
        • 2017 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2017 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Fall – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Fall – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2014 Fall – Summaries & Docs

SCM: Identify

On this page we will address the first step: Identify & Define what you want in a career. This is all about ownership. Taking charge of our own paths can be a tough transition to make because as kids we are used to having others set our goals for us. Guess what – you aren’t a kid anymore! It’s time to decide who you are, who you want to be, and what you want to do with your life. Scary but exciting.

To make this easier, we will break this step into 2 sub-steps: 1a. Know Yourself and 1b. Know Your Options.

Step 1a: Know Yourself

“My Other Bench” is a great place for reflection!

It may sound weird, but think about it. How will you know if a job is the right match for you if you don’t know who you are or what you like? This takes some good, honest self-reflection. Take some time alone in your favorite quiet spot and reflect. Don’t have a favorite quiet spot? Now is a good time to find one.

Once you’ve done some reflection, jot down notes of what you’ve discovered. What are your passions? What do you care about most? What drives you? What are your strengths & weaknesses? What are your natural talents or skills? This is very important for ruling various types of career paths in or out.

For example, say you are extremely methodical, enjoy breaking tasks down into smaller ones and love interacting with people. You could get a job as a technician where you are responsible for optimizing methods for testing products; however, you are likely to feel unfulfilled if there is little interaction with other people. With this combination of traits, a job as a teacher might be more up your alley, as this also requires you to take complicated concepts and break them into smaller parts but includes aiding students in the process of exploring those parts and learning how to put them together in different ways to apply that knowledge.

A good tool to help you with this is the “my Individual Development Plan” (MyIDP) resource from AAAS. Completing the Interests, Skills & Values surveys will only take you 5 – 10 minutes, so Click here to Log on or Sign up.

Step 1b: Know Your Options

Part of Identifying & Defining what you want requires exploration. How can you know what path is right for you if you don’t know anything about the options? Fortunately for you, as a scientist you already know a lot about researching information. You only need to apply this skill to your career.

To start, explore job search sites to get an idea of what job responsibilities are associated with various job titles. You can find a list of job search engine sites on the “Job Hunting” Resource page. While browsing job descriptions, be sure to watch for company ratings to get an idea of which places seem like a great place to work and which you may want to avoid. A good question to consider during your data collection process is: “What kinds of jobs give me the most of what I want?” In your search look for two types of jobs: your dream job AND jobs that will serve as good stepping stones to get you qualified for your dream job. To identify the latter category, take a close look at the skills & experience needed for the jobs in the former category.

I want to be clear that this activity is NOT meant for you to choose a job title or position and do your best to fit the current profile for that position. This is likely not to work for several reasons. First, there is no such thing as a perfect job, so good luck finding one! Second, needs change over time. It is very likely that by the time you are the perfect candidate for the dream job posted today, that job will be history. Third, there are many positions out there that are not very visible or positions that may not be available now but will be in the future. You are more likely to succeed in landing your dream job if you focus on becoming the best at what you like doing most. Then, when the perfect opportunity comes along, you will be able to identify it and have the greatest chance of securing it. The reason to explore job ads is to help you get an idea of the types of jobs that are out there and a general sense for which ones most attract you and why. It is also a really good way to learn what skills are most important to employers. This is something we will come back to in Step 2: Defining The Void.

Resources:
  • Careers in Biology – American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Share on Tumblr

Pages

  • The Hub
  • About TheCOM™
    • Testimonials
    • About The Founder: Bethany Huot
  • TheCOM Center for Educative Research™
    • Educative Research™
    • The BIOME Project
  • FAQ
  • The Whiteboard
  • Strategic Career Management (SCM)
    • SCM: Identify
    • SCM: Defining The Void
    • SCM: Commit
    • SCM: Community Perspectives
  • The Resources
    • Digital Identity Management
    • Networking & Science Communication (#SciComm)
    • Writing & Peer Review
    • Bioinformatics & Statistics
    • Methods & Technologies
    • Teaching & Learning (T&L)
      • T & L Communities
      • T & L Training Programs/Fellowships
      • T & L Career Path Prep
      • T & L Tools & Resources
    • Career Prep
    • Job Hunting
  • The Vault (Archive)
    • The File Cabinet
      • The Pub Club Files:
        • The News
        • The Pub Club
          • The Mission
          • The People
          • The Mug Club
            • The Coaster Club
          • The Python Group
          • The Publications
            • Favorite Pubs
            • Papers of Interest…
            • Scoop.it
        • 2017 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2017 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Fall – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2016 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Fall – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Summer – Summaries & Docs
        • 2015 Spring – Summaries & Docs
        • 2014 Fall – Summaries & Docs

The Hub: By Extension

Science / Careers Articles

‘This deserves our attention.’ New data highlight LGBTQ scientists’ workplace challenges
15 January 2021
‘This deserves our attention.’ New data highlight LGBTQ scientists’ workplace challenges

Researchers hope large study spurs more support for LGBTQ scientists [...]

How I talk to my science-skeptic parents about COVID-19
14 January 2021
How I talk to my science-skeptic parents about COVID-19

For this biomedical Ph.D. student, give-and-take conversations are key to communicating with her family [...]

If you’re hesitant to apply for professional awards, remember: It’s worth putting yourself forward
11 January 2021
If you’re hesitant to apply for professional awards, remember: It’s worth putting yourself forward

In this installment of Your Unicorn Career, our columnist offers guidance for overcoming four psychological blocks [...]

When I encountered language barriers in my career, here’s how I broke through
7 January 2021
When I encountered language barriers in my career, here’s how I broke through

Communicating in writing and being candid with his colleagues are this professor’s key strategies [...]

Learn when—and how—to say no in your professional life
5 January 2021
Learn when—and how—to say no in your professional life

Maintaining a sustainable workload is key, our Letters to Young Scientists columnists write [...]

Benchfly / Career Development

The Trifecta: STEM, 3D Learning, and ART
22 December 2017 - Tricia Shelton
The Trifecta: STEM, 3D Learning, and ART

Equal opportunity, preparation for college and career, innovations to improve people’s lives, and a competitive US position in a global economy—- these are the needs that are driving a rethink of the approach to education.  Leading the transformation of education are initiatives like STEM and a vision for a new approach to teaching and learning […] [...]

A Changing Focus in Education
11 December 2017 - Tricia Shelton
A Changing Focus in Education

We are changemakers. We are learners. We are educators. A changing focus in education American education is in the midst of a major transformation, driven in large part, by a technology-focused global economy. Societal shifts like the Industrial Revolution had great impacts on education in the past. We can now ask ourselves, how is the […] [...]

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Chooses BenchFly
9 December 2014 - Alan Marnett
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Chooses BenchFly

We’re very excited to announce our new partnership with Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) to help bring two new video-based services to scientists. For more information, see the original release below. To learn more about how you can participate in Product Pioneers or Rising Stars of Science, please contact us at: info@benchfly.com. [...]

New Trend Alert: Using Video to Introduce Data
3 September 2014 - Emily Poulin
New Trend Alert: Using Video to Introduce Data

Here at BenchFly, we’re always looking for new ways to use video to improve scientific research. During a recent conference in Europe, the value of using video to simply introduce a research topic hit home with me. An exciting part of being a researcher of any level is the opportunity to travel to research conferences […] [...]

The ART of Video Funded by the Gates Foundation
22 August 2014 - Alan Marnett
The ART of Video Funded by the Gates Foundation

When we started BenchFly five years ago, in 2009, our mission was to make research a better career for current and future generations of scientists. Today we continue to work toward this goal using video as the primary means to educate scientists in companies, in universities and now in high schools! In the fall of 2013, we were incredibly […] [...]

copyright 2020 Bethany Huot/TheCOM,LLC / Powered by WordPress | theme SG Double
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.