Project Managing My Job Hunt 1: Charter & Scope

My project management course has proven to be interesting, but I decided I would get more out of the process if I had a project to manage.  If only I had a short-term, complex problem to solve that needed to balance schedules and outcomes... oh wait, I'm looking for a job.  And that has proven to be an unruly, challenging project.  I am hoping that applying the PMI principles to the hunt will help me get organized, and reinforce what I am learning in class.  Here goes.

The first week of class, we talked about defining a charter and scope.  The charter grants the authority for the project, the scope defines the bounds of the project (which should be temporary in nature).

In my case, I already have authority to find myself a job, but setting up the project in this way necessarily organizes other downstream events. 

Sandlin's Job Hunt Project Charter and Scope:

This charter grants authority to Sandlin to find adequate employment, including enlisting necessary resources and refining the outcomes of the search (which must include a definition of 'adequate').  This project is only intended to identify and secure her next full-time employment, not necessarily future employment opportunities.

Notice how my charter includes some key phrases like "identify and secure employment," and "enlisting resources."  In the next round, we'll be defining the necessary tasks to complete this project, and those phrases begin to suggest what some of them might be.  One of the first things I am hoping to take on in the project is to more clearly assess what fields I might be able to apply my skills to, and then direct my applications to positions there, using appropriate tactics.  If there were a budget or specific deadline, these would be included.  Unfortunately, the job hunt has neither (this might turn out to be challenging in future steps).

Also, the charter is not very proscribed- it doesn't state that I will secure 'employment as a senior scientist in the operations division at Amgen.'  A project isn't worth managing unless there is an element of creativity/problem solving that needs to occur during the time frame of the project.  If the only creative exercise is to create the task list, which then is given to a team of automatons to complete without any further input, you may be micromanaging.   But, there is also an outer limit- I don't have to figure out what I am doing with my WHOLE life, just my next job.

Experiment: Copy and Paste

We've all heard that more and more, computers are pre-screening applications for specific key words before a resume ever gets seen by a human.  If you don't have the magic character string, you don't have a job.  I've worried a lot about this, but wasn't really sure what to do about it.  A colleague recently mentioned that to a computer "PhD" and "Ph.D." and "Ph-D" are unrelated.  The surest way to hit the keywords is to use the form put in the ad.

And this got me thinking, I never know what the key words will be.  If the ad contains the search terms, maybe my application should contain the ad?  This morning, I am taking a new approach to resume writing.  I find a job I think I am a good fit for, I copy the text of the ad, and trim that to meet my specific needs.  "Builds professional relationships" becomes "Builds professional relationships as part of a large, interdisciplinary team."  I'm not gonna lie, it kinda feels like plagiarism, but I am been assured that applicant creativity doesn't usually get picked out of pre-screening.

I'll let you know if it works, but here are a couple up-sides I noticed already:
1) It's impossible to apply for jobs I'm not pretty much a great candidate for
2) It's a way faster way to tailor my resume.
I've already applied to two associate positions this morning, so we might get a chance to see how this experiments pans out in the short run.

Side note: the consensus was that the cover-letter isn't really essential for key word searching, and that in many cases it isn't read.  I always include a nice, but short one, figuring it doesn't get screened, but someday I'll be sitting with someone in an interview situation and they might read it before I walk in the room.  This might be a waste of time.

Being a role model: Illusions of granduer

Networking is a two way street- I need help finding a job, so I need to help anyone I can find a job too.  A former student of mine from my first TA experience posted on Facebook that he is unable to find a position as a science teacher, and is hoping to find a tech position in Pittsburgh somewhere.  Since I am an expert job hunter, I weighed in to wish him luck, and he asked me to be a reference.  Of course!  He was a great student and would be a great addition to a lab!

This is the third time I've been asked to be a reference for a student of mine, and I always think- don't you have someone... like, important to write you a letter?  I mean, my grandmother thinks my Ph.D. is cool, but will your future employer be impressed by a letter from an out-of-work molecular biologist?  Of course, both past students got the position they were hoping for, so maybe I am placing too much importance on the role of the reference.

It also reminds me, these people (not kids- they are in their mid-twenties for crying out loud) look up to me, and that gives me an unnerving sense of responsibility.  Being a role model shouldn't be taken lightly.  Example- I really look up to all the post-docs in my old lab.  Seeing all of them hesitate (struggle, battle, endeavor, be rebuffed and dismayed)  to move their careers ahead makes me so hesitant to think about post-docing.  If scientists that motivated, committed and freaking brainy can't rise in the ranks, what am I going to do? When I left Pitt, I was excited to find a way to have a career without a post-doc and other grad students thought that was cool.  I haven't figured it out yet, but sometimes I tell myself I am sticking to my guns for other grad students who wanted to see some alternate road to success.  This isn't about me, it's about something bigger than me.  I'm trying to find some way to make the public investment in ME worthwhile.

Stuck in the box

Following some advice to reach out to diverse recruiters on LinkedIn, I found myself with a phone screen for a Project Manager position at a clinical software company.  (That experiment is currently 4 in 4 returned contacts- good sign, right?)  The recruiter was very nice, and gave me every opportunity to reveal where I had hidden several years of clinical experience or software development on my resume.  In the end, we both agreed it wasn't a great fit, and he suggested if I was serious about project management roles, I should look into getting my PMI- a certification for project managers.  I've heard mixed reviews on this- for starters, you need something like 3,000 hours of project management experience to be fully certified.  This WOULD be a great addition to your resume, but it's not something to whip out in my evenings and weekends.  The certification doesn't necessarily add anything to all that experience (that could be one 300 hour project that took 10 times too long), but it shows that you value that skill set enough to participate in this professional group. 

At the end of the interview, the recruiter said, "You know, I used to work at Amgen and Merck.  You would be perfect for a Molecular Biologist job at a place like that.  Have you thought about applying to those sorts of places?"  A-haha.  Have I thought about it?  Yes, that's in fact why this conversation started with me saying "I would like to transition my research experience to a more applied and clinical position."  Amgen doesn't need molecular biologists- they need immunologists, they need compliance officers, medical writers etc.  These are also jobs I think I could do, but people look at my resume and say, 'oh, you should continue doing what you used to do.'

This is one reason I've been working so hard to do other things to show that I am not a one-dimensional candidate.  I can write, I can communicate with different groups, I have some business savvy.  But people see Ph.D. at the top of the resume and not much more.  I don't want to oversell several months of contract work (I have been doing bench work for a decade- it's hard to ignore that's where my experience is), but how do I highlight that in a way that gives me some appeal to a non-traditional job?

Experiment: Get active

One of the easy networking advices given out is "join a professional society."  This certainly puts you in the path of people in your field, but most only have monthly or so meetings.  This isn't ideal for an voracious job hunter like myself, so I've joined 3 or so since I've been here.  But having a membership isn't going to open doors- it's not like ACS is some elite fraternity where people do you favors if you know the secret handshake.  So how do I convert those professionals I might cross paths with into a useful part of my network? 

I've started volunteering with the society. 

Little did I know, that the top folk at any professional society are slightly overwhelmed professionals, trying to do a littler service for their community without losing their real job.  Although the may be "elected," in the local chapter of most societies, this probably means the volunteered and no one said no. And they need help.  I am no on the board of TWO professional societies, simply because I've volunteered to help.  Now I have some active professionals who are grateful to have me around that I am free to impress with my work ethic, organizational skills and general demeanor.  It's a great way for me to build a little credibility with some folks who are well connected.

Experiment: Learning Computer Programming

Today I am beginning to learn to program in Python.  I'm not totally sure why I am doing this- those Makers make you feel you should just jump in and do things, I've seen some jobs for computational biologists that don't seem stressful and I am bored by job hunting are all reasons.  A couple weeks ago, a computer programmer friend of mine said that "Not everyone has the mentality to code." and he suggested I just take two weeks to see which camp I was in.  Then he made an "If/Then statement joke" and everyone else at the table laughed.  That might be the real reason I am doing this.

I have been saying "I am going to learn computer programming and get a job" for a while now, so I have already amassed some tools to get started.  I have also set the bar really low- I don't need to be an elegant programmer, I just need to know if I am the kind of person who can break problems down into codable, solvable, chunks.  If in two weeks, I am ready to pitch my computer out the window, well, lesson learned.

Anyway, if you, for whatever strange reason, want to follow along with the Are You a Programmer? Challenge, here is what I am doing.
My intent is to learn Python, as this is a language that might be relevant for a biologist, and is not entirely dissimilar from MatLab- which is the other language people in the know have suggested.  I've downloaded Enthough Python as my python-ing environment.

And while that was dowloading and installing, I learned Java.  Ha!

Actually, I did take a lesson at Codecademy, which has some very gentle resources for learning the basics of programming (what is a variable, how is it defined...).  I passed my first (free!) course online in about an hour and half, and that gave me a boost of confidence for Project Python.  Oo, and that is the name I am going to stick with.

My personal outline for Project Python: 14 days.  If I have to take breaks for contract work or meetings, I'll skip a day.  But, since I've promised the internet I am going to give it a try, I feel obliged.

Here are some other resources that were recommended to me by former colleague @synapticarbors,

Learn Python the Hard Way -- http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/  (It's not really the hard way)

Think Python http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.html

Anyone else have resources or encouragement to send me?

A day in the life of a job hunter

Job hunting/freelancing lacks the structure of a normal job.  Sure, it's awesome to get up and hang out in your sweats drinking coffee for a couple days, even weeks.  But sometimes I wonder if I am doing it right.  For those who might wonder what I am doing, here are two days worth of my schedule- I'm doing two days because they are so different, and so totally representative of the ups and downs of a job hunt.

Day 1:
7:30 am wake up, shower, coffee, check email (AWIS Board meeting coming up)
8:00 am Informational Interview
8:30 am Hunting down resources from interview, scheduling tweets, writing blog
9:30 am Prepare to meet a local conference organizer (get directions etc.)
10:30 am Meeting with conference organizer
11:00 am Lunch while updating twitter and Daily To Do List
11:30 am responding to emails, getting updates from the Science Center, checking LinkedIn (why is no one looking at my profile?)
1:00 pm Skype with my algae person, discuss his future needs
2:00 pm Making appointments for my grandmother
2:30 pm Reading material for the Science Center, very focused
5:30 pm Skype with friends.
7:00 pm Dinner with Friends
10:00 pm Responding to emails from Science Center, more reading on educational standards
12:30 am Bed
Still on my To Do List: respond to emails for scheduling meetings, begin edits of a long chapter due in two weeks, get info on upcoming trip

Day 2:
6 am wake up, coffee, check email
6:30 am Scheduled call rescheduled for 7:30, update blog, twitter and start writing "bio" for conference organizer
7:30 am Phone call delayed, more time on Facebook then I can be proud of and returning emails to schedule a visit to my undergraduate institution
8:30 am Phone call finally happens, seems I am missing flight information
8:45 am Tracking down missing flight information, idly checking email while on hold
9:45 am Booking new flight info
10:45 am Waiting for last confirmation email before moving offline to do some contract editing
10:50 am Chocolate peptalk and laundry
11:00 am Editing
11:40 am Impromptu Skype with algae guy for update on sourcing products (feeling gratified for getting dressed and combing my hair this morning)
11:50 am Lunch with a friend and errands
3:30 pm respond to emails re: algae and networking opportunities (LinkedIn invites and meetings scheduled)
3:45pm Return to editing, realize the first 2 pages are copied verbatim from a national travel site.  Email editor and throw in the towel.
4:20pm Email out my "bio" to conference organizer

Still on my To Do List:prepare for informational interview tomorrow, confirm trip details for Monday, contact my editor about next assignment, finished current editing assignment, and begin work on AWIS newsletter.

It's true, some days are a beautiful amalgam of perfectly cooperative and productive magic, I work hard and feel good doing it.  Others it seems like a struggle to get anything started or moving and I am just waiting for the pieces to come together.  Actually, I think that pretty well sums up my job hunt in general.  I'd love to hear if others have tips for maximizing all of this unstructured time, or just want to commiserate on the ebb and flow of the hunt.

Experiment 10 continued...

Reaching out across my network feels hard sometimes, reaching out to people who ought to know me but usually don't seems like torture.  Hiya fancy scientist, you remember me right? I was a bright eyed first year when you graduated and moved on,... and no I don't think we ever went to the same parties... Right?  You feel my pain, don't you?  This feels very high school teen awkwardness, but in reality, if I can just present myself like a competent adult professional, most people are fairly happy to interact with other professionals, and might at least give me a pity email back that there was some vague connection that they don't specifically recall.  I've had this work when interacting with folks on twitter.  Why can't it work in my real world network?

In response to my post about editing working work, a former classmate suggested I look up someone who was technically at Pitt while I was, who I thought was glamorous and brilliant and has really no reason on God's green earth to know who I am.  But we are both doing editing work, and she has become a competent professional at it.  And... She is totally up for an informational interview!  Awesome!  Experiment success!  Now, I need to make this experience valuable for her as well, so I am thinking about what I might have to offer that she might be interested in.  It surely isn't professional contacts, but I might have more up to date news on some of our mutual acquaintances...

Experiment 10: Reaching to the past network

I'm pleased to be getting Christmas cards and New Year's greetings from old friends at this time of year.  My brother reminded me that this time fo year can be a great excuse to help with the networking.  Rather then leading off "Hey, sorry we never got together for that coffee..." Just jump in with "happy new year!  When would you like to get that coffee?"  He suggested brushing past the awkwardness, in most cases, it's not like I was hounded by emails for years that I ignored.  We both dropped the ball, I'm graciously picking it up for both of us, right?

So the experiment has to do with reaching back into the past.  How far back can I reach and still have success?  One of the professors I was better at keeping in touch with over the years suggested I come back to my undergraduate campus and see who might have contacts in Seattle.  It's only a couple hours to Western, so Seattle is where more alumni go to get jobs.  Surely someone knows someone, right?  And of course, the other awkwardness to fend off... my final research adviser/academic mentor left the university for a better offer.  At the time, I was given to believe that not all bridges remained un-singed, and I felt deeply tied to her.  Well, some years later that seems way less important, and I am wondering how I can revive those relationships.  I am trying to think about Ferrazzi's advice to have something to offer.  I might see if they need a departmental seminar speaker sometime.

Well, the first part of the experiment is who can I get to remember me?  The guy I took my senior seminar with?  My first research adviser (who gently encouraged me out of field work)? My letter writers?  These people all loom large in my memory, but this stuff all falls into the realm of their professional obligation.  Will they remember me?  Even though I got married and changed my name?  First email back was a yes, and I figure if I can get a couple, it will be worth making a day of it.  And if I am not back to back busy all day, I won't pass up the opportunity to sip coffee on campus again.

Experiment 10:Meet with Recruiters

You may know I am targeting jobs out West.  Geography has certainly been a hurdle for my job hunt.  My network here doesn't know as much about opportunities on the other side of the country, and I think employers don't take me as seriously since I am not nearby.  This is one reason I've been using online technologies to connect with companies, jobs and recruiters- I know I won't just be running into these people otherwise.  I've also taken to removing my address from my resume ( I replaced it with my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/molecularvirologist  Please connect if you read the blog!)  I've acquired a Google voice phone number in the San Diego area, which should complement my actual cell phone number in WA.  And, I am constantly escalating my view of what counts as aggressive.

Given that I don't have a daily work site to attend to, I am using some of my time to visit family members out West.  Since there are a couple recruiters out there that I have been dying to talk to, I checked with the Oracle of Recruiting ( Steve @LevyRecruits), who said yes, try and make face to face meetings.  Give them a big window of time to schedule in, and give myself lots of time to regroup.  So, I'm trying it.  Let me make this clear, these are people whom have jobs listed I think I would be great for, who won't return my calls or emails, have a copy of my resume and still have their job posted.  All signs point to this job not working, but I still think I have a lot to offer their organization.  I'm actually a little scared about what I would do if someone agreed to meet, but in the arms race of job hunting, I'll do whatever crazy thing it takes to get hired.

Experiment 9: Getting aggressive, asking about jobs

By this point in the experimentation process, it's become clear to me that behavior I previously thought was outlandishly presumptive or aggressive is at worst barely approaching standard practice. Remember how I used to feel about calling HR? Or finding people on LinkedIn? Who knows what makes us scientists so shy, but I am here to push the bounds of acceptable job hunting behavior all the way to "expected levels of interaction." Call me a rebel.

I've started committing (via Twitter) what I used to think was a major faux-paus: asking about jobs. I'm not asking for jobs yet (that's still tacky), but I've found some recruiters who ought to have the types of jobs I am looking for, but only seem to post jobs that aren't right for me (QC Chemist). In prinicple, they know I am watching, because they can tell that I follow them, but I don't pay any attention to who my actual followers are. The only way to get noticed on Twitter is to speak up directly. When I asked Vala Sciences (publicly) for more info about openings, I heard back from them (they will be opening a new department, but they want to get a director in place first. It's almost time for a follow-up with them). So why not just ask the biotech recruiter? Why not just ask Amgen, do you have positions for people with my background?

The obvious reason not to is that the very thought of it makes me feel ill. But both Steve Levy and Adrienne Graham were comically appalled by my lack of aggressiveness in this whole thing. How are these people/entities going to know you want a job otherwise? Continuing to apply for the wrong positions isn't helping. I would really like to work for Amgen- they paid my summer stipend the summer I decided to go to graduate school, so I've always had a soft spot for them. But their careers pages is confounding and so my resume is likely filled under "people who can't read job descriptions." Hopefully I can get someone there to at least point me towards the correct job title or department to look for, since that would be a huge advantage to me. As bashful as I am feeling about this, I still don't think I'm crossing the bounds of appropriate job seeker behavior. In fact, I am finally just beginning to broach the whole reason groups like Amgen and Merck are on Twitter in the first place- to connect with candidates before the hiring process begins.

Experiment 8:Using Google Maps to find target companies

Here comes a disclaimer on what may be a very boring blog post: One of the reasons I am keeping this blog is to record for myself my progress in the career/job search. I'm recording both the big breakthroughs and the inane updates for myself and anyone else who might be curious about how you are supposed to find a job. That's right, I'm 28 years old, and the last job I applied for I got when I was 17. And it required rainpants. So presenting oneself professionally, aggressively and effectively for the purpose of employment seems very foreign. I'm writing it down so I can look back later and figure out what works and what doesn't.

There are many parts of job hunting that don't feel like job hunting but are really important- polishing my resume, pinging my network, preparing for interviews, un-wrinkling professional clothes, etc. But the part of job hunting that is a bit harder is finding jobs to apply for that I have some chance to get.

Job boards are a good place to start, but I find that really draining (I don't have clinical experience or a PharmD,... or 20+ yrs of management experience...ugh. Where are the jobs for new PhDs?). Several people have recently asked me "what my target companies are?" and I have no idea. So under the guise of finding target companies, I went to Google Maps of Seattle, and searched "biotech." Then I went to each company's website to figure out what they do, and then see if there were jobs open. If there were jobs that seemed close (I am using AvidCareerist's cutoff of 75% of job requirements), I went to LinkedIn to see if I knew anyone there. I've asked for a few introductions, and sent a couple emails to hear more about these companies. So far the only people I've heard back from said I really wouldn't be a great fit (we were actually looking for a crystallographer, not just someone who isn't afraid of structural data).

I liked this because it revealed some new companies/positions I have not already seen on the jobs boards- smaller places that the Merck, Amgen and St. Jude's posts that dominate a lot of jobs boards. Job hunting is boring, so I am happy to have ways to change it up. But, I'm still not really sure what I will say to any of these potential LinkedIn connections should I ever hear back from them. I'm also not sure if I job that is only posted on a company's "Careers" page is more or less likely to be an urgently open position or not. I'll report back later.

And I also still don't have "target companies." What does that even mean?

Experiment 4.2: #HireFriday

Well this just blows the lid off the old-school job hunt.

You know how I've been trying to use twitter to help in my job hunt? Earlier I'd posted that I was finding lots of job postings there, and I keep meaning to throw up some more of the links I run across about effective tips and tools. (I promise I'll get to it!) I'm trying to follow the "traditional" advice to follow recruiters, listen to and engage with them a bit. One of the people I am following who is doling out lots of good advice is @AvidCareerist- she is always giving informative advice from a reasonably conservative standpoint ( I don't want to get a job by going viral, I want to get a job because I am reasonably well qualified.) She is the reason I changed my twitter profile to link to my LinkedIn Profile, instead of this blog. Follow her or her blog for general job hunt/career advice.

Ok, all of this was an introduction to the mindblowing that just happened. See, AvidCareerist posts a lot of HOW TO type posts, HOW TO use Twitter, HOW TO Network, HOW TO Connect on LinkedIn- practical, right? So of course I looked at this: HOW TO Use #HireFriday to publicize your job search. Remember how I was working on a good pitch? Tweet your qualifications with the hashtag #HireFriday and recruiters are watching. If they like it, they RT it- or better yet, contact you. I'm really amped to try this- job hunting would be WAY more fun if I was being approached by good prospects instead of digging around for them.

On a related note, @TalentDiva promises to RT your pitch with the tag #HireMeWed on Wednesdays- I could be tweeting my CV everyday of the week! But seriously, has this ever worked for anyone ever??

Experiment 6: Can a staffing agency help?

When I first started looking for jobs, my brother the engineer told me to find a relevant staffing agency. I tried to explain that in science, you have to get a job by knowing who to talk to at a meeting and having impeccable timing for their grants. He was slightly baffled, "What if you don't want to work for someone you already know? What if you want to change fields, or work in industry?" I didn't know, but as baffling as I was finding the entire search I was pretty sure Scientists don't use Staffers.

Actually, this is totally false. I've now met a couple scientists who've been hired through staffing/recruiting agencies, and I've been interacting with these recruiters more myself. In my limited experience, this is a better place to find an industry job than an academic position, since many of these jobs come from mid-size to multinational companies that have contracted the hiring component of their HR to another company. Even though I haven't scored so much as an interview from any of my interactions with recruiters, I really like interacting with them. They are always looking for new and hire-able people (as a recruiting agency, having new capable people to hire is their product). These a predominantly the people/companies I am following on Twitter.

Some places will call you after you've submitted your resume to their site, and this gives you a good chance to talk about what you can expect from them and from a job. They always ask what salary you are willing to accept (I don't fill this out online because I am waiting to talk with a recruiter), and so I ask what is typical for their area and the jobs I might qualify for. Examples- associate researcher (Ph.D. with no experience) in Colorado was $45-50K, in San Diego $65-80 and in Boston $80-95. All of these places encourage you to stay in touch (again, you are the product that they have to offer), and mention when you see jobs they can put you up for. And from the scientists I know who've been placed this way, this is really the key- stay in touch!

This is really the ultimate test of your resume and coverletter, someone who doesn't know any more about the job than the blurb posted online is going to fit the resume you submit to that discription- it helps me to keep that in mind. Am I presenting myself as a match for the position, and not just a generally smart person? Yes, this whole process takes a lot of your time, but in principle, but being presented by the recruiter who has a long standing relationship with the company looking to hire gives you more credibility.

Oh, one more thought, many of these jobs are presented as "temp" or short term contract jobs. That's not the whole story, for most of these posted positions, if you are successful in the position, a permanent or full time position will follow. So don't take those temp postings too lightly! Staffers know the field and can help you gauge your marketability, which makes them a pretty unique resource.

At the very least, I like getting called after I drop my resume/CV into the internet black hole, it's like someone is actually recieving it.

Experiment 5: Calling HR

Once upon a time, I found a job and fell in love. I applied for the job, and dreamed of spending a lifetime happily ever after in that job. That's where the story ends. Actually, where it ends a lot.

I was complaining about this to my brother, "I apply for jobs, and nothing happens." And he asked my what the HR person said about my application. I was slightly appalled- you can't just talk to those people. And he explained, with the patience of someone who still remembers finding their first job, that 'no, you must talk to those people. That is, in fact, their job.' Then I was really appalled, "If the job of the HR person is to find and hire good talent, then there is a reason she never called back, and I don't really want to have that conversation." Again, the patience and logic won out, so I tried the experiment. This was well past the day I was told there would be some follow up, so I had already decided I didn't have the job. He convinced me to call and ask. If I was right, I can ask how to do better next time (valuable to know, if painful to ask), and if he was right, I could ask how long the process might take. I spent 20 minutes sweating and hyperventilating in an abandoned conference room before I dialed her number. "Hi, I applied for your posted position, I was wondering if you could tell me about the status of my application?"

She was actually quite happy to hear from me, it saved her looking up my number again. And actually, I wasn't out of the running for this job, they were very interested in me for this position. I don't recall much else of what was said, because when you go from that nervous to that relieved you sometimes get light-headed. Basically, the update was that they hadn't made up their minds yet, but they were pleased to know I was interested enough to check in. I called back every week until it became clear the project would be unfunded. Every time I called, the HR person said she'd been meaning to call, and it comes back to what my brother was trying to tell me.

The HR person is basically the door keeper to these mid-size company jobs. Their normal job revolves around keeping everyone paid, and on occasion, they get an additional project to hire someone. They don't know about you or your expertise, they are going to try to match the description someone else gave them to your application- try to make that as easy as possible with every aspect of your application. From there, decisions have to be made in a very human way, usually by someone feeling a little overworked and under-appreciated. Sometimes the hiring choice is made by someone who would be your manager or peer, and the same goes for them. Calling reinforces your interest, and the silly reasons you make up to call might give you more insight about the job. What is the next step in the process? Is there someone I can talk to and get more info about the specific duties?

The trouble I am running into now is that many of the jobs I am applying to, I can't find a person or contact to call. The next round of this experiment will be to follow-up more aggressively with the recruiter or Contact Us info that is available to see if I can track down someone who can help. This is more work then just uploading my resume, but when I've found someone to talk to it's been worth it.

Experiment 4: Twitter?

The test of a great idea: if you are embarrassed to explain it to a blog you don't think anyone is reading, it might not be one. Whatever, I promised you foibles- consider this a return on investment.

Regardless, in the interest of exploring the resources available to me as a scientist for finding a job, I've just signed up for Twitter. You are probably thinking the same thing I thought when my dear uncle first mentioned it to me: Score a job off twitter? No thanks, I want a legitimate career. But it keeps coming up. Most eloquently on this post as biojobsblog, which includes a quick tutorial on what you might be doing to use twitter to your advantage. The summary, find people giving out job information, re-tweet liberally, and this should gain you fame and affection, both of which may help you get an interview. It misses the key feature about interacting with recruiters though; if a recruiter is good at placing people in jobs they like, they constantly need new people for the empty jobs they have to fill. You are the commodity they need, so make yourself open and available (and don't tweet anything you'd be embarrassed to say in real life). I'll talk more about recruiters in the future, but for now, yes, job hunting via twitter seems to be a thing in general. But does it work for scientists?

While I don't have the Recruiting Animal's zeal for gaining twitter fame and popularity, I was surprised to see that there are a number of Science Recruiters on twitter who appear to use twitter for that sole purpose. I'll keep an update on this running experiment. With luck, science recruiters will be filling the space between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carl Zimmer with hints and leads I will share with you.

In the meantime, feel free to follow me on twitter @SandlinSeguin

Experiment 3: Job Fairs

On the short list of ways to get a job I am not convinced work for scientists, "Job Fairs" come right behind "Dropping your CV off at some internet black hole." This is certainly because I've been going to the wrong job fairs, and quite likely because I have no idea what I am doing there. Regardless, I am compelled to share with you my take and experience on this- I might not be great at sniffing out every job opportunity, but I have scored some interviews after job fairs.

I recently went to a "National Careers Fair" which is not as giant as you might expect. Regardless, I followed all the usual advice. Once the list of employers attending was listed, I look up the opportunities available at each website. I used that information to tailor my resume (in this case more transferable skills than literal science), printed an excessive number (in this case 5), put on my nicest clothes and headed in with a faceful of optimism. Of the 12 employers, I found 3 I wanted to talk to, and because I am a sissy, an extra one I wanted to "warm up with." (Tell me about the opportunities available at your insurance company...) It is really hard to just walk up to someone and explain who you are as a scientist. Even though recruiters at job fairs are usually very friendly, something about swimming in a sea of sweaty suited people tries my confidence.

The ideal interaction here would be for you to introduce yourself with a smile and a firm handshake, and then give the two sentence explanation of who you are that prompts the recruiter to want to pepper you with questions about what a great fit you are for the company. Lately I've been trying variations on "Hello, I am a recent graduate with a Ph.D. in molecular virology. I've spent the last 5 years doing drug discovery, and I am very interested in using my skills in drug development" or "I am a biologist with a Ph.D., I am very good at understanding complex technical information and communicating it and I am excited to help you better connect your clients with the information you create..." I find it difficult to be specific, but still imply I am flexible about the type of opportunities I am looking to pursue. For example, when I have tried the "Hello, I am a scientist, can you tell me about opportunities you have for people like me," the recruiter will usually panic- People like you? Who are you? Imagine being that recruiter, they are facing an unending sea of slightly desperate but highly skilled people and they are probably there to fill a variety of jobs. Don't forget your audience, help them help you.

My most recent success was when I approached a large Clinical Trials Contractor that focuses on drug development. Although the HR person was not recruiting people to perform trials (she was looking for healthy controls), she gave me the names of the places that usually award them contracts, since those large pharmaceutical companies might be hiring. Arguably, this is more successful than the interview I scored with a growing Midwestern software development company from the Pitt Career Fair.

Because if we are going to be perfectly honest about what happens at a job fair, most of the interactions I've had, the recruiter/HR person will recommend I check out the jobs posted on their website. As I said, I did that already. They might rattle off some variation from the About Us page, and they are vary rarely looking to fill a variety of positions that are appropriate for a Ph.D. They are really there to soak up people with Bachelor's degrees, or scout for interns. If you go to a job fair, which I still recommend you do to practice this type of professional interaction, don't expect to find a plethora of opportunities. This should liberate you to focus on what you actually want to get out of the experience.

However, I am told that major biotech hubs, like Boston or DC, have job fairs that are more targeted towards the Ph.D. set. I'd love more info on these, if you know of them or have been there.

Experiment 2: Could I be a deputy director?

One of the venues that comes up while looking for government jobs in science is Public Health. I run across postings that look interesting but are ultimately frustrating, such as Health Scientists or Public Health Microbiologists. These sound like fairly heroic jobs. Diagnose and track diseases of public health interest; these are definitely the scientists who will be called into to detect the zombie outbreak, and they are certainly responsible for tracking seasonal flu migrations. Or so I imagine: despite the fact that I am fairly sure I can run the routine diagnostics (PCR and ELISA) that these jobs call for, I don't qualify. These want some type of Public Health Microbiologist Certificate. Although I was starting to wonder who was filling up these jobs if not people with degrees in microbiology, this seemed like something people with Public Health degrees might be equipped for.

I didn't pursue that at all until this week, when one of these jobs came up somewhere I would really like to live. So I screwed up my courage, made some calls and got a sent a job announcement for a Director of the Public Health Virology Lab. Now, I know having a Ph.D. earns you a certain respect in some sectors, particularly the Family Member sector. But just because my own mother believes I am certified as smart doesn't mean any self respecting Actual Public Health expert is going to look twice at my CV. Let's be serious, I am not even sure I know what Public Health means!

Being sent a job announcement is many steps away from a firm offer, but I couldn't pry myself away from this one. This job sounds compelling, exciting and heroic in a way I'd forgotten science jobs could be! Among other things, the director is in charge of "overall budgetary and program planning, establishing goals for the State Lab, providing consultation in clinical and medical virology, preparing in-depth reports, position papers, research studies and testimony before special or regular legislative committees, and providing consultation visits." To me (and I can feel my mentors rolling their eyes in horror), this is such a spectacular job that would keep me intimately involved in Science, while allowing me to facilitate other peoples understanding of science, and all in the important context of the well being of the public. I love this job! Could I possibly do it? Can you really go straight from Recent Graduate to Lab Director?

Actually, both the Vice Chancellor of Research and the State Director of Public Health were very happy to talk to me about this position (Lesson learned, just make a quick phone call), and everything seemed fairly promising if I could just pass the Lab Director Certification. The certification for this job (and similar Public Health positions) are Board certifications, not additional degrees. Not unlike the "Boards" that instill so much fear in training Medical Doctors, there is a governing body that sets a standard for the field, which in most cases includes a combination of experience and passing an exam. The governing body for each agency sets the standard, and lest you think that you cannot meet this standard without more training, I would encourage you to check out the specific requirements for each job.

For this particular job, I would need to pass the High Complexity Lab Director Boards- Try the American Board of Bioanalysts for details. In addition to the exam, it requires 2-4 years of Clinical Experience (working with humans or human tissues), and an advanced degree. Some states have their own institutions for certifications, I suggest you look at the State Department of Public Health for more information.

This in and of itself is not that mind blowing. Its a job hunter's catch-22, how do I get certified for a job that requires experience in the job to get the certification? What blew my mind was this: to work at the state public health lab, you need to be certified at the end of your one year probationary period. That's right, you can get one year of experience, and THEN take your certification exam. This may not be news to other people who have had jobs before, but it really made me feel like there were a lot more opportunities for me out there- not just ones that require certifications. Of course I won't be perfect for the job on the first day, but I can absolutely apply for jobs I know I could GET good at in short order. I found it quite liberating, even though I don't quite qualify for this dream job yet.