It is always difficult to tell which way the economy is going -- if I knew, I wouldn't be a bench chemist, that's for sure. I'm instituting a new post series that will combine a piece of undoubtedly good news with something that's potentially bad news. So, without further ado:
Bad news (?) from Paul Hodges: Paul Hodges of the incomparable "Chemicals and the Economy" blog launched "Downturn Alert" last week, noting that commodity chemical prices are beginning to fall, as manufacturers are purchasing less and looking for lower prices.
Good news from Biospace!: Doubtless, you got the same e-mail from them that I did 3 days ago, stating:
BioSpace job postings hit the highest volume since December 2008 -- a sure sign of great new opportunities waiting for you.Considering that was near the depths of the Great Recession, that's not saying much. But there you are. Good news. How big? No one knows.
Bad news (?) from Paul Hodges: Paul Hodges of the incomparable "Chemicals and the Economy" blog launched "Downturn Alert" last week, noting that commodity chemical prices are beginning to fall, as manufacturers are purchasing less and looking for lower prices.
Has anyone found Biospace to be useful? Either the job postings or the career fairs? In my personal opinion, it's totally worthless as a job hunting aid.
ReplyDeleteOh, that sucks to know, anonymous. I know a biochemist looking for a job.
ReplyDeleteUI, get that person on LinkedIn. Not only should they join the ACS group, they should join the biochemist sub-group (if there is one). There's another group called ScienceJobs that has a bunch of good opportunities as well as subgroups based on specialty and geographic region.
ReplyDeleteThe market is still very tough, but there are some opportunities available.
@Anon6:53 - Yeah, I feel the same tepid response to job postings on Biospace. For my money (as a chemist), ACS Careers, Monster, and Trovit are my best leads when I'm poking around.
ReplyDelete