1. HELPING CHEMISTS FIND JOBS IN A TOUGH MARKET. 2. TOWARDS A QUANTITATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE QUALITY OF THE CHEMISTRY JOB MARKET.
What's the job market like for chemists? Dude -- it's always bad.*
How bad is it? How the heck should I know? Quantifying the chemistry job market is what this blog is about. That, and helping chemists find jobs.
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(*For the literal-minded, this is a joke. Mostly.)
Can you call yourself a CMC manager/specialist? Is your employer considered a CRO?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you have a refreshingly succinct, if redacted, résumé.
:) thank's! it will be very nice to have a collection of "i-got-a-job-with-this-resume"
ReplyDeleteYou need to move out of ChemistryTown. There's no future there...
ReplyDelete;)
Per our earlier arrangement, I've stolen the entire format, and now I'm Director of the NIH! Wow!
ReplyDelete*above comment not entirely truthful
ReplyDeleteI'd point out that resumes don't get you a job, they only lose you a shot at the job.
ReplyDeletePersonally I put my education after my experience and I cut the useless "Objective" section for a summary - 4 lines to sell my resume so they will want to read the rest.
The problem is so many people have just this kind of extensive research experience, it's hard to differentiate your own. The first hurdle is the HR screen, so here are a few things I personally think might go through the head of an HR rep when rifling through the stacks of resumes they receive:
ReplyDeleteThe format is visually boring. Remember, you might live in a world of science, but we HR drones live in a world of fantasy. I recommend using different size fonts to emphasize important things. Your name is more important than your street address.
Objective? Your objective is to get the job you’re applying for. Oh, you meant your long term research goals? Yeah, this is capitalism, we don’t care about that. Replace this with a similar statement saying who you are and what you do that makes it clear that you have some business applying for this job.
Highlights? Reminds me of the kids magazine. These are QUALIFICATIONS- the things that make you qualified for the job you’re applying for. Scale up? You mean PROCESS EXPERTISE. Flexible team player? Generic. Here’s a better point- did you mentor or manage anyone (undergrads, for example) during all your experience? Put that- it counts as much as actual job experience.
So, you went to unimpressive schools? So why should I read this section? I already know you have a PhD. Unless you went to a big name U, it’s all the same to me. Put this after job experience. Overall, put the stuff I (as an HR drone, remember) want to read first.
Wow, that’s a lot of experience. Lots of synthesis. Of course, only industrial experience counts, because before that you really just spent 10-12 years in college. OF course, all those bullet points and sub-bullet points and all those long sciencey words make my head spin.
Ooh, action words! I like those. Except- advised? No, MENTORED! Synthesized? Nah, INVENTED! Responsible for management? Don’t be shy, just say it- MANAGED!
I’m not capable of really evaluating the quality of research, so I’m looking for quantity- more numbers! How many people did you manage? How much money did you save or make the company? How many products did you invent (or co-invent)? How many patents or papers did you publish? I need to justify pushing your resume up the chain to the hiring manager- after all, limiting liability is my job!
A9:53a:
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting the time into your comment. My blood pressure went up about 25 points reading it, so I think you're hitting home.
(FWIW, I know it's pretty boring.)
@Vladimir Chupakhin @You're Pfizered @chemicalspace We can combine our sentiments, and compile a list of "I didn't get a job with this" resumes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the "objective" being unnecessary from what I learned from the pros. Also, I would elaborate on the "highlights" and support them with detailed description.
Objective. Most useless line(s) in a resume (CV).
ReplyDeleteAs to Anonymous (9:53 AM) above who states they are an HR person...truly scary that this is what passes for advice.
1. Synthesized and Invented are NOT the same thing. That is why there are manuscripts and patents. If this HR person doesn't know that, they should be fired immediately.
2. "...you really just spent 10-12 years in college" Ugh. This is, yet another reason, why HR sucks. Yes, the first 4-5 (or 7 - "7 years of college down the drain. Might as well join the f**king peace corp!, sorry I digress) are "just spent in college"; but the rest of those years actually matter. How productive you were, what you actually made makes a difference.
This might be the worst advice I've heard in a really long time. It would be shocking, if I didn't expect this type of crap from HR.
This cannot be stressed enough (and thanks Anonymous @ 9:53 for making this much easier)...try to NEVER send your resume/CV to an HR department. Always, ALWAYS try and get it to an actual intelligent individual first (this excludes ALL HR individuals). If you cannot get your CV to a scientist - may the force be with you.
Anonymous, 10:23 AM speaking here...
ReplyDeleteOh, I think I might get sarcasm now. Only took me 42 years, but I have to think Anonymous 9:53 AM had tongue firmly planted in cheek and I fell for it. If that really was an HR person, well...
Outside of being tired today, my only other defense would be that an actual HR person does think that way...
Cover letters are far more important than CVs or resumes.
ReplyDeleteYou really should get some basic education in how hiring is done. This site may be damaging people's careers.
"Cover letters are far more important than CVs or resumes."
ReplyDeleteNo. They're not, at least from my experience. I recall being give a stack of CVs to look over, and even there just jumped to count the # of publications (was for entry level position)...
"You really should get some basic education in how hiring is done."
This is nearly as annoying as idiots who like to say "you need to educate yourself". Be an idiot somewhere else.
Agree with bbo(o)xoya...
ReplyDeleteCover letters and objectives...so 1990's. We all know you are looking for a job. The only thing I look at a cover letter for is to see if the person writes like a 3rd grader. But, anyone with a brain will get their letter proof-read.
Umm...okay, 9:53 here. I am NOT in HR, I am a bench scientist. But I truly think those are the things (maybe a little hyperbole, but not much) that business people think about chemistry experience and chemistry resumes. For example, I really did have a non-science guy tell me flat out after I started my current job that I spent 12 years in college. Not kidding. I wanted to strangle him, but, of course, HR would look down on that. Of course we know the difference between synthesizing and inventing, but my point is "invented" sounds more impressive, and it will get their attention. They really do live in an alternate universe, I cannot stress this enough. They really think the things I wrote, whether they are true or not (not, in case you were wondering, but again, that doesn't matter).
ReplyDeleteone thing that needs to be remembered is if your resume gets past HR, it is only entry to a technical hiring manager.
ReplyDeleteTechnical hiring managers know bullshit when they see it - i.e. fudging on 'invention'. May piss them off a bit to see people fudge on 'invention' as they probably have done actual 'inventions'.
Wow...Why can't we have a discussion here about the good and bad elements of the resume without character assassination?
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:23--Why should we expect HR to be experts in a nuance of science (invent vs. synthesis)? At some point between the science part of the business and HR there has to be a disconnect on technical stuff. Expecting them to understand that stuff is too much. They are B.S. level non-scientists (probably)!
I think there are elements of truth is in the middle of a lot of these comments.
At big pharma (where I am at the moment), I know first hand that you have to get through the HR sieve, just to get to the hiring manager...so you have to speak to "both" camps with one document.
The hiring managers often ask for "all" of the resumes, but often it's a struggle to get them all. HR wants to be part of the process.
As far as critique goes...
I think a resume should have more detail on the problems solved, on the leadership experiences, and on team experiences.
Companies more than ever are looking for problem solvers that can communicate well and lead "informally" without formal reporting structures in place.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI want to mention that the MOST important thing is who you know. Most job hires do NOT just send their resume in, they schmooze and mingle, politics. That's what I've realized and am working my network, I haven't gotten that position yet, but I am finally getting movement (interest, interviews, etc). Here's what I did - I made an excel sheet of EVERYONE I know or met or interacted with in the industry, regardless of position - the key is that they may know someone, etc. Then I made columns to keep track of info, contact dates, projects, etc. I asked myself "who can I send a CV to on this list/would be comfortable receiving it, pass it on, etc". And I did just that, what have you got to lose!
Best of luck!