Tools & Tips | Outreach

Science Careers was lucky to be a part of the annual European Career Fair at MIT held the weekend of January 25, 2009. Our panel discussion on Industry Careers in Europe featured three panelists:

• Maria Grunwald, Radius
• David Von Schack, Wyeth Research
• Charles Remsberg, Hocoma, Inc.

The panelists shared information about their experiences both in the US and in Europe, which led to an interesting discussion of scientific careers in each locale. All of the participants stressed the need to network in order to be successful and the extent to which interesting opportunities that you cant plan for will come over the course of your career. Being open to these opportunities, even if it requires moving, can be rewarding. The panelists noted that there are cultural differences between work environments in the US and Europe and that self-awareness can help to mitigate this. Although they discussed differences with regard to salaries and compensation through pensions and vacation, the panelists mostly said that comparisons were difficult because of issues like different cost of living factors and federal holidays.

Questions? E-mail outreach@sciencecareers.org

See all Outreach Events

Science Careers, the online employment, career development, and funding supplement to Science magazine offers a sample of its resources for students, postdocs, and faculty attending the European Career Fair 2009.

Below are links to details about the event, as well as articles and services on Science Careers to find the kind of job you can enjoy, build your career in the academic world or industry, and gain funding for your research or ongoing training.

Special for European Career Fair 2009 Goers

• About European Career Fair 2009
• Making the most of career fairs
• Job-hunting, networking, and CVs
• Job-search engine
• Interviewing and negotiating a job offer
• Career building tips
• European job market
• Funding your research and training
• Ensuring student success
• Keep in touch after ECF 2009

European Career Fair 2009 Details and Links

Schedule

Friday afternoon, 23 January 2009: Panel discussion: Renewable Energy and the Knowledge Economy, time and locations to be determined

Saturday, 24 January 2009: Employer exhibits. Johnson Athletics Center (2nd floor), 120 Vassar Street, Cambridge, Mass. [Map]. 9:30 am to 5:00 pm

Sunday-Monday, 25-26 January, 2009: Employer-candidate interviews. Hyatt Regency Cambridge Hotel, 575 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Mass. [Map]

• ECF 2009 home page and log-in
• For candidates
• For employers
• Career fair background and statistics
• Career fair news and press releases
• Download iCalendar event

Making the most of career fairs

Do you know what to do at a career fair? Theres more to it than just showing up.

Job-hunting, networking, and CVs/resum??s

• Network Your Way Into Work. A series of seven articles on the theory and practice of networking
• Enhance Your Job Search Online
• The Slightly Irreverent, Shake Em Up Job Search
• Resum?? Rocket Science, 2007
• How to Write a Winning Resum??
• Tips for a Successful CV
• Writing a Winning Cover Letter

Find a great job on Science Careers

Heres a link to the powerful Science Careers job-search engine.

Interviewing and negotiating a job offer

• Beating the Interview Odds
• The Dreaded Phone Interview
• The Finer Points of Giving a Job Talk
• Negotiating: Be Honorable and Strategic
• Salary Negotiations: Part 1 and Part 2

Career building tips

• Career Basics: Advice and Resources for Scientists. This booklet provides advice and help on preparing CVs and resumes, writing grants and scientific papers, networking, and much more. Read each article in the booklet online, or download each chapter or the entire booklet as a PDF.
• Learning the Ropes of Peer Reviewing
• Tips for Publishing in Scientific Journals
• Culture Shock. Adjusting to scientific work and study abroad.
• Hidden Talents, Hungry Markets. Ph.D.s Have Many Skills to Offer Industry
• Academic Scientists Toolkit

European job market

• Coming to Europe
• To Have and Have Not. Salaries for European scientists vary greatly by country and region, despite efforts to bring them into balance.
• Reality Check. U.K. Report Reveals Variety of Career Paths for Ph.D.s
• New Research and Job Opportunities in Southern Europe
• Structuring Academic Careers in Europe
• European Programs Offer Translational Training
• A Rare Opportunity Into Space
• FP7 Funding Opportunities at a Glance
• An Ambitious Effort to Plug Europes Research Gap
• Getting Women Scientists to the Top
• Internships Offer Ph.D.s Early Leap Into Job Market

Funding your research and training

• Back to Funding Basics
• Grant Writing for Tight Times
• Getting to the Top of a Big Pile. Science Careers talks to European Research Council jury members about what got some applications to the top.
• Business Financing for Your Research
• Search GrantsNet: research funding
• Search GrantsNet: student and institutional support
• Latest GrantsNet Funding News

Ensuring student success

• Mastering Your Ph.D.: Starting Off on the Right Foot
• Mastering Your PhD: Science Papers that Shine
• To Choose an Adviser, Be an "Armchair Anthropologist"
• Going Abroad for Your Ph.D.
• U.K. Visa Changes Mean Closer Scrutiny for Non-European Students
• Home Stretch to Graduation.
• The Postbac: One or Two Years That Make Careers
• Undergraduates Ask: Should I Do a Ph.D.?

Keep in touch after ECF 2009

• Get expert career advice on the Science Careers Forum
• Discuss career opportunities with friends on Facebook
• Keep up with new developments on the Science Careers Blog
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds
• Sign up for the weekly Science Careers newsletter

Images: Courtesy, MIT-European Career Fair

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