By Wendy Benning
Swanson, President and Owner/Founder of Verum Staffing
Once a long time ago, I was a Biology graduate from the
College of St. Catherine – Now St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. Reflecting back on that time, I know that navigating
the job market is intimidating because you spent most of your time in science
classes, not learning about how to plot the course of your career. Our intention with this article for those of
you that are graduating with a degree in Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, or
other science degree is to help you understand your options, what opportunities
are out there for an entry level science grad, and how you can put your best
foot forward.
Types of
Opportunities
First you need to understand that there are 4 types of
positions that you are going to find:
·
Direct Hire
– applying for a position and being hired directly through the company.
·
Direct Placement
– A staffing agency assists the company to find an individual that will work
directly for the company.
·
Contract
and Contract to Hire - A staffing agency will help a company find an
individual for a position that will only last a specified amount of time. Usually from 4 months to a year (sometimes
more). When the position is complete, if
there is no more work for you, you will no longer work for that company through
the staffing agency (contract) or you will be hired on (contract to hire).
We often have a lot of questions about the Contract and
Contract to hire option because people are not familiar with it.
Some
benefits of contract/contract to hire:
·
Gain valuable experience in a company that you
will be able to put on your resume to help you find your next job.
·
You will have the opportunity to determine if
the position is something you are interested in before you are hired on. It’s harder to “quit” a full time position
than it is a contract position.
·
You will have flexibility if you decide to go
onto graduate school.
Industries
There are also many different industries that you can work
in Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Food, Environmental, Medical Device,
Chemical, Personal Care, Government, Colleges and Universities and more. The types of roles that you could be working
in range from Laboratory Technician, Microbiologist, Quality, Analytical
Chemistry, R&D Technician, Associate Scientist, Quality Scientist, Clinical
Laboratory Technician, Process Scientist, as some examples.
Preparation
The next step is how to put your best foot forward in order
to find these opportunities. There are
many articles out there that will help you with your resume and with your
interviewing skills. Type those topics
into Google and there is a treasure trove of information out there to help
you! From our perspective there are a
number of key things that you can do to help you get noticed by these
companies:
·
Make sure your resume clearly states your
scientific skills in a section at the top of the resume. These skills should be in columns or list
form and if you apply for a position, be sure the skills they are asking for
are very clearly visible. Some examples of skills that you learned in college
could be HPLC, GC/MS, Pipetting, ELISA, Western Blot, plating bacteria, assays,
etc.
·
Practice your interviewing skills. Interviewing is a skill, it’s not a
talent. People are not generally natural
at it. Find a friend or family member to
do a mock interview and get some feedback on how they perceive you.
·
Please be sure to look professional in your
interview. Wear a business suit or the
sharpest outfit that is business appropriate that you can find.
·
Show up to the interview 10 minutes early. No earlier, no later.
·
Research the company that you are interviewing
with and be prepared with questions to ask about the company and the
position. Have a good understanding of
the position you are interviewing for.
·
Send a thank you note in the mail. It will make you stick out more than the
individual that sent it through email, although that is acceptable, mail is
preferred.
Where do you find that job?
Now the big question is, how do you find these jobs and/or
staffing agencies? Most companies post
their positions on their website and online through a website such as
CareerBuilder, Monster, JobsinMinneapolis.com, etc. There is also a site called Indeed.com that
aggregates all of these jobs into their site.
Another option is to connect with a staffing agency that works with
these companies. We at VERUM Staffing
work with companies that hire people with scientific backgrounds across the
Twin Cities. We can help you navigate
and understand the job market in the Twin Cities and connect you with
opportunities that would fit your background and experience.
This article is the beginning of a series of blogs for
recent graduating students with scientific backgrounds that will address the
job search, resume, and interview process.
If you are interested in speaking with us further regarding positions we
have available, future opportunities, or interview/resume help, please send an
email to lhoff@verumstaffing.com
to set up an informational interview.
Wendy Benning Swanson
is the President and Owner/Founder of Verum Staffing. She is a 2-time graduate
of St. Catherine University (formerly the College of St. Catherine), earning
both a Bachelors in Biology, as well as her Masters in Organizational
Leadership. She has been involved in the staffing industry since 2003, and founded
Verum Staffing in the spring of 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment