Yesterday at Columbia University Medical Center, I attended a seminar titled Science Careers: Preparing for Choice in the Job Market. Though the title was a bit misleading (it mainly focused on the academic job search), the seminar offered advice on all aspects of the academic job hunt.

The speaker was Dr. Katayoun Chamany, Associate Professor of Biology at Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts. Chamany received her BA in biology from the University of Iowa and then went on to do her graduate studies in molecular and cell biology at Berkley. At the time of her hire Chamany was the only science faculty at Eugene Lang. Because of this situation, Chamany has some unusual appointments, such as the department of natural sciences and math. This situation also forced her to take a leadership role early on in her career and become the face of science for her university, sitting on every committee that needs a scientific advisor. As such, she has developed a keen sense of what universities look for in a potential hire.

So what was her advice? Well, mainly that you should develop a sort of Individual Development Plan (IDP) as a postdoctoral fellow. Set goals for things such as presentations and publications. Though it is not always realistic to stick to this timeline, try your best to deviate a little as possible. Seek regular feedback from you mentor and consider organizing a mentoring committee. It is also important to seek professional development outside of the laboratory to improve your oral communication skills and prepare for interviews. Additional guidelines on how to create an IDP can be found here.

It is nice to think that the pursuit of an academic job, or any type of scientific job, can be organized into a step-by-step guide to success. But in reality this is not the case. Though I found Dr. Chamany’s seminar helpful, it is becoming apparently clear to me the job search is a random and try-as-you-go process. This is a bit frightening for a young scientist like myself. I am constantly reading, preparing, and planning. When doing experiments, careful design and control is critical. So is it any wonder that, even after attending numerous panels on the scientific job search, the exact details of how one obtains a satisfying career still elude me?

So, while I think things like making an IDP and improving you professional development skills won’t hurt your chances, it seems you just have to put yourself out there, try your best, and hope you get the job.