Monthly Archives: May 2011

Trends in the wording of job adverts

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Personal drive has replaced the ability to cooperate as the most requested characteristic in job adverts, according to a study of recruitment advertising in Sweden from 1955 to 2005.

Karin Helgesson, who studied the wording of job adverts for her doctoral thesis at the University of Gothenburg, found that being driven, able to cooperate and able to work independently have been the three most frequently cited requirements for the majority of the 50-year period, with personal drive taking the top spot since 2000.

The study also suggests there has been a change in attitude from employers towards employees over the past decade. “Ads from the last ten years or so tend to focus more on the employee,” says Helgesson. “Employers who used to offer workers the security of belonging to large and successful organisations have become partners who are offering their co-workers personal development and stimulating work tasks.”

Have you noticed any other trends in recruitment adverts over the past 10 years? Share your thoughts below.

Writing a paper: habits of successful authors

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If you’d like to boost your chances of getting your research published in the right journal, it’s worth knowing some of the habits of successful authors. Bernd Pulverer, head of scientific publications at the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), shared some insights with attendees at last week’s Naturejobs Career Expo in Heidelberg, Germany.

Consider the final paper when you first plan your project

Pulverer advises authors to “plan carefully and think holistically”.

Choose your journal with care

“There are many good journals out there,” Pulverer says. Study what kind of papers the journal publishes to see if its scope is suitable.

Don’t hold back data

“I can’t emphasise this enough,” Pulverer says, adding that the “cat and mouse game” between authors and referees is a huge problem. Don’t hold back data that you think the referees will ask for later in order to please them — include it with your initial submission.

Write a cover letter

Pulverer says a cover letter allows you to explain the importance of your research to editors and referees in a less formalised manner than in your paper. “It’s not essential, but it provides a good opportunity to give a different flavour to the results,” he says.

Tell a story, but avoid spin

Think about the ‘story’ of your paper, but don’t over-labour it — and don’t oversell your findings.

Be thorough when responding to referees

If you make it to peer review and get recommended changes from referees, “make sure you address every single point raised”, says Pulverer. If you don’t agree with something, write a thorough, point-by-point rebuttal.

Respond well to rejection

If your paper is rejected, don’t simply resubmit it to the same journal with a different title and list of authors. “It sounds trivial, but we see this quite a lot,” says Pulverer. “There are many other good journals at the same level.”

Have your say

Do you have any other tips or advice to share? Let us know below.

Nature welcomes six new Careers columnists

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After considering almost 300 applications Nature’s Careers editors have chosen six young scientists as winners of the 2011 Careers columnist competition.

The successful entries cover a diverse range of topics, including how to cope with setbacks in the first year of your PhD, the struggles of postdocs in Canada and selling yourself to prospective employers. The six scientists — three PhD students and three postdocs — will each write at least two columns for the Careers section of Nature over the next year. Their columns will also be published on naturejobs.com.

The six winners are:

  • Adam James, a PhD student in synthetic chemistry at the University of Tasmania in Australia

  • Lucie Low, a postdoc in neuroscience at McGill University in Canada

  • Mariano A. Loza-Coll, a postdoc in genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the United States

  • Lydia Soraya Murray, a PhD student in molecular genetics and cell biology at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom

  • Andrew Peterman, a PhD student in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University in the United States

  • Gaston Small, a postdoc in ecology at the University of Minnesota in the United States

You can read more about the new columnists and their writing ambitions in the 2nd June issue of Nature.

Thanks to everyone who applied — for those of you who were unsuccessful this time, we hope you keep writing.

Tips on starting a business in science

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If you were planning to use your research to launch a start-up company, would you expect to be the CEO? It’s one of the most important questions you can ask yourself if you plan to start a business, according to science business adviser and lawyer Christof Hettich, partner at law firm Ritterhaus, managing director of science investment fund dievini and an honorary professor at Heidelberg University of Applied Science.

Speaking at this week’s Naturejobs Career Expo in Heidelberg, Germany, Hettich said that while you can learn the skills you need to lead a business, it takes time and could detract from your core strength — your science. “You have to learn to delegate and trust in other people,” he says. While the founder of a company often wants to be the CEO, particularly in Europe, it’s not always good for business. “You have to define from your side where you can help the company the most,” says Hettich, adding that not having the right CEO is one of the main reasons businesses fail.

Eschewing traditional business-textbook tips in favour of his personal experience, Hettich highlighted three key areas: the science, building a sustainable organisation and venture capitalist funding.

Be the best or the first — and protect your IP

In order to form the basis of a new company your research should either be the first or best of its kind. Anything less than that might be suitable for an existing company to add to its portfolio, but “it’s not enough to start a business”, says Hettich. “You need to be very early and the best in your field.”

As the backbone of your potential business, your intellectual property (IP) is a precious commodity. “You have to pay unbelievable attention to creating and protecting your IP,” says Hettich. That doesn’t mean you should just create patent after patent — Hettich advises you develop a proper strategy — but you do have to be very careful about what you publish about your research before you have a patent in place. If you involve a venture capitalist to get funding (see below), they are likely to uncover any problems with your patent during their due diligence checks.

Be sustainable

As well as deciding on the right CEO, make sure you pick an appropriate chief financial offer (CFO). Although crucial, this position is often assigned to an existing acquaintance, which can cause problems as the business grows. “That’s not really a sustainable model,” says Hettich.

Understand venture capitalists

When it comes to funding, make sure you plan ahead. Venture capitalists (VCs) — those who invest money on behalf of a private fund — will only invest if they have a clear idea when and how they can withdraw their investment in the future to achieve a healthy return. VCs may also be influenced by what’s currently ‘fashionable’ in science, making some areas more likely to attract investment.

How do you choose which VCs to approach? It’s “easier to convince VCs familiar with the industry,” says Hettich. He also advises checking at which stage of a business the VC usually invests, as this will vary.

Finally, VCs have experience in building companies, so be prepared to be challenged as well as supported. “You will get additional help, whether you want that or not,” says Hettich.

Share your tips

Do you have any other tips for starting a business in science? Share them below.