Naturejobs career expo: What a day among classic cars told me about my future career

Lessons can be learned from the cars that crowded the background at the Naturejobs Career Expo in Düsseldorf, says Thais Moraes.

Guest contributor Thais Moraes

 

On the 26th of November in Düsseldorf, the Naturejobs career expo took place at the perfect venue. The Classic Remise center displays a collection of classic and historical cars that we all admired during the short breaks at the event.20151126_133138-edit

It was my first time at a career fair, and my first impression was that there were only young people there, starting the ignition in their professional lives. Since I already have many years on the road, I didn’t think it was for me. I was completely wrong: after listening to the talks, I was reminded that I don’t need to keep driving in the same direction just because it’s a road I’ve already started down.

The environment could have been just novel and enjoyable, but it also made me think about my future career plans, especially the fears and challenges that arise when you go for something new. There are four things that these machines brought to my mind.

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The Düsseldorf Career Expo

Naturejobs comes to Germany

The latest Naturejobs careers expo, hosted in Düsseldorf in association with Jobvector, was a huge success, with over 1300 jobseekers in attendance to hear from the experts in both industry and academia. Set in the Classic Remise car exhibition, the expo was a great opportunity for jobseekers, employers and speakers to rub shoulders, shake hands, and network professionally whilst enjoying the machinery on show right next to them.

Delegates could choose to wander around the car exhibition, listen to talks hosted by Jobvector and Naturejobs, get a professional photo taken for their CVs (and then bring it to the CV checking workshop), get their photo taken again at the #ScientistAtWork photo booth, and meet exhibitors from 35 separate businesses and organisations based in Germany and worldwide.DSC_1382

Over in the Naturejobs workshops the crowd first heard Professor Kiril Sotirovski, of the University of Skopje, explain how to use online networking tools to boost your career. He talked about the huge impact that networks have on a career, and the best ways to get ahead by using them.

The next speaker was Tim Maschuw of the Germany Academic Exchange Service. He brought his considerable experience into his talk, and explained to the audience (furiously scribbling notes) on the best ways to find funding for early career scientists. Elsewhere, Dr Vincent Mignotte explained why it’s important to build a career plan that suits you, and how to find the right balance between what you think, what you feel, and what, deep down, you want. Continue reading