Career development workshops and resume critiques will be available in the Career Center from Saturday, February 10 through Tuesday, February 13. Debra Behrens and Alaina Levine will lead workshops throughout the meeting and will also provide one-on-one career counseling.
Registration is required for the limited number of one-on-one career counseling sessions. Please sign up for these appointments onsite at the meeting beginning Saturday afternoon, February 19. These signups are on a first-come, first-served basis, one session per person. Please come prepared to your appointment with resumes, CVs, and any other appropriate materials.
Registration is not required for the workshops, but please show up on time! Workshops are held in Room 108B.
Leveraging LinkedIn in the PhD Job Search: Networking, Informational Interviews, and More
Presented by Debra Behrens
Saturday, February 10, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
You’ve done some exploration and identified some interesting possibilities as the next step after grad school or your postdoc, but is it enough to convince you that research in industry, medical science liaison, data science, etc. is right for you? More importantly, do you know enough to craft a persuasive story about why you’re a credible and compelling candidate? This presentation provides specific examples of how you build out your knowledge of a new, potential career field, and forge valuable connections that can facilitate your successful transition out of academia using LinkedIn, professional societies, informational interviews, and more.
Networking for Biophysicists: How to Create Your Dream Career
Presented by Alaina Levine
Sunday, February 11, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
In this session, we will discuss how to leverage networking to create a unique, customized career, which we call Your Dream Career. We will address how to understand your unique value, skills, and interests and how to align that with employers who will hire you. We will discuss various methods for finding and building win-win collaborations with people in different professions and pathways to create opportunities for your dream career to come to fruition.
Green Cards for Scientific Researchers: How to Win Your EB-1A/NIW Case! with Getson & Schatz
Presented by Brian Getson;
Sunday, February 11, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Brian Getson is a leading U.S. immigration lawyer who represents scientific researchers in applying for green cards in the EB-1A, EB-1B and NIW categories. Learn about the U.S. immigration process and how to maximize your chances of immigration success during this workshop. He will answer questions and provide free legal consultations after the presentation and throughout BPS 2024 in Room 108A at the Career Development Center.
Public Speaking Masterclass: How to Rock the Podium and Give a Fantastic Talk
Presented by Alaina Levine
Sunday, February 11, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
In this session, you will learn from a professional speaker how to deliver a fantastic talk every single time. Whether you are giving a poster, job talk, a speech for a colloquium, journal club or virtual endeavor, an everything in between, you will emerge with knowledge about the techniques of how to construct stories, utilize verbal and body language effectively, explain and reduce jargon, and create connections with your audience. You will emerge more confident and excited to rock your next talk!
Navigating an International Job Search
Presented by Alaina Levine
Sunday, February 11, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
This workshop will delve into the details of how to plan an international job search, including what to do and when, no matter where in the world you are located or want to go.
Nailing the Job Talk, or Erudition Ain’t Enough
Presented by Debra Behrens
Sunday, February 11, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Congratulations! You've made it to the finals and are suddenly facing the most important presentation of your life. Answers to your questions about how to structure your presentation, how much detail to include, what they are really looking for, etc.
Demystifying the Academic Job Search I: Understanding the Search
Presented by Debra Behrens
Monday, February 12, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
What goes on inside search committees; the “black box” of the academic job search process? How are they constituted, what are their processes, and what do they look for when assessing applicants? Answers to these and other questions presented by Debra Behrens, PhD a veteran of the academic job search and numerous search committees.
Marketing Your Value: Crafting Your Elevator Pitch/30 Second Value Statement/Brand Statement
Presented by Alaina Levine
Monday, February 12, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
In this workshop, we will address how to effectively market yourself for career opportunities (academia, industry and beyond) and leverage and utilize marketing methods and channels, and we will spend time on how to craft an elevator pitch and what makes a great pitch for employers.
Translating Your Credentials: Writing Effective resumes + Cover Letters for Industry, Government, and Nonprofit Jobs
Presented by Debra Behrens
Monday, February 12,12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
You have a CV with its list of publications, presentations, honors & awards, etc., but jobs outside of academia typically require a resume. Very few job ads fail to mention the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, yet if you take a glance at your CV, these are all likely to be absent or incomplete. Learn how to transform your CV into an effective resume that helps hiring managers recognize and appreciate the value you have to offer.
The Industry Interview: What you Need to Do Before, During, and After to Get the Job
Presented by Alaina Levine
Monday, February 12, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
In this session we will focus on learning and using the language of industry and referencing the culture and priorities of industry to ace the interview. We will discuss how to effectively market yourself in these interviews and clarify how your skills and experience are an asset to a company. Specifically, we will address this for pharma and biotech interviews. We will run through some of the most common questions asked in industrial interviews and five specific advice about how to set yourself apart.
Negotiation for Biophysicists: Negotiation Strategies and Tactics and Evaluating a Job Offer
Presented by Alaina Levine
Monday, February 12, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
We will address strategies and tactics to evaluate a job offer and to negotiate for what you are worth in the employment marketplace, including postdoc and faculty roles.
Demystifying the Academic Job Search II: Preparing your Written Application Materials
Presented by Debra Behrens
Tuesday, February 13, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Over 90% of the cuts in a typical academic job search are made on the basis of your written application materials. Given the large number of candidates in a typical applicant pool, your documents must convey the most important information about you in the most clear and efficient manner. Learn about how your materials should differ based on the type of institution and/or program, and how to create “glance-able” documents to speak most effectively on your behalf.
Interview Strategies for International Candidates
Presented by Debra Behrens
Tuesday, February 13, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
This interview practice workshop is customized for international candidates. The key topics include: The four central questions in virtually every employment interview, understanding cultural and communication dynamics, strategies for answering behavioral questions, and how to use “small talk” for big results.
The Strategic Postdoc: How to Find & Leverage Your Postdoc Experience
Presented by Debra Behrens
Tuesday, February 13, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Many PhDs just kind of fall in to a postdoc, rather than thinking about it from a strategic perspective. Your postdoc is never an end in itself; rather it’s a means to another end whether that goal is a faculty position at a research university, a small college, national lab, or perhaps an industry job. Learn how to find postdoc opportunities that will best prepare you for that next step, and how to use your postdoc experience to facilitate the transition to the next step in your career.