THE RESULTS ARE IN & YOU’RE THE

People Person

YOUR SUPERPOWER IS YOUR POWERFUL & PRODUCTIVE COLLABORATIONS— EVERYONE WANTS TO WORK WITH YOU

WHAT MAKES YOU SUCCESSFUL ↓

YOUR LONG-TERM COLLABORATIONS

You're an interdisciplinary superstar

working on the most important problems in modern science. You’ll do whatever it takes to answer questions that matter, questions that actually make a difference in people’s lives— and if you can’t develop a technique that works, you’ll find someone who can.

But you’re not just randomly emailing strangers on the Internet— collaborators come to you. Because they don’t just want to do the work you do — they can go to plenty of other brilliant specialists for their experiments. (Seriously, do you know just how many other single molecule biophysics labs with optical tweezers there are now?!)

They want to do it WITH YOU— and that’s why you have so many great papers, more than any single human could possibly publish alone. You won ALL the teaching awards as a PhD student & now you have TONS of wildly successful students who STILL send you thank you notes— decades after they’ve left the lab.

You give the most engaging talks & your conference schedule is FULLY BOOKED— coffee with beloved mentors, group dinners with labs you’ve worked in, drinks until 4am to catch up with colleagues & meet their new colleagues…

You got every job BEFORE you actually applied for it— because working with you is everyone’s dream & the search committee know you’ll be the department’s favorite professor.

BUT YOUR OWN PROJECTS ARE LAST ON THE LIST, SO YOU’RE IN THE LAB BY 7AM TO

get your writing done before everyone arrives

AND YOU GRAB A CAB HOME AT 2AM BECAUSE

you get to your own experiments long after everyone leaves

You get all your shit done exactly on time– but maybe working so damn hard causes a problem or two in your relationships?

I get it. You’re not alone.

I’m right there with you— this is the result I get when I take my own quiz. (Except I’m already divorced because, unlike you, I didn’t get it in time.)

EVERYONE SAYS YOU’RE THE HARDWORKING & HELPFUL PI THEIR DEPARTMENT REALLY NEEDS…

but you’re already overworked & accumulating stress-induced autoimmune diseases

YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW ELSE YOU CAN PAY THE BILLS IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO WORK YOURSELF TO DEATH AFTER ALL.

A light at the end of the tunnel would allow you to finally relax & rest when you come home at 3am dead tired from helping people with their problems at yet another department party— and collapse into bed exhausted without brushing your teeth or walking your dog.

But you can rest — because your superpower is your secret weapon

THESE 3 STRENGTHS ARE YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE & THEY’LL

highlight your superpower & make you stand out

IN THIS INTERNATIONAL JOB MARKET WHERE EVERYONE & THEIR MOTHER HAS A PHD OR TWO

STRENGTH 1 \ COLLABORATIONS

Your collaborations & connections

You’re not only the best scientist in your field— you’re the best scientist to work with. Good scientists are a dime a dozen, but you’re a rare find. Your recommendations say it all— and your collaborators on the search committee will argue for you when it’s time to rank the candidates. The faculty interview-to-offer rate r=12(+/-5)% depends on research vision & departmental match (read: people hire people they want to work with) & you’re a dead ringer.

STRENGTH 2 \ PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

You know how to bring out the best in people

You’ve demonstrated unparalleled mentoring & teaching skills— and managing people is the most important aspect of the job. Most postdocs don’t have the opportunity to develop their management skills before starting their new faculty positions, but you’re excellent with your students & it shows— in their results & yours. Leadership is the variable that defines a successful PI & your superpower makes you a star.

STRENGTH 3 \ COMMUNICATION

You can explain to anyone why they should hire you

You can explain difficult concepts clearly— including embarrassing ones like why you’re the best person for the job. Your stellar communication skills are an exception among PhD-level scientists & that’s why you WILL get a job you love (p>0.95, N>50), even if it’s not the tenure-track faculty position you’re working so hard for. Please know that every postdoc I’ve worked with who has your strengths got their dream job & you will too.

Specific strategies & resources optimized for your scientific skillset

3 APPLICATION STRATEGIES FOR THE

People Person

HERE ARE 3 SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR A SCIENTIST WITH YOUR STRENGTHS THAT’LL HELP YOU GET YOUR DREAM JOB

STRATEGY 1 \ NETWORKING

Turn to your network — they'll do anything for you

If you’re location-constrained or applying to top-tier universities, use your superpower to ask your network for help. Your collaborators & mentors want you as their colleague & they’ll do whatever they can to help with your search. Your talent for bringing out the best in people is a defining characteristic of a successful PI & your superpower will get you a job you love.

STRATEGY 2 \ NAMED POSITIONS

Ask about unadvertised positions & you'll find them

People skills are the highest-weighted variable in the interview-to-offer equation— and you have them in spades. If you’re not getting enough invitations, my most effective strategy for postdocs like you (& me) is using your network to learn about upcoming positions before they’re advertised. People care about you & your career just as much as you care about them. Your superpower will get you the interview— and your people skills will get you the job.

STRATEGY 3 \ REFERRALS

Ask for internal referrals

If you might work to death at a prestigious university, your best bet is to ditch the Ivy Leagues & apply as an internal candidate to a department you already know. Even if you left the institution long ago, use your superpower to talk to scientists in the department. If the position is a match, you’ll get an internal referral— which increases the probability of getting the job by an order of magnitude. All you have to do is find your dream job & your superpower will do the rest.

THEY DIDN’T TEACH THIS IN PHD SCHOOL— AND IF YOU GOT THIS FAR,

You're on the right track

YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO GET A JOB YOU LOVE IN THE CITY YOU LOVE

welcome

I'm Kathy Chaurasiya

PHYSICIST & CAREER COACH FOR SCIENTISTS

I’m so glad you’re here! Watch your inbox for an email with more specific strategies & resources to make your scientific skillset stand out in this competitive international job market. Let’s get you a career & a life that you love.