YOUR RESULTS ARE IN — YOU’RE THE

Star Scientist

YOUR SUPERPOWER IS MAKING ANY EXPERIMENT WORK — YOU’RE THE TECHNICAL GENIUS YOUR COLLEAGUES CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

YOUR UNIQUE LAB TECHNIQUES

You're a experimental genius solving unique problems

with specialized techniques & advanced instruments. You’re so good at setting up complex experiments that other groups in the field are constantly sending their grad students & postdocs to your lab to use your instruments & learn your protocols…because they can’t get theirs working.

You won ALL the research awards as a PhD student & now your colleagues come to you for help troubleshooting their experiments. And let’s be honest, you run the lab while your PI runs the department. You order the reagents, you do the experiments, you mentor the students, you even supervise the other postdocs and & your own grants – the whole group’s productivity grinds to a halt if you dare go on vacation (so you don’t).

You got every job you interviewed for because the search committee knows they won’t find a better scientist. The best jobs come to you because you’re OBviously the best candidate — by a lot.

YOU LOVE PROBLEM SOLVING, BUT THERE’S ONE TEENY TINY LITTLE PROBLEM YOU’RE STILL WORKING ON:

your faculty search

YOU KNOW THAT ACADEMIA IS A FUNNEL &

being a great scientist is no longer enough.

You’re reasonable enough to put a time limit on your faculty search. And you’re practical enough to start thinking about Plan B.

When you’ve wrapped up your experiments, helped your grad students get their experiments back on track (yes, including those simple calculations any idiot can do – otherwise they’ll ruin YOUR experiments), finished your slides for group meeting, cleaned & set up the lab for tomorrow morning…

and you’re FINALLY on the train home with the latest issue of Nature Methods, in the back of your mind you’re a teeny tiny bit worried & stressed.

BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR POSTDOC & IF YOU DO DECIDE TO LEAVE ACADEMIA…

you have no idea where to go. Because science isn't just your job — it's your life.

AND LIFE WOULD BE WAY EASIER IF YOU JUST KNEW ONE THING: WHAT OTHER JOBS ARE OUT THERE THAT YOU WOULD BE JUST AS GOOD AT — AND ACTUALLY ENJOY?! WHEN THAT DATA IS IN, YOU’LL FINALLY FEEL FREE TO COLLAPSE ON THE COUCH FOR NUTELLA & NETFLIX AT THE END OF YOUR LONG-ASS DAYS.

But you are free — 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 \ TECHNICAL MASTERY

Expertise you'll bring to the department

You’re a master in your field. Your reputation precedes you — collaborators rarely see such a high level of determination, dedication & scientific expertise. The industry interview-to-offer rate p=40(+/-10)% is a function of technical skills, management skills & communication skills, so once you get the interview, you’ll get the job.

STRENGTH 2 \ PROJECT MANAGEMENT

You run research projects on track & on time

Your superpower extends beyond the lab to include an essential skill that most senior postdocs don’t have — a project management system that ensures nothing falls through the cracks. You deliver on time, every time…which puts you in the top 10% of all PhD-level scientists. Most postdocs (including me) complete their project to 80% & then fall behind schedule on the last 20%.

STRENGTH 3 \ CREATIVITY

You invent new methods to get your results

If you can’t get through, you go around. You have a million ways to get what you want 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 Star Scientist

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

STRATEGY 1 \ NETWORKING

Use your network — they know how good your are

If you’re location-constrained or applying to high-level positions, use your superpower to apply within your network, where your technical expertise is well-known & highly valued. Your ability to think outside the box & learn cutting-edge scientific methods to solve ANY problem defines you as a successful hire for the search committee & your superpower will get you a job you love.

STRATEGY 2 \ INTEGRATE YOUR CV

Highlight your custom management methods

Management skills are the second highly-weighted variable in the industry interview-to-offer equation, but if you’re not getting enough invitations, my most effective strategy for postdocs like you is to use your CV to integrate your management results with your research skills. Completing projects is a defining feature of a good scientist & your superpower will help you find a job where you’ll thrive.

STRATEGY 3 \ KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

Think outside the box

If you’re not sure what your dream job is, the smartest strategy is to broaden your search. Use your problem solving skills to list ALL your technical abilities & match that to your complete list of PhD-level jobs available outside of academia so you that (unlike me) you don’t reach the end of you faculty search — with no clue what other jobs you’d enjoy. As soon as you figure out what you want, your superpower will help you get it.

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 hope that helps you get started — and more is on the way…

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