I'm a former scientist who shares which career paths for scientists exist and how to identify, apply for and get your dream job.
Share
Science Careers – The Reality Of Searching For Jobs
Published 4 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, did you see this email coming?
Being prepared for a punch makes it much less harmful than when it comes out of the blue.
By the same token, just being prepared for how the application game works can make it much less rough.
Therefore, understanding how the job market works and what positions after studying look like will be a huge advantage that many miss out on.
Here are little-considered insights that I think will help you a lot:
Employment Comes with Specificity
The more senior you become, the more you are expected to specialize as an employee.
The important takeaway is that job positions ask for very specific skills - some of which you have to intentionally build beforehand.
Please note that the PI is naturally involved in more projects than a postdoc, but a postdoc can still change their focus, whereas a PI typically works in one area until retirement. A similar situation exists in industry, although with the nuance that some positions evolve toward more senior roles (involving more management and decision-making, and less execution of original methods).
In Academia: You might have noticed that Postdoc and PI positions are much more focused than PhD positions.
At this stage, you’re expected to know a specific topic and technique in detail. No one wants to give you complete freedom to explore or learn; instead, they expect you to produce results.
In Industry: Similarly, companies usually search for a very specific skill set. Every company is structured to deliver a certain product or service to a specific group of customers.
That means that internally, they are built around well-defined functions. Employers often want someone who can perform one well-defined role rather than cover multiple areas.
Click to enlarge and read the job ad. These open job positions from ThermoFisher and BioNTech illustrate very well how junior and senior roles in industry are structured - each focused on a few key skills. This is because, within companies, specific skills are leveraged within a unified team rather than having several independent scientists working on their own. In other words, the focus is on progress, not primarily about education.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if especially senior roles require a lot of experience in a single niche.
If you want to see different areas, still apply for positions that align with your current expertise, and aim to shift roles gradually within a company or university.
It's A Numbers Game
And because of this specificity, you will probably have to apply for a large number of positions.
If all positions were as broad as a PhD, almost everyone could qualify for every position. However, with added specificity, it simply takes longer to sort.
You can imagine the example on top to happen in schools or apart from GPA in University. However, when it comes to research positions or jobs in the industry, a specific skillset is required. Due to limited information diffusion, and since employee and employer don’t always exactly know what they are looking for, the sorting process often takes longer and goes along with several rejections.
That means, in many ways, job searching is a numbers game — similar to looking for a new apartment.
You will come across many opportunities that could fit you at first sight, but it ends there.
You can assume that when you start your search, eight or nine out of ten job openings you read will either require a background you don’t have or won’t fit your goals.
This can feel devastating because it seems like you will never find a position.
However, just like when searching for a new home, you only need one successful match - one position that works out.
Whether you write fifty or a hundred applications and only receive ten responses, you still only need one “yes.”
That one opportunity is enough to get your foot in the door.
PS: Unlike searching for a new home, once you have a position, it will get easier to find another one. You’ll start gaining relevant experience, building a network, and developing the industry-specific skills that make applying again so much easier.
Expecting Uncertainty & Discomfort
Even with this more focused and confident mindset, some discomfort will remain.
Some of your subconscious aspirations will get crushed. Let’s see some common ones:
After university, we feel well educated — only to find out that this education and knowledge don’t count as any experience in industry.
No matter how fun a job can be, reading job ads always feels cold, intimidating, and overwhelming.
The paradox of choice hits hard. There are so many positions, and therefore you will always doubt whether there is a better one.
To my mind, it is noteworthy that more people made a purchase when fewer options were available, as this serves as a great metaphor for how we can become paralyzed when deciding what to apply for simply because we’re uncertain. It’s true that different positions offer different day-to-day experiences, which makes decisions harder when there are more choices. But in the end, it’s like with marmalade - will you really notice a difference? And perhaps more importantly, you’ve got to eat (work) eventually if you don’t want to starve. Read more about the paradox of choice where the graphic comes from.
For most applications, you won’t even hear back. It feels unkind, but consider that it saves you time.
Each application takes time, effort, and emotional investment. As you can take only one position, you will necessarily feel pain for those you couldn’t get.
The resulting feelings of disappointment, anger, and uncertainty are simply part of the job search process. Don’t worry if you feel exhausted - we all do.
The best and simplest solution: just don’t fight it and keep going.
So the best approach is to accept the difficulty and push through it. The more you can squeeze out of yourself, the more you will gain from enduring it.
And the prouder you will be of yourself for having mastered it.
Hi Reader, let’s prepare you for your next applications. If you want to move from academia into industry, you will probably have a hard time - much harder than you expect right now. I have been posting about these challenges previously, but there are a few tricks that can make it much easier. Let’s go through them and realign your expectations: What Awaits You In Your Job Search Let me just say it without fancy words or graphics: on average, it takes 4–8 months to receive a first job offer....
Hi Reader, how do you convince others of your value? Go back to get an idea what is included in cover letters because the following gives you concrete tips on how to express yourself. The principles behind the writing style focus on what is truly valued in academia. Therefore, you can apply them to any other application document too: What You Want to Convey In industry it is about proving that you fit a particular position, but little beyond that. In academia, it’s much more about your...
Hi Reader, another heads-up for you: Register for our fifth edition of the career paths webinar! But now back to our weekly lesson: Bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, postdoc, group leader, or tenure-track, you might need to prepare a cover letter. However, there are significant differences depending on your level of seniority that you should be aware of. So, let’s look at what makes a good academic cover letter. The Purpose of a Cover Letter Your cover letter should prove why you are the right...
