How Do You Define a Career Fit?
A good fit is when your goals, past industry experience and job function align with the company's short and long term strategic goals, organizational behavior and mission.
I am a Number-Cruncher
Whether it be chemistry or business, I am the type of person who loves to analyze and look at numbers and data to make meaning out of it.
My Career Path
When I was young my mother died of lung cancer. For me this was a moment that would shape my life and my career. I wanted to do something to help find cures for disease. I set a goal to get a Ph.D. and become a scientist. I achieved that goal and even ended up working at the National Cancer Institute. Reach for something you really want and chances are you may get there.
After the Ph.D.: The Jump to Biotechnology
When I graduated from Michigan State University I went in to biotechnology, as it sounded like an interesting new field with great opportunities.
I lived in Maryland and worked in R&D for 7 years before returning to Illinois to pursue a career in teaching. I taught undergraduate chemistry for 2-3 years at local colleges until I met my husband and got married. What I gained from teaching was feeling comfortable in front of a group of people and fine tuning the way I communicate information.
The Importance of Marketing
In 2007 I decided to go back to the life of a chemist in the lab. What I learned from my job in back then was the importance of marketing and how a company is run. Marketing was everything to that company, and I wanted to learn more about it so that I could make a contribution.
An MBA to Broaden Skills
In 2008 I decided to start an MBA program. I had started doing some consulting work. I wanted to learn more about business, entrepreneurship and how to write a business plan.
When I started at DePaul I was interested in Venture Capital. I chose DePaul because of the price, reputation of the school and the variety of campuses and coursework. For me the subjects that came easier were business statistics, internet marketing, writing business plans and organizational behavior skills.
What are the Transitional Careers?
There are several books available that discuss careers for transitioners. I tried science and medical writing prior to starting an MBA. I tried to get in to technical sales - right around when the recession hit. At that time I got interested in green and sustainability careers.
Part of transitioning involves considering your core skills - who you are - that transcend boundaries. When thinking about career, I think about my industry background, mostly biotech and biopharma, and also my functional role, number cruncher and analyst. After you consider your core transferable skills then you look for the language you need to convey the skills.
The Job Search Now
Now my main interest is internet marketing, market research, analyst position and still a technical sales role. I have learned a lot about human behavior and the 'probability of a click' from Google AdWords. These analytical skills will help me in my job search. As I heard in a recent presentation at DePaul, "You only have so much time and energy. You have to put it to good use."
Targeting and segmenting the job search and assigning numbers to the chance you'll get a job is a good skill to have. I am starting to develop a system to help me organize and prioritize how I spend my time. It helps when speaking to recruiters to get an idea of the per cent goodness of fit you have for a job. Tracking those job titles and goodness of fit will help you manage your time.
About to Graduate
I am on the edge of graduating. I have started looking for a job after having taken a job search vacation in 2010. After noticing that my writing skills have gone downhill from lack of use, I've decided to start this blog up and dedicate it to my career search and researching companies, job functions, job search strategies and skills and industries. I will be graduating in June. Let's wish all the job seekers out there good luck in 2011. May we all find the appropriate job!
