Looking Backward to Move Your Career Forward

Welcome to 2013! As you return to the office after holiday parties and extended vacations, it’s a great time to take stock in your career, and understand exactly what you are coming back to.  Are you happy to get back to work because you love what you do, or are you dreading that first day back?  Did you actually miss your co-workers, or do you wish you could get by without talking to them a little longer?

If you realize that you are less than thrilled with what you do all day, it might be time to take a long, retrospective look at your career path so far, and make changes to improve your current situation – or start looking for a new one.

What Have You Accomplished?

Think back over your last few months to the last couple of years in your professional life.  What are your most significant accomplishments during the last 6 months?  How are those different from your accomplishments of last year, or even a few years ago?  What does that predict for your professional future?

 

What Do You Do?

Have your daily tasks changed over time?  Are you still interested in the tasks that make up your job?  Which tasks feel like they take the most of your time?  Is that because they really do, or because you don’t enjoy them? Spend a week or two tracking your time at work – the results may surprise you.

What Are You Not Doing?

Are there tasks or activities that used to be part of your job, but not anymore?  Was that your choice?  Is it because you have moved on to bigger and better things, or because your skills are becoming outdated?

What Have You Learned?

What new knowledge, skills and abilities have you acquired recently? Are these things you enjoy doing, which will help you develop professionally?  If you haven’t learned anything lately, could that be a goal for the near future?

What Has Changed Around You?

Even if you love your job, every once in a while you need to look at the bigger picture.  What has changed in your company, and in your industry?  Big, dramatic changes are easy to notice, but subtle shifts over time are harder to discern.  Is it only your current employer who is moving in a new direction, or is it the industry overall?

A driving instructor once said that if you want to stay in your lane, don’t stare at the road immediately in front of the car.  Instead, keep your eyes further down the road, focusing on where you want to be in the long term allows you to gradually adjust your course and get there safely.

This is also good advice for your career – look further down the road and see where you are headed, and decide if that’s where you want to be.  If it’s not, now is a great time to figure out why, and make a plan to get yourself on the right track for the long term.

Get Involved In The Discussion

The ACS Career Tips column is published the first week of every month in C&EN. Post your comments, follow the discussion, and suggest topics for future columns in the Career Development section of the ACS Network (https://communities.acs.org/community/profession/career_development)._—brought to you by ACS Careers.

Volunteering for Fun and Profit

Volunteering is a great way to pick up new skills and expand your professional network.  However, there are thousands of worthy volunteer causes that could use your time and talents.  How do you decide where to put your time and effort?  Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your volunteer activities.

What do you really care about?

Not everyone is interested in the same things, so make sure that whatever you choose to do it is something you are personally passionate about, and are excited to see through completion.  Obviously you should believe in the organization’s mission, but you should also be excited about the particular project you will be working on.  Knowing the task is beneficial and important will help motivate you to do your absolute best, and persevere when you encounter difficulties.

 

Will you learn a new skill?

One reason to volunteer is to learn a new skill in a low-risk environment, where mistakes won’t jeopardize your livelihood.  For example, if your current professional position does not require you to manage a budget, maybe you want to become treasurer of a local organization.  This will give you some real hands-on experience with setting a budget, tracking income and expenses, and so on.  Not only will you learn whether or not you can manage finances, you will learn whether or not you enjoy financial responsibility.  When the time comes to do this in your paying job, you will have the experience to do it right.

 

Will you work with good people?

One of the best reasons to take on a new volunteer position is to get to know new people.  Before you make a large commitment to an organization, spend some time with the other people involved, maybe assisting with a small or one-time event. Are the other volunteers fun to work with?  Do you share a common vision for the organization?  Does the professional staff (if any) treat the volunteers with respect?

 

Will you be appreciated?

With most volunteer work, your only payment is other’s appreciation of your job well done. Some organizations are better than others at thanking volunteers, and making sure they feel appreciated. Is the sense of accomplishment at the end of the project going to be sufficient reward for your hard work?

Can you get out?

Leaving gracefully can be the hardest part of a volunteer job – especially if you’re doing a great job, and no one wants to see you go. Picking a job with a fixed term limit is a good way to make sure you have a limited commitment.  Even if you have a term limit, you want to think ahead, and have a successor ready to go. Let them take over when it’s time, and resist the temptation to tell them how to do things, or insist they do exactly what you would have done.

Volunteer positions can be extremely rewarding, both personally and professionally.  By carefully selecting the organizations, projects and tasks that are going to benefit from your skills, you can ensure that you get as much, or more, than you give.  ACS offers many opportunities to get involved as a volunteer.  Two of the easiest places to help are in your Local Section and your Technical Division.

Get involved in the discussion

The ACS Career Tips column is published the first week of every month in C&EN. Post your comments, follow the discussion, and suggest topics for future columns in the Career Development section of the ACS Network (www.acs.org/network-careers)._—Brought to you by ACS Careers.

Is Your Resume Out of Style?

Just as clothing styles change over time, so do other styles.  While your resume still details your professional history, the overall look and specific content that employers expect to see changes over time.  If your resume style is outdated, that implies that you are out of touch with the current employment market.  Below are a few trends that have been observed in the chemical employment marketplace to test to see if your resume is “in style”.

Contact information

The first thing on your resume is your name and contact information, and that is probably never going to change.  However, as most communication is now electronic, including a physical mailing address has become less important.  All resumes should include an email address, but it is no longer necessary to include a street address, rather only the city and state which you reside. The email address does not have be your current employer’s (and probably should not be), but the username should not be flippant. Including the URL to your LinkedIn profile can provide more detailed information.

Executive Summary or Highlights

Instead of job objective describing the position you are seeking, more and more people are using an executive summary or highlights section.  This describes what you have done and what you can do, and will match a wider variety of possible openings.

Nouns and Verbs

People scan resumes for verbs, but computer keyword searches look for nouns, so include both.  For example, a person might skim for someone who has “managed”, while a human resources request might require a “manager”.  Including both words is better, and using them in context is even better for search engine optimization.  For example, “Manager Quality Assurance – ensured documentation, sample testing and calibration was conducted according to protocol and ISO/IEC 17025 standards as appropriate.”

Keywords

In order to include all possible keywords, many candidates used a “Keywords” section where they listed 25 or so additional words that did not appear elsewhere in their document.  Since humans never read that section, and computers read the whole thing, it’s no longer a good use of space.  Keywords should be worked into the body of the resume.  For example, “NMR spectroscopist specializing in multi-dimensional analysis of protein structures” is better than, “NMR, proteins, structure”.

Paper is Out, PDF is In

The vast majority of resumes are sent electronically, read online, and never printed.  Therefore, how your resume looks when printed is not nearly as important as how the electronic version looks.  Sending an Adobe portable document format (pdf) version of your resume ensures that anyone will be able to read it, the formatting will remain as you wanted it, and no one will be able to accidentally edit it.

Keeping your personal data format (resume or CV) current is one way to show potential employers that you keep up with the changing requirements of the employment marketplace.  Making sure your style, as well as your content, is as current as possible, is an easy way to make a great first impression, and start you on the road to a new chapter in your professional life.

Get Involved In The Discussion.

The ACS Career Tips column is published the first week of every month in C&EN. Post your comments, follow the discussion, and suggest topics for future columns in the Career Development section of the ACS Network (www.acs.org/network-careers)._—Brought to you by ACS Careers.

Do You Know How To Deal With Deadlines?

 

Every job has deadlines – certain dates and or times by which tasks must be accomplished.  We each handle deadlines in our own way – some start work well ahead of time, while others prefer the “just in time” mode. Some people create milestones (mini-deadlines) along the way, to keep themselves on track. How you handle deadlines, and if you meet or miss them, is a big part of your professional reputation, and greatly affects how your co-workers think of you.  Making sure you are responsive, and responsible, to your projects’ deadlines can go a long way toward advancing your career and making your team function more smoothly.

Determine the Deadline

Every project or task you are responsible for comes with at least an implicit deadline. Especially if it’s an important project, you want to ask questions and make sure you know exactly what and when results are expected of you.  If the deadline appears unrealistic, ask questions to make sure you understand the true scope of the assignment.  In some cases, you may need to re-negotiate the resources (time, materials and personnel) assigned to the task in order to make the deadline realistic.

 

Evaluate the Margin of Error

In some cases, “by close of business (COB) today” really means “on my desk when I arrive in the morning”.  In other cases, it means “must be completed and entered by 4:45 EST tonight” or “I’d like to see it sometime this week”.  Different companies, managers, and even different projects have different cultures, so make sure you know what the deadline really is.

 

Critical Path

You need to understand the dependencies between your tasks and other tasks on the same project.  Are there other people or projects who cannot move forward until your tasks are completed? Or are you working in parallel, so if something happens to hold up your piece, the overall project can still proceed in a timely fashion?  Obviously if others are waiting on you, meeting the deadline becomes critical.

 

Trim or Miss?

If you are not going to be able to meet the deadline, should you trim part of the project and submit 80% on time, or continue working and turn in a perfect result late? As soon as you anticipate a problem meeting the deadline you need to start thinking about contingency plans. The earlier you discuss contingencies, the better you will be able to focus your efforts, and the more time co-workers will have to adjust their expectations.

Balance Competing Deadlines

Rarely will you be working on only one project, with only one upcoming deliverable or deadline.  (And even if you are, you probably want to break it down into smaller pieces, each with their own deadlines.)  Making sure each project is moving forward, and will meet its own deadline is essential.

In the end, deadlines can be useful tools to help prioritize work and keep it moving forward. Tracking and meeting all your deadlines, will enhance your professional reputation as reliable and dependable – and set you up for new career opportunities.

Get Involved In The Discussion

Get Involved In The Discussion. The ACS Career Tips column is published the first week of every month in C&EN. Post your comments, follow the discussion, and suggest topics for future columns in the Career Development section of the ACS Careers blog (acscareers.wordpress.com).—Brought to you by ACS Careers

How do I Prepare for a Networking Conversation and What Do I Say When I Get There?

There are several job searching strategies, but  few as valuable as building strong networking contacts. That means meeting as many people as you can who are willing and able to provide job leads, resources, and other contacts.  When you do get a contact, you’ll want to make the most of the opportunity.

That means treating every networking conversation as if it were a job interview – being prepared with information and smart questions to ask.

There are three main areas you need to research:

• The industry (trends, main competitors) using sources such as Standard & Poor’s, and Hoover’s.
• The company (strategy, structure and performance) using sources such as annual reports, analysts’ reports, news releases, etc.
• The person (background, experience, interests) using the ACS Network, Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more — how long they have been at the company, job title, career moves, etc.

Based on your “due diligence,” you can plan good quality questions. If your conversation goes well, you will have valuable information, new insights, and new leads.  Achieving these results means you need to prepare more specific questions to draw out the kind of information you need.

There are four kinds of questions you can ask during the networking conversation:

1.  Questions about the company:

How does this company differ from its competitors? Why do customers choose this company?

How would you describe this company’s culture?

How has the economy affected the company?

Why did you decide to work for this company? What do you like and not like about working here?

2.  Questions about the job:

What does your typical day look like? What kinds of problems do you deal with?

What are your main responsibilities? What kinds of decisions do you make?

What are the skills that are most important for a position in this field?

What part of this job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging?

3.  Questions about the person:

How did you prepare for this work? If you were entering this career today, would you change your preparation?

What abilities and qualities do you believe contribute most to success in this field/job?

How does a person progress in this field? What is a typical career path in this field/ organization?

4.    Questions about your own fit for the job:

What are some typical entry-level job titles and functions?

What kind of advice do you have for someone pursuing a job in this area?

With the information you have about my education, skills, and experience, what would you say are my strongest assets for a job in this area?

What other fields or jobs would you suggest I research?

A well prepared conversation will provide invaluable information, relationships, and connections that will last throughout your career.  For additional resources to help you with your career planning, check the ACS Careers website (www.acs.org/careers) and attend the ACS Onsite and Virtual Career Fairs (www.acs.org/careerfair) offering opportunities to build your network.

Get Involved in the Discussion!

The Career Tips column will be published the first week of every month in C&EN.  The articles will be posted on the ACS Network and the ACS Careers website, where you’re encouraged to get involved in the discussion.  Tell us what you think, share your experiences, let us know topics you want us addressed.

5 Steps to Successful Networking

Welcome to the first ACS Career Tips column.  Each month, this column will provide advice and answers to career-related questions on a variety of topics, from job search to career development and transitions.

If you’re looking for your next job, there’s nothing more important than building your professional network. According to career experts, the best hires come from referrals or word of mouth. Employers rely on employees and trusted colleagues to recommend good candidates. This is why networking is one of the most effective ways of finding a job.

The good news is that you already have a strong foundation of colleagues, classmates, and friends, and social media makes it easy to create professional relationships outside your immediate circle.

Here are 5 practical steps you can take now to develop a valuable professional network:

1. Reconnect.  Ever wonder where past classmates have landed? Or that favorite boss from your last job? It is likely that these connections can provide insight and access to ideas and opportunities. Between the ACS Network (www.acs.org/network), LinkedIn and Facebook it is easy to locate them and reconnect. When reconnecting, take the time to catch up and rebuild the relationship, whether you get together online or over a cup of coffee.
2. Connect.  Add a personal element to your professional relationships. When people have a personal connection, they are more willing to share and lend a hand. Get to know the people you interact with professionally. Ask about their family or their plans for the weekend. Getting to know more about them will strengthen your network and improve your working relationships.
3. Grow.  Your network can grow exponentially as you build relationships through social media or events such as ACS local section and national meetings. Set a goal to meet two or three new people at an event or every month online. Ask about what they do and what they are interested in, and try to find connections.  Trade contact information with those you’d like to get to know better, then make sure to follow up. 
4. Respond.  It’s easy to get inundated with e-mail and invitations to connect online, but if you want to build a strong network, it’s important to keep communications flowing. Don’t ignore requests for help from others, and respond to those seeking advice. If you can’t help, refer them to those who can.
5. Give.  Relationships are built on reciprocity. Provide information to others. To do so, remember what’s important to them. Refer back to your notes–where you met, interests, discussion topics, etc.  Share articles or papers you think would be of interest or reference a sport or hobby they follow. Keeping connected with your contacts builds valuable, lasting relationships.

 

Networking is one of the most successful ways to find a new job, and you never know when you might need to make a job change.

Get Involved in the Discussion

The Career Tips column will be posted on the ACS Network and the ACS Careers website (www.acs.org/careers), where you’re encouraged to get involved in the discussion.  Tell us what you think about the articles and share your experiences.  Also, let us know what you’d like us to address in future columns to help you and your colleagues reach your career goals.–Brought to you by ACS Careers (careers@acs.org).