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Blog
Navigating the gray area
In a workshop, we discuss job interviews. Isolde speaks up: "How do I react to questions about children?" "Or questions about health?" asks Pavel, who had previously spoken openly about his diabetes. What do I do...
We’re talking about the same thing
In a career workshop, we look at job ads from the industry. "This ad really isn't written for young professionals," says Sam, sharing her screen. She points to a line that irritates her: experience in matrix project management is a prerequisite....
Competition and collaboration
A short debate on networking in a course for PhD students. Half of the participants should defend the statement "Networking outside of my department is a waste of time," while the other half argue against it. After a few minutes, we leave the...
The internet doesn’t forget
In a career workshop, I shed light on what traces we leave on the internet. I'm sharing an article about an applicant whose application phase was overshadowed by his dazzling Facebook profile: drugs, corona parties and fast-changing non-Platonic...
The termination agreement
A termination agreement is not a golden handshake, not even a silver one. It’s the beginning of a complex process and a path that you do not go alone. The first point of contact is the works council, and a lawyer should manage your communication…
Stranded abroad II
Are you stuck abroad, unable to visit friends and family back home while all your colleagues left the lab for the Christmas/ New Year break? Loneliness and boredom can kick in, so let´s do something about it! We offer eight free online...
Am I a loser?
After a workshop, a participant seeks conversation with me. "I feel like I'm a loser," she confides to me. Is that an exaggerated understatement or? Or a case of the impostor syndrome, which is particularly widespread in universities? In any case,...
Alternative career options
Degree in your hand, but not sure what to do next? Get some inspiration what (alternative) career options you have with a background in the natural sciences. Here you find a list with many possibilities. Industry Job fields Research and...
Let talk about your unique skill set
“In most western countries, the number of PhD graduates in the life sciences has increased by around 50% over the last ten years. As the job market, in both academia and industry, has been largely flat in most countries, this PhD glut is creating...
Your application documents: Example cover letters
Welcome to the start of your cover letter- which might be the only thing your reader sees of your application before sending it into the abyss- the bin! Help! A creative text which should under no circumstances annoy anyone? The conventional way to...
Setting up your own business as a natural scientist? When will it pay off?
Most natural and life scientists plan to work in academic research, hospitals or in industry after their graduation. Many of these graduates already possess a distinct drive to innovation and invention and think about founding their own innovative...
Research project: Conference formats
Can we level the playing field at conferences for all delegates, regardless of gender? Can we obtain equal opportunities for everybody attending without putting anyone at disadvantage? Can we tackle the reasons behind the inequalities of conference...
Not many are leaving- beacause it’s interesting and safe!
An interview with Dr. Eleonore Glitz, Project Consultant at the Projektträger Jülich (PTJ), Department of bio-economy.
An eye-catcher for your CV
The eyecatcher: your keywords, highlights, or summary Today it is common to start your CV with a section that depicts the best of your CV and personality for THAT particular job you are applying for. It is a great way to catch the eye of the...
90 decisive seconds of the interview… Pitch it! -Examples 2 & 3
Example 2 Eva Kegel is sitting in a job interview for a business development position at a medium-sized biotech company producing monoclonal antibodies. On the other side of the table, there is someone from the HR department, the sales department...
List of online career resources
Please take a look through thislist of career-related online resources, which we´ve summarised and commented for you: job portals, scholarships, salary benchmarks and many more
First show your skills, then present the wish list
When is it best to discuss your wishes in demands during an application process: already in the application documents, during the interview, the salary negotiation or only once you do have the job? I spend the first nice October day at the IHK in...
I quit my PhD! What now?
This article was originally published in Nachrichten aus der Chemie (02-2020) In a seminar for doctoral students, we look at strong and weak parts of a CV. After we discussed how we can put the many highlights of Elizabeta's career into the best...
Landing on your feet
Safety, employability, resilience: do you need a permanent contract to feel at ease about your career development, or would employability be a more flexible and better weay of looking at it?
The pregnancy issue: Don’t ask. Don’t tell
Shall you talk about a pregnancy or family plans in a job interview?
Decide: If, then how
Why is it that we act against our principles so often?
Online and Offline
The covid-10 pandemic forces us to do experiments. However painful this episode might be, it offers the chance to learn and to question old habits. We often hear opinions like, "Online can only be a stopgap solution." Sorry, there will be no way...
My last day as postdoc
This is a guest post from Dr. Vera Chan. She showed me this text, which was originally a facebook blog after her last day of officially working as a postdoc. I was moved so much by it that I thought our readers might like to read it as well and...