Post written by guest blogger Charlesice Hawkins, Detailee within OITE.  The National Postdoc Association (NPA) reports that there were approximately 79,000 postdoctoral fellows actively involved in research in the United States in 2017. Officially, a postdoctoral position is defined as “a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path.” Whether they are mentoring more junior trainees or working on publishing papers and developing their own line of research, postdocs play a vital role in the success of science and scientists across the country. It is also important to recognize that in addition to…

Post written by guest blogger Charlesice Hawkins, Detailee within OITE.  Whether starting the first semester at university or finishing up the last, looking at a new job, or applying to a professional program, the fall is often filled with excitement and prospect. It is a time when we may be asked questions about our plans. What is your dream school? What do you want to do after you graduate? If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Under normal circumstances even the most well-intentioned inquiries about the future can stir up feelings of unease. Now, career landscapes at every level, particularly in the realm of education, have drastically changed…

The Presidential Management Fellows Program is a two-year training and leadership development program at a United States agency and is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. This program is only open to U.S. citizens and those with a recent graduate degree. The program focuses on developing new government leaders in a variety of disciplines and can be a great entry point for a career with the federal government. Every Tuesday during the month of September 2020, there will be a new informational webinar for prospective graduate students and applicants. The webinars aim to provide a general overview of the program as well as specific details about the 2021…

Guest Blog Post Written By: Grace Betts, B.S., NICHD Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow, 2020-2021 Fulbright Study Award Recipient Considering applying to Fulbright, but not sure where to begin? Here are a few tips and recommendations that will hopefully help you successfully navigate the process. Program types. If you are a recent graduate from a bachelor’s program or a current Master’s or doctoral candidate, you will apply to the Fulbright US Student Program. If you have more than 5 years of experience or study (completion of a PhD) in the field to which you are applying, you will apply to the Fulbright US Scholar Program. Selecting an award. As an NIH fellow,…

Dr. Brene Brown is a New York Times best-selling author. In her book Dare to Lead, she notes that many people, leaders included, are missing a foundational skill of assuming the best in people. She encourages all of us to extend “the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words, and actions of others.” This sounds great in theory, but it is often hard to put into practice. Many of her examples are situations that could be applied here at the NIH and might resonate with trainees, including: Your PI doesn’t get back to you and you think they’re wasting your time (don’t care about you) Your PI/mentor cancels a meeting/discussion/experiments…

The season for medical school interviews is approaching! The pandemic has created a number of obstacles for applicants this cycle and the interview process is no exception. This year, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has launched a new video tool that will be used for admissions. This tool, AAMC VITA, will be used to supplement in-person interviews. This has been designed to assess competencies important for success in medical school and also within a future medical practice. In VITA interviews, applicants will respond to interview questions by videotaping their responses to six questions. Responders will have one minute to read and three minutes to answer. The questions will…

Like other large employers, the federal government has a completely automated job application system. USAJOBS screens candidates for keyword matches and minimum qualifications. If you don’t make it through the first computer filter, a set of human eyes will likely never even have a chance to evaluate your candidacy.   More and more companies are using self-assessment reports to help screen applicants. This is where you are asked a series of questions about your knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to a specific position.  It is a good idea to scan the questionnaire first before tailoring your resume and cover letter for the job. The survey often gives you an…

Post written by guest blogger Charlesice Hawkins, Detailee within OITE. There are times when life is a sprint and times when it is a marathon. Even a job search can feel like both! Do you set a steady pace for the long haul ahead or do you put everything you have into it for a short time? A PhD is a marathon with a few sprints embedded in it. Advancement to candidacy is one of those sprints. It can be okay to sacrifice a few hours of sleep the week leading up to that meeting, but it is not okay to sacrifice sleep, and ultimately health, for an entire 4+…

The OITE Career Blog posted back in 2015 that Twitter was a great resource to utilize when job searching. For a basic overview of Twitter for job searching, check out that post #JobSearch – Using Twitter to Find Jobs. However, a lot has developed in the last five years. Twitter has become one of the most popular social media platforms; as of 2019, it had a reported 320 million active users.  Many scientists have taken to Twitter because it can be used as a great tool to connect with others (even those in positions of power and leadership) in a very purposeful and active way. Scientists have remarked that Twitter…

Where do you go to look for jobs or networking opportunities online? Most people automatically think of great sites like LinkedIn or Indeed; however, a growing number of people are turning to Twitter. Twitter is now being heralded as the best job search tool you probably aren’t using. How can you harness the power of this social media powerhouse? Well, we aren’t encouraging you to tweet out a 140-character version of your resume, but we are encouraging you to become more familiar with site functions which can be very helpful when job searching.Use Built-in Search ToolsType keywords into the search bar to source job openings. You can type in a…