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  • 7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Accepting a New Job
    amanda.dumsch@nih.gov /
  • Finding Your Cultural Fit
    amanda.dumsch@nih.gov /
  • The Waiting Season - How to Cope
    amanda.dumsch@nih.gov /

If I Could Do One Thing Differently in My Career...

Post written by Sharon Milgram, Director of The Office of Intramural Training & Education.

Family: An Important Influence in Career Decision Making

  In recent weeks, many of our trainees have received offers to attend graduate school or for academic and industry jobs.  Others are making decisions about where to apply and what career paths to choose. While exciting, it also can be stressful to choose among various options and offers.  Here are a few family related questions that trainees bring to counseling sessions. What are the best jobs for scientists with families? We are returning to our home country to be near our family raise our children.  How can I go about finding a job abroad? Should I disclose that I have a family during my interview?

Where Do I Begin? Industry Careers for Scientists

One of the most challenging questions that developing scientists must answer is, “Should I pursue an academic or industry career?” For some, the pursuit of an academic career  is their path of choice.  For scientists who wish to pursue industry careers, the answer is more difficult to come by because they lack sufficient knowledge of how to pursue the variety of careers in industry.

Applying for Jobs with the US Government

We've talked about which federal agencies and contractors hire scientists as well as how you can go about finding and reading jobs ads; however, if you are looking for a job in the federal government, you should also check out this video from OITE.

This tutorial on USAJobs.gov will help you better understand the application process for government positions.

Image of a person sitting behind a laptop with others around. Image courtesy of Christina @ wocintechchat via Unsplash

Finding Your Cultural Fit

You’ve been offered an interview with a lab or an organization. As you prepare for the interview, remember to consider cultural fit in your evaluation.  

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Gender Bias – Making the Unconscious Conscious

Tackling overt discrimination can be difficult enough. Take for example, the recent case at UC Berkeley. After a six-month investigation, the university concluded that high profile faculty member and renowned astronomer, Geoffrey Marcy, had violated multiple sexual harassment policies over the course of a decade. At first, the university’s investigation and corresponding disciplinary actions went under the radar; however, when it became public that Marcy’s reprimand was essentially a small slap on the wrist, the community responded.

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Maximizers – Doing Better but Feeling Worse

Career decision making is something that everyone struggles with at some point; in a recent blog post, we wrote about this struggle, which can lead to a tendency to drift into decisions. Turns out, there are two basic decision-making styles. Which one are you -- a maximizer or a satisficer? Maximizers tend to take their time and don’t feel comfortable choosing until they feel they have explored every option and have chosen the absolute best.

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New Year’s Resolution: Meet with a Career Counselor

It’s a new year and you are probably making resolutions in the hopes that 2016 will be a successful and productive year. For career-related resolutions, a good place to start within the NIH is the Office of Intramural Training & Education. 

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Top Ten Blog Posts of 2015

In case you missed them, here are some of the most popular blog posts from this past year. These are quick, informative reads which can help pass the time during holiday travel. 

PART II: Managing Mentoring Relationships – Tips for Mentors

Last week in Part I, we offered some ideas for mentees in order to maximize their mentoring relationships. This week, we are going to focus on mentors.