In the world of career development, we often discuss the importance of assessing your skills, values, and interests. Today, we are going to focus primarily on career values because while it is such a priority, it is also an oft overlooked piece of the puzzle. What are Career Values? You can see general categorizations of career values at O*NET. Another site which compiled a list of career values is Monster.com, which you can access here. They broke it down into intrinsic and extrinsic values. Here is a snapshot of some of the options: Intrinsic Values – Working for a cause I deem worthy – Experiencing adventure/excitement – Having an opportunity…
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Assessing Your Skills, Values & Interests
Whether you are a postbac, graduate student, postdoc or clinical fellow, you probably have wondered how to blend your individual interests, values and skills into a satisfying career. Self-assessment is an integral part of an effective career planning process and involves asking yourself about your: Skills -How good am I at different lab techniques or giving talks? -How are my language, mentoring, training, writing and communication skills? Interests -What interests me? For example, do I prefer running the experiment or writing up the experiment? Values -What is important to me in a job? For example, do I need to have a lot of variety or do I prefer to have…
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Why It’s Still Important to Take Time Off
With all the holidays and the end of the year upon us, we are entering a time when people traditionally tend to take vacation. During the pandemic though, people might be considering not taking time off because travel and social gatherings are being limited. Even if you don’t have any vacation plans, it is worth remembering the importance of time away from work. If you are in a position where you can take some time off, it is advisable to do so. It’s important to take time to switch off and give your head some space. Multiple studies have shown that this improves our creativity, productivity, and performance when we…
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Online Employment Career Assessments
Many job seekers are reporting that companies are requiring some type of online assessment as part of their overall application. This was common pre-pandemic; however, during COVID, the use of pre-assessments has increased. We anticipate that this will become the new norm and trainees, especially those looking for non-academic jobs, should expect to take an assessment when applying for many different roles. According to the Harvard Business Review, even back in 2015, 76% of organizations with more than 100 employees relied on assessment tools for external hiring. Companies are using assessments to help them identify people with traits and skills required for particular jobs; organizations feel that not only do…
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“Informational Interviews – What? How? Why?” A Recap of NIH OITE’s Webinar
Blog reposted from The Rutgers iJOBS Blog Written by: Helena Mello Regardless of the career path stage, networking is an essential aspect of any professional life. As scientists, we have opportunities to connect in conferences, seminars and career events. We can strengthen these connections and expand our network with informational interviews; however, not everyone is familiar with this resource. With that in mind, the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) held the webinar “Informational Interviews – What? How? Why?” by Amanda (Dumsch) Langer. This article covers the webinar’s main points. Why? Strong networking leads to shorter job searches. Informational interviews help you expand your network and are an opportunity to show…
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About the Career Services Center
The OITE Career Services Center was established in 2007 to serve all of the trainees in the NIH intramural community. Our goal is to ensure that NIH trainees are aware of the many jobs available, both at and away from the bench, and to provide the resources to help them identify good personal options. Our career counselors run workshops, lead small group discussions, and schedule individual appointments open to all. These are designed to assist trainees in self-assessment, career exploration, goal setting, and finding positions. Staffing for the Center includes: • career counselors, who can assist you with analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, and values; help you write resumes and CVs;…
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What is “Fit” and Why Does it Matter?
Post written by guest blogger Charlesice Hawkins, Detailee within OITE. The importance of a good fit comes from the goal of achieving synergy. The first major principle of fit is that the sum is greater than its parts i.e. fit between two entities is more indicative of success than either entity on its own. The second principle refers to the benefit of compatibility of attributes vs the level of the attributes and the third principle addresses misfit. In a straightforward example, someone may be a high-level cognitive science graduate student, but that may not be as helpful in teaching a microbiology course (principle 2). That is not to say that…
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To Postdoc or Not?
Many PhDs are considering next career steps after the completion of their degree. A big question on many minds is, “Should I do a postdoc or not?” Stephanie Eberle addresses this question in an article on Inside Higher Ed, “Do You Need a Postdoc?” Eberle contends that “Many PhD students simply default to postdoctoral training as a logical next step, when instead they should be making a much more intentional choice.” This is similar advice to an OITE blog post on “Finding the Perfect Postdoc” where the very first question addressed is whether you really need a postdoc. OITE encourages you to explore what types of job are available for…
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Career Exploration Road Map
The career exploration road map is a tool that was developed by Bill Lindstaedt and Jennie Dorman to help students/trainees visualize the career exploration process and track their progress. This tool was initially developed for graduate students and postdocs at the University of California, San Francisco, but is now available for all to use. The road map is intended to be career neutral as it is often understood that many trainees are considering both academic and non-academic career fields at the same time. The map guides you through six different stages of career exploration with a color to match each stage. 1. Self-Assessment (green) 2. Investigation (yellow) 3. Reflection (orange)…
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From the Archive: Making the Most of Your Transition to NIH
Part Two of a Two-Part Series on Transitions *** Before reading this post, take a moment to read Part One – Understanding the Impact of Change*** If you are just arriving at the NIH as a summer student, postbac, graduate student or postdoctoral or clinical fellow, adjusting to your experience at NIH represents a transition that will be one of many transitions you will face in your career. You may be starting a new phase after leaving a comfortable niche in your undergraduate or graduate university. Or you may be exploring some new opportunities. Having a model or road map for your transition can be helpful. William Bridges is a…